In our previous post in this series, we explored the main differences between inpatient and outpatient rehab. Including the commitments in time, the necessary steps to take for admittance to each, and the main differences in programming.

Now in this blog post, we hope to further break down the specifics of outpatient and inpatient treatment facilities, so that you have a better understanding of what level of treatment you or your loved one needs.

This article is meant as a resource to help begin your conversation with your doctor. It is not meant as medical advice that should be followed without the guidance of a board-certified physician.

Let’s start off exploring why someone might choose Outpatient over Inpatient rehab.

Choosing Outpatient Instead of Inpatient

Outpatient treatment comes with a lot of positives when compared to inpatient treatment. The primary difference between the two is that outpatient allows those seeking treatment to continue to participate in society and their daily lives, whereas outpatient entirely removes an individual from life for a set amount of time.

For this reason, many professionals and students tend to choose outpatient rehab as a first option. Outpatient rehab allows individuals to continue to go to work, and/or school during the day, and attend drug/alcohol treatment in the evenings. This allows for minimal disruptions in day-to-day life.

Outpatient treatment is also more affordable than inpatient. Even with insurance, co-pays are often drastically less expensive for outpatient programming compared to inpatient stays. Many insurance companies are more likely to cover IOP as the first step in addiction treatment before approving a 14-28 day inpatient stay if IOP proves unsuccessful.

Outpatient provides many positives, but the major caveat to outpatient treatment is the severity of the addiction. If someone is physically addicted to drugs or alcohol, they are almost certain to fail in IOP without first a medical detox or inpatient treatment.

Choosing Inpatient Instead of Outpatient

As discussed above, when an individual’s addiction reaches a certain severity, inpatient quickly becomes the only viable option available for successful addiction treatment. If you or your loved one needs to undergo a medical detox before being admitted, it is almost always the best option to primarily pursue inpatient treatment.

This is due to the physiology of the brain as it goes through acute and post-acute withdrawal. The chemical imbalance created by the addiction will slowly restore itself to its natural state. But as it continues to heal over time without the presence of drugs, the individual will experience a variety of uncomfortable feelings, emotions, and physical reactions.

This healing process is so sporadic and difficult to handle in the early weeks of abstinence, inpatient treatment provides a safe space for individuals to learn how to healthily cope with difficult emotions and experiences. Inpatient treatment ensures individuals can encounter hard situations without having drugs or alcohol readily available to cope with.

Many times, individuals will start with outpatient treatment, in hopes of being able to learn the skills required to begin to live a life of recovery. If they find that temptation from outside of the IOP is too great, and they are unable to stay sober, inpatient provides the escalation in care many people need to start their recovery journey successfully.

Inpatient treatment comes with a lot more costs to consider, with the inclusion of medical detox, inpatient treatment can cost tens of thousands of dollars without insurance, and still several thousand even with insurance. It is important to speak with a trusted doctor while deciding if you or your loved one requires inpatient treatment.

A Quick Recap

We just covered a lot so let’s take a look at a few quick hits of important information when considering if you or your son needs inpatient or outpatient treatment.

Discuss With A Professional

This will always be the first thing we bring up. It is important to make this decision alongside a medical provider. At Green Hill Recovery, we are happy to speak with you directly to ensure that you take the best route possible in finding long-term recovery for yourself or your loved one.

This decision is a very serious one, and you should consult medical professionals throughout the process.

Consider Previous Attempts At Recovery

Have you or a loved one tried outpatient treatment before? Maybe even more than once? Is something still not working? Well, it might be time to consider inpatient treatment.

It only makes sense to escalate the style of care if the treatment is not producing desired outcomes. Stay positive though, recovery is a process.

Price & Insurance

Price and quality of insurance coverage can be major governing factors when deciding if outpatient or inpatient care is the right decision for you or a loved one.

At Green Hill Recovery, we take a wide variety of insurances from state plans, to private corporate insurances. We will work directly with you and your insurance provider to ensure the maximum amount of treatment is covered by your provider.

Severity of Addiction

The severity of addiction and which substance an individual is struggling with can also be a deciding factor when considering if they are best suited for inpatient or outpatient care.

If the individual is using drugs that can result in a fatal overdose or has a history of overdosing, it might be most wise for them to pursue inpatient treatment.

This gives their brains time to heal while they are not tempted with the ability to use drugs whenever their fight or flight reflex is triggered while experiencing difficult emotions in treatment.

Drug & Alcohol Treatment In Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill

Do you or a loved one need drug and/or alcohol treatment in the Raleigh area? Don’t worry, Green Hill Recovery can help.

We understand that realizing you or a loved one needs help with a substance use disorder can be overwhelming. With Green Hill’s convenient location in Raleigh, we can ensure that students at Duke or UNC can start their recovery journeys with minimal disruptions to their class schedules.

Are you curious about learning more about how Green Hill Recovery can help? Let’s have a low-pressure chat today and see if we are the right fit for you or your loved one.