Choosing the right treatment program is a crucial step toward potential success in rehab for anyone facing addiction. If the program is too intense or brief, the person might not learn the right skills to stay abstinent. They may feel overburdened by unnecessary treatment. Families searching for care for someone they love can feel overwhelmed with too many options and little direction. Inpatient care might seem too stringent, while a standard outpatient program might seem too lax.
For many individuals, an intensive outpatient treatment program (IOP) might be the right fit. A program like this provides significant help in the fight against addiction, but they allow a person to continue to live at home during treatment. An IOP rehab program is considered an excellent middle-of-the-road approach. We offer an intensive outpatient program in Augusta, Michigan, along with other addiction treatment programs. Call 269.280.4673 to learn more about how an intensive outpatient program might benefit your situation.
What to Know About an Intensive Outpatient Program for Addiction
Many types of treatment programs can help a person struggling with addiction or mental health issues. In IOPs, patients continue to live at home while receiving addiction treatment. In many cases, a lower time commitment allows patients to maintain most daily obligations while working toward a healthier life.
Addiction causes intense emotional and physical harm, leading to depression, anxiety, and desperation. Overcoming these issues means learning more about how addiction developed and what can be done to keep addictive behaviors from recurring in the future. IOPs tend to have more significant investment in patients, as they involve the following:
- A focus on mental health – Patients may have a mental illness that prompted their alcohol or drug use or may have developed mental health concerns due to their drug use. The IOP intake process may give patients a diagnosis involving co-occurring disorders, which means they need dual diagnosis treatment.
- Help with communication habits and relationship management – Difficulty relating to others, or expressing emotion, could be a part of what keeps people struggling with addiction.
- Employment assistance – Finding a job and keeping it might be difficult for people struggling with intense addiction.
- Understanding addiction – The homework and private study involved in a standard outpatient program might be difficult for some people, who might need assistance understanding the complicated addiction concepts.
The nature of a person’s addiction is crucial in choosing the most appropriate rehab. People with long patterns of misuse and habits that are hard to break will likely need more help to get better. This is another reason that an IOP may be the optimal decision.
What to Expect from Intensive Addiction Treatment
Since IOPs are designed to help with severe addiction cases, there is a substantial time commitment. Most programs require nine to 30 hours of care per week and tend to last at least 90 days. Participants of IOPs devote a significant portion of their lives to healing.
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy plays a vital role in an IOP as therapists work one-on-one with patients, ensuring that each patient understands the specifics of their addiction history and the things they need to do to get well. Individual therapy can also help people develop skills that can help them resist the urge to relapse when facing persistent temptation.
Group Therapy
IOPs also rely heavily on group therapy. In these groups, people have an opportunity to focus on the following:
- Addiction education
- Skill development
- Emotional support
- Interpersonal communication
Groups typically contain eight to 15 members, and the people who attend these meetings tend to fluctuate over time. Some people learn the concepts quickly and move on to other groups to strengthen other weaknesses. Other people need more time to heal. The benefit of frequent transitions in group members allows patients to see the progression of healing as it takes place in many different people. Those advanced in recovery might be inspiring, while those new to recovery might provide a warning about the dangers behind relapsing.
Recreational Activities
Some people find it challenging to discuss their feelings in talk therapy and want to tap into nonverbal ways of healing. Some IOPs provide recreational opportunities like team sports, hiking, or rope climbing. Other IOPs offer art therapy, yoga, or meditation lessons. These alternate forms of therapy provide people with new outlets for their feelings and healthy, ongoing hobbies once treatment is complete.
Aftercare Planning
IOPs often require aftercare through 12-step groups like AA and NA. Groups like this allow people struggling with addiction to come together to support and learn from each other. When fighting cravings, individuals have the support of peers to continue their sobriety. Sponsors can also provide peer support on an impromptu basis, whether or not a meeting is available.
Find an Intensive Outpatient Program in Augusta, Michigan.
If you or someone you care about is looking for an IOP rehab program in Michigan, contact us today at 269.280.4673. We provide intensive outpatient care in a comfortable setting that supports the recovery of patients.