While inpatient and outpatient rehabs focus on substance use treatment and recovery, each option offers unique attributes and benefits. It is essential to recognize that one option is not quantifiably better than the other. The choice depends on multiple factors and the general nature of the situation. Exploring and understanding the differences between inpatient and outpatient rehab is the best way to determine which option is right for you or your loved one.

What Is Inpatient Rehab?

Inpatient rehab is more commonly referred to as residential treatment because you live at the treatment facility throughout your substance use treatment. Inpatient rehab is usually the preferred option for individuals with more severe dependency on alcohol or drugs. Additionally, many of these facilities can treat people who suffer from co-occurring mental disorders, which could be contributing to substance use disorder.

Inpatient rehab programs are designed to help clients avoid the influences and temptations that could be triggers for substance use. A drug-free environment can be more conducive to the treatment process. Inpatient facilities tend to offer intensive care and 24-hour support from clinical and medical professionals.

Ideally, inpatient rehab programs offer support throughout each stage of treatment. Beginning with initial detoxification and continuing with treatments and therapies designed to teach clients how to manage substance use disorder. In addition, residential treatment programs aim to assist clients in leading drug- and alcohol-free lives following treatment.

Inpatient rehab programs can span anywhere from 30 days to 6 months or longer. Short-term residential treatment programs are generally 28 to 30 days. While long-term residential rehabs usually offer 3 to 6 months of treatment.

What to Expect During Inpatient Rehab

Inpatient rehab facilities provide around-the-clock care, meaning you will never be or feel alone while learning to lead a drug-free life. Residential treatment programs generally follow a structured daily schedule consisting of individual and group therapy sessions, physical exercise, chores, and study materials focused on every facet of substance use and co-occurring disorders.

Inpatient treatment programs typically treat substance use disorder’s physical and psychological effects. In residential treatment, medical attention is always available, which can be especially important for clients with co-occurring mental health disorders or conditions that may have contributed to their substance abuse.

Because residential treatment clients must live in the facility, inpatient rehab tends to involve a more substantial commitment than outpatient rehab programs.

What Is Outpatient Rehab?

Outpatient rehab usually involves daily treatment through counseling, therapy, and group sessions at a facility or clinic. In addition, clients in an outpatient treatment program can live at home or in a sober living facility while attending treatment, allowing them to continue working or attending school without disruption.

The main difference between outpatient and inpatient rehab is the support available. Outpatient rehab is usually less intensive than the alternative. For example, many outpatient programs offer group or individual counseling in a step-down approach to care, which means that sessions might become less frequent and intensive in the later stages of the treatment program.

What to Expect During Outpatient Rehab

As mentioned, many clients seek outpatient rehab because outpatient programs can be seen as less disruptive. While the level of treatment in an outpatient program can be less intensive than inpatient treatment, the types of therapy and counseling provided are the same. In addition, some outpatient programs also offer treatment for clients with co-occurring mental health disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and eating disorders.

Appointments can also be made on the weekends or evenings to accommodate work or school schedules. However, it is crucial to remember that outpatient treatment does not guarantee a drug- and alcohol-free environment.

How Inpatient Rehab Differs from Outpatient Rehab

Entering an inpatient rehab program involves staying in a facility 24/7, which isn’t necessary with outpatient rehab. The length of your stay in an inpatient facility depends on the seriousness of your dependency on drugs or alcohol. Short-term treatment programs can be provided in skilled nursing facilities or stand-alone rehabilitation hospitals. Anyone who seeks treatment through these facilities can obtain comprehensive care from a wide range of medical and health service professionals, including:

• Rehabilitative Specialists and Physicians
• Social Workers
• Counselors
• Nursing Staff
• Nutritionists
• Care Coordinators

Being admitted to an inpatient program means intensive care will be provided for at least three hours daily. In addition, some inpatient facilities offer residents alternative health and wellness programs and resources, such as holistic healing, yoga, and meditation. Residential treatment facilities also provide healthy and well-balanced meals and some nutrition instruction programs.

Outpatient rehab, while less intensive, still offers professional support for those seeking recovery. Outpatient programs often have specific attendance requirements for individual and group therapy sessions, workshops, meetings, and other recovery support programming. Depending on the type of outpatient program, appointments will be scheduled from one to five days per week. Keep in mind that different types of therapy might require separate appointments. Your care providers will expect you to maintain your drug-free life while at home.

Identifying Which Type of Rehab Is Right for You

Now that you know everything about inpatient rehab and outpatient rehab, you should be able to determine which type of treatment is right for you and your specific situation. If you decide to attend outpatient treatment, you can go through the treatment process while still living at your own home and amidst your loved ones. Outpatient rehab programs are less intensive, which might be preferable for clients with less severe substance use disorders.

While attending outpatient rehab, taking care of your family, attending school, and maintaining your work responsibilities is possible. Therapy sessions tend to occur before or after work. Remember that you don’t have to continue living at home if you choose outpatient rehab. Sober-living homes are available in this scenario, which may make it easier for you to maintain a drug-free lifestyle as you go to treatment.

On the other hand, inpatient treatment programs may be right for you if you need to step away from your every day responsibilities to focus entirely on the treatment process. Self-care is essential to preventing relapse, which can be aided by inpatient rehab.

If you’re unsure of your ability to get through the treatment program alone, inpatient rehab places you in a facility with people experiencing the same issues. Having a supportive environment could be helpful during treatment. In addition, inpatient rehab facilities have trained staff on hand to ensure that everyone remains as comfortable as possible.

Some of the amenities that you could have access to during inpatient rehab include on-site laundry facilities, flat-screen HDTVs, and swimming pools. While considering all your options, it’s essential to understand that each individual has different needs. Some programs account for these differences by providing individualized care.

Care Provided at Granite Recovery Centers

At Granite Recovery Centers, we offer a variety of treatments and therapies to help you on your journey to sobriety. We know one size does not fit all. So, we tailor our treatment programs to meet the unique needs of our clients. Granite Recovery Centers treatment programs feature a full continuum of care, including medical detox, inpatient and outpatient rehab programs, partial hospitalization programs (PHP), medication-assisted treatment, intensive outpatient (IOP), and sober living.

You will find exceptional recovery support treatment teams at each of our facilities. Many of our staff members are living proof that recovery is possible. GRC facilities offer on-site kitchens that provide our clients with nutritious snacks and meals, individual and group counseling, and dual-diagnosis treatment solutions. In addition, our treatment centers offer a unique blend of evidence-based clinical therapies with a comprehensive 12-Step curriculum.

Whether you choose an outpatient or inpatient rehab program, both options will help you learn how to live free from alcohol or drugs. In addition, both treatment options can assist you in progressing through detox and changing your attitudes regarding the substances you’re currently dependent on. Finally, the treatment program you enter should also give you the skills to continue avoiding relapse and triggers once you’ve completed the program.

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When faced with a substance use disorder, whether it be you or a loved one, the most difficult question to traverse seems to be the first: is professional treatment needed? If the answer is yes, you’re then presented with the next question: what kind of treatment? Though it seems simple enough, there are actually many options and types of treatment available, and it’s important to know what you’re looking for. With some research and evaluation of the person in question, you will be able to determine which treatment will offer someone their best shot at recovery.

The Process Begins with Detox

To begin with, the client will be evaluated to determine if medical detoxification is needed. Granite Recovery Centers provides medical detoxification for people who do not need immediate medical intervention, are not a danger to themselves, and are capable of self-evacuation in the event of an emergency. This is often the case with more severe addictions, and is often suggested by medical professionals depending on the substance. Alcohol and benzodiazepines withdrawal, for example, can pose a fatal risk if not medically supervised. Medications are often provided to ease the detox process (sometimes referred to as ‘comfort meds’), and once the patient is feeling better, they will sometimes attend groups, therapy, or educational programs.

After medical detox is complete, rehab branches off at inpatient and outpatient treatment. What exactly does each entail? What are the differences? How long do they last? Is your loved one a better candidate for one over the other?

We’ll delve into some descriptions of each to help you make an educated decision.

Inpatient Rehab

An inpatient rehab facility means that the client resides at the facility where they will be given treatment. Inpatient centers are usually set in aesthetically appealing locations to inspire feelings of peace and mindfulness for the person receiving treatment. They are often immersed in nature, surrounded by mountains, forests, or bodies of water. These facilities offer a safe, tranquil environment in which to begin exploring a person’s substance use disorder, and the reasons they are seeking help. Because these facilities provide 24-hour care, the person receiving treatment can always feel supported.

Inpatient rehab is often gender-separate, which allows the facility to address gender-specific needs, avoid distraction and discomfort, and create the ultimate healing environment. The other benefit of being away from home in an inpatient facility helps the person remove themselves from the environment where their addiction was thriving. Once the body begins to feel better in this new place, the mind will begin to feel better, too.

Inpatient treatment, because it requires the person to reside at the facility, can be seen as more disruptive to a person’s life than outpatient rehab centers. The question to consider, however, is how disruptive has your addiction been in your life? If it is causing you to seek treatment, it might be worth putting things on hold so you can sort out your addiction with no distractions and all of the resources at your disposal. This time away could put an end to the disruptive addiction once and for all, and may be precisely what you need to shake things up and get on the right path.

Outpatient Rehab

Should a person opt for an outpatient rehab facility/program, they will likely attend a day program. This might be at the same facility where inpatient programs are conducted, and so it may also have the benefits of a tranquil setting. The same day programming will be found here, but at night the client will either return to where they are staying, such as at home or a friend/relative’s, or to a sober living facility. It is ideal for the client to be connected to a recovery community as often as possible when they are not in day programming to keep the momentum going.

Outpatient rehab is appealing to many for its lower cost, simply for the fact that the client does not have to pay for room and board. This option also allows the client to keep working or attending school while they are in treatment, which is especially appealing to those with a family to care for.

Those who are more independent and perhaps have a firmer grip the vital life skills needed to manage their addiction are more suited to inpatient treatment. Here they will be supported but still expected to be relatively independent and responsible when they are not at their program.

The other option is to seek out a combination of the two: a client can begin in inpatient, and step down to outpatient as they ease back into the ‘real’ world, but are not completely without the support of the treatment program.

Final Thoughts

In both inpatient and outpatient settings, you’ll attend individual and group evidence-based therapies and complementary treatments, such as:

• CBT (Cognitive behavioral therapy)
• Group therapy
• Step Work
• Meditation, yoga, and other forms of holistic therapy
• Trauma and PTSD therapy

While each program has its pros and cons, the decision is often up to the person battling addiction. With the support from friends and family, as well as the professionals they will meet at the program they choose, they will have the opportunity to seize their recovery with strength and the motivation they needed to change their lives.

It’s important to note that addiction is like high blood pressure; the individual must be active in their recovery to stay healthy for the long-haul. Treating this disease is a lifetime commitment, regardless of inpatient vs outpatient rehab—but it is indeed possible.

In both the outpatient and inpatient settings, Granite Recovery Centers offer clients a combination of evidence-based therapy and complementary treatment to aid in the holistic body and mind-healing process. Our facilities teach you to manage and understand your addiction, ultimately showing you how you can live a fulfilling and healthy life.

Whatever program you are considering, we will be glad to help you begin the process. Our Admissions Specialists work around the clock to answer any questions you may have, and to help you decide what is best for you and your loved ones. Please feel free to reach out to one of us today.

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A Typical Day at Rehab

Wake Up, Eat, Meditate

So, a typical day here for any of our residential clients is that they’re woken up early in the morning at about six-thirty and they’ll do a morning meditation. Then they’ll go about starting their day. They’ll get breakfast, they’ll get medications, take care of themselves, clean up their living space, all that. And they begin groups at nine-thirty.

Group Therapy and the 12 Steps

Pretty quickly, within their first full week here, they’ll start what we call Little Big Book. And that is a pretty intensive, week-long series of groups. At the end of that, they would take a Third Step, which is essentially, like, handing their will over, becoming willing to engage in the process.

The Fourth Step-The Hard Part

And then they move on to beginning their Fourth Step (of the 12 Steps). So the Fourth Step is a writing out of – initially, all your resentments. So you write out all the people, places, principals, anything that you resent. Anything that’s played a role in your life in keeping you sick. And then they’ll go through and sort of start owning their side of the street with that.

So they’ll look at, things such as: How have they been selfish? How have they been dishonest? How have they been self-seeking? And what are they afraid of? The Fourth Step is definitely the most intensive. It takes a long time; it’s a lot of work; and it brings up a lot of emotions for a lot of the clients here. It can be incredibly difficult. It’s a sort of processing of everything that’s ever happened in their lives and sort of owning their own part. But it’s crucial to getting past the triggers of use to a life of purpose.

Other facilities will sort of touch on the steps, they don’t actually do any work through them. They’ll tell people that there is a solution but they won’t get them started in the footwork to get that. And the more our reputation spreads as being a center that actually helps achieve that, the more people are interested in coming in the doors.

Watch the full video: If you or a loved one is considering getting help for your addiction, the first week of rehab may seem daunting, but it will be worth it. Give our admission specialists a call at (855) 712-7784.

Call (855) 712-7784 for Immediate Help

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Common Stigmas Against Drug Users

Various surveys and studies have found deep negative stigmas attached to substance abuse. Compared to individuals suffering from mental illness, those addicted to drugs are deemed more “blameworthy and dangerous.”¹ Another study found people were “more willing to accept discriminatory practices against persons with drug addiction, more skeptical about the effectiveness of treatments, and more likely to oppose policies aimed at helping them.” ²

Stigma in Addiction Treatment and Healthcare

Even healthcare professionals may demonstrate stigma against patients with substance abuse issues. One broad survey found that healthcare professionals were likely to view such individuals as manipulative, violent, or unmotivated to change. This made patients feel disempowered and negatively impacted healthcare outcomes. The study pointed to the need for more education and support structures for medical professionals to work with this group.³

Stigma and Barriers to Seeking Treatment

Such stigmas have a human cost. Numerous studies have found a “strong and enduring effect of stigma on well-being,” pointing to the mental and emotional toll these perceptions can have on individuals suffering from substance abuse.⁴ In their “Anti Stigma Toolkit: A Guide to Reducing Addiction-Related Stigma,” the authors identify multiple ways stigma around addiction prevents people from seeking recovery. Because addiction is so stigmatized, many users are reluctant to admit they have a problem in the first place. This often leads to keeping these problems from others who could help. Stigma makes many too afraid to seek treatment because they fear they will be judged by friends, family, coworkers, and even medical professionals, or that their diagnosis will “get out” and be used against them. Stigma against drug users held by the general public causes a lack of funding for treatment efforts that can help, as it is much easier to justify not helping someone if one is convinced their issues are their own fault.⁵ Stigma-related barriers to recovery also include “disheveled relationships, an incapacity to trust others, and lowered self-esteem”.⁶

The Importance of Seeking Treatment

Despite the stigmas surrounding addiction, getting treatment is critical. Seeking out care can take a great deal of courage, but it is a vital first step towards beating addiction once and for all. A quality substance abuse treatment center will be staffed by medical professionals who are aware of the social consequences of addiction and are caring, open-minded, and solution – oriented – not judgmental. Our staff at Granite Recovery Centers in New Hampshire recognizes that addiction is a disease, not a character flaw. We will help you or your loved one overcome addition and build the confidence, self-esteem, and skills necessary to recover from addiction and live a better life. Granite Recovery Centers can be reached at 603-339-4160.

1 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1468017308101818 2 https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.ps.201400140 3 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871613000677 4 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2955424?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents 5 http://attcnetwork.org/regcenters/productDocs/2/Anti-Stigma%20Toolkit.pdf 6 https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1166&context=edc_theses

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