If you struggle with addiction, you are not alone. Millions of people deal with substance use disorders every year. Unfortunately, not everyone receives the help they need.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 75% of people struggling with addiction do not seek treatment.[1] One of the biggest barriers to addiction treatment is the fear of losing your job. While inpatient programs require you to take time off from work, there are outpatient programs that make it possible to maintain a job.
Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) provide you with a high level of care while offering the flexibility in scheduling necessary to continue working. There are other benefits to IOP programs as well, including the fact that they are more affordable than inpatient care, allow you to receive family support during treatment, and make it easy to participate in a recovery community.
5 Benefits of an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Intensive outpatient programs allow you to live at home while you receive a high level of care. IOPs offer many of the same services as inpatient treatment centers, including individual therapy, group counseling, and relapse prevention planning. They typically last anywhere from 30 to 90 days and require you to attend 3 to 5 treatment sessions per week.
If you are evaluating your treatment options, there are many benefits to choosing an intensive outpatient program, including:
1. Intensive Care While Living at Home
There are multiple types of outpatient treatment programs, including partial hospitalization programs, intensive outpatient programs, and traditional outpatient programs. IOPs offer a higher level of care than traditional outpatient programs. In other words, they provide many of the same services as inpatient treatment centers.
Intensive outpatient programs offer:
- Individualized treatment planning
- Individual therapy
- Group counseling
- Addiction education groups
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and medication management
- Nutritional counseling
- Holistic care services
- Mental health treatment
- Randomized drug and alcohol testing
- Relapse prevention planning and aftercare
2. More Affordable Than Inpatient Rehab
Another reason people avoid treatment is because they are afraid it will cost too much. If inpatient addiction care is too expensive for you, you can still get the care you need at an IOP. Because these programs do not include the cost of housing, meals, or 24/7 supervision from addiction professionals, the overall cost is much more affordable.
Intensive outpatient programs also accept health insurance. If you have insurance and do not want to pay out of pocket, you can ask your insurance provider for a list of in-network IOP centers.
3. Flexibility in Scheduling
Intensive outpatient programs are ideal for people who have outside obligations they have to care for. For example, you can work, attend school, or continue caring for your family while attending an IOP.
Typically, intensive outpatient programs require you to attend 3 to 5 treatment sessions per week. Most of the time, these sessions only last a couple of hours. You’ll have plenty of free time to complete work, school, or other responsibilities during the day.
While some people need a break from work during the early stages of recovery, this might not be possible for you. Attending an IOP ensures you can continue paying rent and putting food on the table. It also means you can begin developing a healthy schedule that keeps you busy and satisfied, lessening the risk of relapse due to feelings of boredom.
4. Ideal for Family Support
If you have a support system at home, you probably want to be able to live with your family during treatment. IOP centers allow you to live in the comfort of your own home, making it easier to receive support from your family members during treatment. Additionally, many intensive outpatient programs include family therapy, which can help you strengthen your relationships and educate your family on the disease of addiction.
5. Access to a Recovery Community
Inpatient treatment centers usually require that you stay at the facility at all times. While this can protect you from experiencing triggers, it also prevents you from immersing yourself in a recovery community like a 12-step program. When you attend an intensive outpatient program, you can attend weekly support groups whenever you want.
By having access to a recovery community early on, you can build a support system with other people in recovery from addiction. You can also go through the 12 steps, which provide you with coping skills and positive behavioral changes that support long-term recovery from addiction.
Get Connected to a Reputable Intensive Outpatient Program
Addiction can be difficult to recover from, especially on your own. At New Jersey Behavioral Health Center, we offer an intensive outpatient program that offers the tools and support you need to achieve long-term sobriety. Our program uses individualized care and evidence-based treatments to make lifelong recovery possible.
Located in New Jersey, our treatment center offers a whole-person approach to mental health and substance use disorder treatment, combining evidence-based therapies with personalized care plans tailored to each individual’s unique needs. Whether you’re dealing with alcoholism, anxiety, depression, trauma, co-occurring disorders, or other mental health concerns, our team of experienced professionals is here to support you every step of the way.
Contact us today to learn more about the benefits of our IOP program.
References:
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH): 10 percent of US adults have drug use disorder at some point in their lives