Outpatient rehab is one of the most common approaches to drug rehab in Texas. The treatment setting generally involves clients visiting an addiction recovery specialist during scheduled sessions while carrying on with regular life.
But despite the flexible nature of outpatient rehab, the program has varying levels of support, especially for clients who need a high level of support. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission licenses outpatient drug rehab programs in Texas. The agency also runs an initiative for screening and helping persons with substance abuse disorder get low-cost professional help.
Outpatient addiction treatment is most suitable for persons who do not need constant supervision or support during recovery. Based on this, Texas rehab centers design their programs to fit the level of support clients need.
Clients live at home but attend scheduled sessions with their addiction treatment specialists in day programs. Depending on the client's schedule, sessions are held during the day or after work hours. Most programs usually go on for about nine hours per week and last several months.
Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) resemble day programs, except that sessions are longer and the support available to clients is higher. Most programs start with sessions of at least nine hours per week and step down as the client makes measurable progress.
Continuing care is the most flexible among the types of outpatient rehab. Addiction recovery specialists recommend it for clients who have made remarkable progress with sobriety but need continual support. Sessions are weekly, biweekly, or monthly, depending on the client's needs.
The choice of treatment depends on the patient's needs and expert recommendation. People choose outpatient rehab programs for three primary reasons:
Outpatient rehab programs are designed around clients' schedules, allowing them to get addiction treatment with minimal disruption to daily life. This flexibility makes outpatient rehab suitable for working-class persons and students or parents.
Choosing an outpatient rehab program can significantly reduce the cost of addiction treatment, especially since the program does not handle food and accommodation for the duration of the program. Many health insurance providers also cover this addiction treatment program.
People in outpatient rehab programs can apply the skills and techniques they learn during therapy and counseling in real life. This way, they can always share successes or challenges with their recovery specialist and make necessary adjustments easily.
The services available to clients in outpatient rehab will depend on the program and differ from rehab center to rehab center. Nevertheless, the following services are standard services one can expect to get in outpatient treatment:
Medical detox occurs in a facility under the supervision of recovery experts. However, it is possible to detox at home or the outpatient center, although the individual must meet strict criteria.
Generally, the person must live in a drug-free area and have a support system near them to be eligible. Despite the nature of ambulatory detox, the process still requires a recovery specialist or a licensed nurse to monitor the person for several hours per day until the addiction treatment is complete. Only then can addiction recovery specialists continue the following stages of treatment.
CBT is an addiction treatment service that approaches treatment from the angle of how feelings, behaviors, and environment contribute to drug use. Many therapies like psychotherapy and counseling look at these elements based on the client's past. Instead, CBT focuses on modifying behaviors and responding to one's environment as the patient progresses in recovery.
Here, the addiction recovery specialist focuses on identifying the issues that led to the client's drug use in the first place. Talking about the past can be difficult for some people. It also requires trust. But in the end, psychotherapy and counseling help persons in recovery understand their stressors and triggers and how to manage these elements.
The basis for maintenance therapy is that medication can substitute illicit drugs and help clients slowly lose substance dependency. In many outpatient rehab programs, maintenance therapy takes the form of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), where clients take blockers designed to dampen the actions of illicit drugs. The medications also facilitate quick removal of the drugs from the user's body. This way, a person on MAT cannot experience the effects of psychoactive drugs.
Most inpatient rehab centers organize anonymous self-help group meetings as part of addiction treatment. Here, attendees learn about various ways to approach recovery and share experiences on how drugs have affected them. Attendees also get support from peers who are ahead in the recovery journey.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports the average length of stay in Texas outpatient rehab programs as three months and two weeks. However, this duration varies with several factors, including the severity of the addiction, the substances in question, and the existence of co-occurring health conditions.
Persons with a complex history of addiction, such as those who have been physically and psychologically dependent on drugs for a long time, typically spend longer in rehab.
Drugs act differently. While some substances produce an overall feeling of calm, others make the user hyperactive. Addiction treatment will help the client adjust to life without these drugs, depending on their circumstances. The length of time it takes to detox from a drug depends on the type of drug.
Addiction rarely occurs in isolation. Likewise, recovery occurs on the physical and mental front. It is common for persons in recovery to have psychological or physical conditions, such as depression or chronic pain, that need attention. Treating these conditions is essential for long-term sobriety, but it typically extends outpatient rehab, even after drug dependence has ended.
The four significant differences between outpatient and inpatient rehab are the length of stay, residential structure, the level of support available, and the cost.
Outpatient rehab is typically longer than inpatient rehab. On average, the latter program lasts four weeks. On the other hand, the average length of stay in Texas outpatient rehab programs is three months and two weeks.
Clients in outpatient rehab centers live at home but receive addiction treatment services at the rehab center. On the other hand, inpatient is an onsite program. So, patients live and receive treatment at the rehab center.
Inpatient drug rehab centers provide a high level of support for persons in recovery, making it suitable for persons with severe addiction or special needs. Outpatient Texas rehab centers still offer clients a high level of support, especially in intensive outpatient programs, but comparably less.
Outpatient programs only provide addiction treatment. So, the cost of addiction treatment is several times less than inpatient rehab, where the facility provides food and accommodation for the program duration.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, help is available. You can get expert care near you by calling SAMHSA's helpline at (800) 662-4357. Your conversation with a SAMHSA representative is private. Alternatively, use the SAMHSA rehab center locator to locate and obtain information about licensed Texas rehab centers. The locator displays the location of the facility as well as contact information. You'll also find a list of various treatment services, amenities, insurance coverage, and payment options available at these programs.