One of the reasons people cant recover from drug or alcohol addiction on their own is because they cant control their cravings. Left to their own resources, they will usually succumb to a disease that is more powerful then they are. The inability to say no is why residential treatment is always the preferred path to recovery. While in a residential treatment facility, all clients are accountable for their actions.
Thanks to layers of security and the awareness of well trained staff members, clients in a residential treatment facility cant get access to the drugs and alcohol they crave. Still, residents are required to submit to random drug testing. It is that final level of precaution that is in place to make sure clients have a clear path to recovery. Sometimes, incoming clients won’t or cannot sign up for residential treatment.
In such cases, the treatment options get cut in half. What is left is whatever outpatient treatment options a particular treatment facility will be able to offer. By way of offering clarity, here are some of the reasons clients opt to not submit to a residential treatment program:
- The fact they have a moderate addiction issue dictates that residential treatment is overkill
- They have financial obligations they would not be able to fulfill if they missed time from work
- They are needed at home to provide care for other family members
- They have work or school responsibilities that they cant set aside
- They cant afford the cost of residential treatment
If you fall into one of these categories, you would need to alter course and submit to an outpatient treatment program. The good news is most reputable drug /alcohol rehab facilities, ours included, do offer at least one outpatient treatment option. In most cases, you would likely have a choice between up to three outpatient treatment options.
The three most common outpatient options are (with time requirements):
- Partial Hospitalization of PHP: five to seven days a week of therapy for as much as eight hours each day
- Intensive Outpatient of IOP: three to five days of treatment per week for as much as six hours of therapy a day
- General Outpatient or OP: a maintenance option that includes one or two days of therapy a week for about two hours a session
To qualify for outpatient treatment, each client has to follow rules.
The Rules Associated With Outpatient Treatment
In order to avoid the security and scrutiny that goes with residential treatment, a client must exhibit the ability to act responsibly. Even while living at home, they are still accountable for following the rules set forth by the rehab facility. There aren’t a lot of rules, but each rule is of vital importance if a client is serious about recovery. While the rules might vary from one treatment facility to the next, there are some general rules that are widespread. They include the following:
- Must report for each scheduled therapy session on time every time without fail
- Must be making a clear effort to recover from the disease of addiction
- Cannot use alcohol or drugs for any reason unless a physician prescribes said medication
- Random drug testing is mandatory
We turn your attention to the last rule on this list. There is no point in a client going through treatment if they are still using drugs or alcohol. Since they can avoid monitoring while at home, they must be willing to abide by drug testing rules for their own good. Some facilities will drug test each time the client reports for treatment. Other facilities may choose to drug test at random. Either way, you won’t be able to avoid this level of scrutiny while going through outpatient treatment.
With a zero tolerance policy, a failed drug test will result in one of two repercussions. Either the client will need to move into the residential treatment facility, or they could be dismissed from the program altogether. At this point, your focus should be on getting treatment with no regard for drug testing. It will be part of any program you might enter. What we want you to know is we stand ready to give you the help you need. What we ask of you is one simple phone call to one of our administrative members. The number is 833-610-1174.