What if You Don’t Feel Ready for Outpatient Care but Are Done with Inpatient Rehab?

Inpatient and outpatient rehab provide many of the same services, but inpatient care generally starts with a medically supervised detox. Once you’ve undergone such a detox, you will likely need to stay at the facility for a full 28 days, from initial check-in and including detox, through group therapies, individual therapy and transitioning out via steps to build your confidence to move out into the world. However, depending on the drugs used and any changes in your support structure while you were under the influence, you may have no community to return to, or not feel that you will have the support needed after leaving the inpatient program. What if you don’t feel ready for outpatient care but are done with inpatient rehab?

The stepping process you will undergo during the last days of your inpatient therapy should provide you with answers to this concern. For example, if you feel you have nowhere to go, or are not comfortable returning to your previous living situation because you believe it contributed to your addictive behaviors, you may want to schedule time at a sober house for your safety and future. A sober living home will place requirements on you that will help you structure your days and get you moving forward in a healthy way. You may also be subject to drug tests to make sure that you have not suffered a relapse.

Support Will Continue

Just because you are no longer housed in a drug rehab program doesn’t mean that you will not have support. One of the benefits of drug rehab is that it takes the stress of making good choices off of your mind while you deal with the physical, mental and emotional stress of detox and any necessary therapy. However, you should never feel that you can’t ultimately manage these choices for yourself. The goal of inpatient rehab is to move you up to a plateau of better health and better choices so you can build a healthier future.

The structure of moving out of inpatient rehab will include outpatient requirements. You will need to come back for group therapy sessions, support meetings and possible single therapy sessions. At no point in the process will you be cut off from the program, no matter where you lay your head.

You will be expected, however, to start making choices as you begin your transition from inpatient treatment to outpatient maintenance or sober house living. Once you are on your own and thriving in community, the transitional steps may seem simple, but during the early days of inpatient therapy, they can appear to be mountainous. For example, you may find that you are facing a number of exercises to help you manage your stress and relapse triggers. You will be asked to assess your emotional state, to engage in proper self-care, to participate in meetings and to share freely in group and private therapies.

Functioning within the confines of a sober house will require you to make new connections. Instead of working in group with the people you spent time with during inpatient therapy, you will be living with folks who may currently be in outpatient rehab, or you may be staying with others who have undergone inpatient detox and rehab. The process is the same for everyone in recovery: Building strength in your heart, body, mind and brain as you detox, then working to make positive choices for your own future.

If you are concerned about a lack of support in your former home, or if there are active users in the house you’re slated to go back to, please notify your counselors, group leaders and therapists as soon as possible. Arranging space for you in a sober house is certainly possible, but finding the best match may take time, so share that information so the best selection can be made.

Nothing about rehab will be simple or easy. The process of detox will be exhausting and may leave you feeling physically worse than you ever did when you were using. However, the other side is a terrific goal to keep in mind. Follow the program, participate is your steps to independence, and let your counselors know about any risks you face returning to your former home. We can help you build a safe path to recovery. Ready to get started? Call us today at 833-610-1174.