Inpatient or Outpatient Rehab for Alcoholism?

Should you get inpatient or outpatient rehab to treat your alcoholism? When people think of alcohol rehab, the first thing that comes to mind is Alcoholics Anonymous. However, that’s just a treatment involving inpatient rehabilitation. What about outpatient rehabilitation that involves not going to a center and staying there as if it’s some sort of retreat or short-term hospitalization? Should you go for inpatient or outpatient rehab for alcoholism? Which one is best for your needs?

The Difference between Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment

In the hospital context, outpatient treatment involves an outpatient department of the hospital that hands out diagnoses and treatments to patients with health problems that are treatable without needing an overnight stay. Many clinics cover treatments of the outpatient variety. In contrast, inpatient treatment in the hospital context refers to outright (expensive) hospitalization.

• Outpatient Treatment: Meanwhile, outpatient treatment of addicts in the traditional sense of no overnight treatment is impossible due to the nature of addiction, so the meaning of outpatient rehab changes a bit to include homecare as well. When searching for an outpatient rehab near me, I don’t expect a one-day visit, diagnosis, and treatment. It instead involves homecare or home-based rehab with an assigned caretaker.
• Inpatient Treatment: In turn, when looking for inpatient rehab near me, it’s akin to getting hospitalized. You go to a center, you meet up with other alcoholics, and you usually end up in some sort of residential or clinical program structured to give you a detox program and 24/7 monitoring by the caretakers working there along with the other patients available. You’re in the clinic for a prolonged treatment under the watchful eyes of medical personnel.

So the main difference between inpatient and outpatient rehab is the former involves you staying overnight in a facility and the latter involves staying outside of it.

What Does Inpatient Addiction Rehab Entail?

An inpatient addiction rehab for alcoholics involves a structured program in inpatient rehab facilities or residences (and many people prefer the residence option if only for the homey feel it provides that reminds them of home rather than of a hospital) under the watchful gaze of the staff and caretakers.

It involves sharing and communicating with various fellow addicts so that you can get through the shared experience of detoxification together. It mostly incorporates a structured detox program as part of their treatment protocol that involves medications that assist in the withdrawal process.

Inpatient treatment with overnight stays and 24/7 detoxification is called for when the alcoholic has a severe dependency on alcohol or if he has other addictions he’s fighting against, necessitating a full retreat.

To wit:

• Anti-Withdrawal Medications: The use of anti-withdrawal or anti-relapse medications in inpatient rehab centers is definitely needed for those with severe alcohol dependency or those with multiple addictions on top of alcoholism. After all, a number of symptoms associated with withdrawal can lead you back to a relapse if not managed carefully, hence the intensity of inpatient rehab.
• Inpatient Treatments Are Intense: The intensity of inpatient treatments is the main difference of inpatient or outpatient rehab for alcoholism. You have round-the-clock attention focused on your recovery in a clinic or inpatient setting.
• When to Use Medication for Detox: Medication isn’t used for all detox instances. The program staff might use a more psychological or individualized approach in the process depending on your unique needs.
• Behavioral Therapy: After detoxification is through from your inpatient rehab in Thailand and the like, the treatment must continue in terms of changing your behavior and refocusing your addictive tendencies to more positive outlets.
• Family Support in Inpatient Treatments: Depending on the facility, family support and visits can also be encouraged, but this varies from center to center or even case to case. Sometimes, isolation or a retreat is called for. Other times, your best anchor is family.
• Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation: Depending on the facility, family support and visits can also be encouraged, but this varies from center to center or even case to case. Sometimes, isolation or a retreat is called for. Other times, your best anchor is family.
• Aftercare and Occupational Therapy: You will then undergo inpatient rehab occupational therapy to help you develop the skills required for you to stay sober in the long term.

The therapy ultimately involves counseling, education, and meetings with other recovered addicts who’ll then share their own experiences on how they resolved their dependency on the bottle.

What Does Outpatient Addiction Rehab Entail?

So what is an outpatient rehabilitation facility? Unlike inpatient programs for alcoholism, outpatient treatment is more flexible in that participants can live at home while undergoing it. They can go back home outside of treatment hours and only go to the facility when needed like in a hospital outpatient clinic or department and whatnot.

This allows the alcoholic in question to continue to live his life or be close to his family and friends (his loved ones, so to speak) in order to get through his addictive tendencies and make himself a better person.

The following types of therapy might be utilized in outpatient rehab programs:

• Multidimensional Family Therapy: Unlike with inpatient treatments where family involvement ranges from optional to unnecessary, the outpatient methodology allows for therapy for the whole family to make them function better, particularly with cases that involve teenagers with alcohol problems.
• Matrix Model: Several outpatient rehab centers in Asia also allow patients to avail of an option wherein therapists act as both coaches and teachers, with a focus on empowering the addict by building up his self-confidence.
• The theory here is that addiction to alcohol is a way for the individual to cope with low self-esteem and in order to give him a better shot at recovery he should have an improved self-image. This treatment intervention was specifically made for disorders for stimulant-usage, but it can work with alcoholics as well.
• Motivational Interviewing: This is all about modifying and identifying any feelings that might be barriers to your outpatient rehab treatment. If you have any untoward and unresolved emotions from your past that requires addressing and alcoholism is what you use to repress them, then motivational interviewing could work to your advantage when undergoing inpatient or outpatient rehab for alcoholism.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This therapy type for outpatient care allows outpatients to become aware of any unhealthy thoughts and behaviors they might have. From there, strategies are provided in order to change them into healthier habits. It makes you aware of your behavior in order to fix it.
• It’s like how in diets, those who got fat because of a sedentary lifestyle must have a lifestyle change and habit recognition so that they can get rid of their bad overeating habits in order to get better habits. This outpatient rehab services involves rewards and incentives to assist patients in developing healthier behaviors such as sobriety maintenance or therapy attendance.

Pros and Cons of Inpatient Rehab

Inpatient rehab may or may not be right for you. It depends on your needs. Going to an inpatient rehabilitation center might have some interesting benefits that are the perfect fit for your specific situation, but you should also be aware of its detriments as well. Consider the following pros and cons of an alcohol substance abuse program.

• The environment of inpatient rehab within Thailand is much more sober and stable. It’s also a more controlled environment compared to your home that might also exacerbate your relapse tendencies.
• You’re surrounded by fellow alcoholics who’ve gone through or who are currently going through what you’re going through at an inpatient rehab in Asia, so their camaraderie can assist you in getting over your collective alcoholic addictions.
• You’ll be monitored psychiatrically and medically during your detoxification, withdrawal, and recovery process at an inpatient rehab facility. This is especially crucial for people with severe or long-standing alcoholism.
• You also need the intensity of inpatient or residential alcoholism treatment (which includes inpatient rehabilitation physical therapy) when dealing with mental and physical health disorders occurring at the same time with your addiction problems.
• A rehab facility with staff and crew should be present when treating co-occurring disorders to provide dual diagnoses. If you’re a dual diagnosis patient, you should definitely have inpatient rehabilitation.
• You can also get a discount or two from inpatient rehabilitation (if that’s your concern) through what’s known as inpatient rehab Medicaid. Your Medicaid can give you addiction rehabilitation coverage too.
• You can reduce the risk of relapse at a controlled and substance-free environment of inpatient rehab in Southeast Asia, where you’re as far away from booze as possible. You’re also kept on a tight leash by the vigilant supervision of the staff there.
• Individual therapy or group sessions are always intense at Thailand inpatient rehab because it’s like you’re at a retreat or even boot camp. You can screw around there and there are other addicts looking to kick the habit as well.
• You’re supported twofold by the staff and fellow patients (a la Alcoholics Anonymous) in order to reach that point of sobriety and maintaining it. Together, you can make a change at a Thai inpatient rehab facility.
• You can avail of esoteric or specialized treatment services here that you can’t get from outpatient rehab, such as animal-assisted therapy, meditation, yoga, exercise, and acupuncture.
• You can overcome your own demons by seeing others do it along with you while in the watchful gaze of your inpatient caretakers. Certainly, this can help you make up your mind in picking between inpatient or outpatient rehab for alcoholism.
• You also have the option to get a luxury facility (if you can afford it) full of upscale amenities or accommodations for the needs of rich business executives if required and possible.
• Triggers and stressors that led you to drink in the first place (pressure to excel, domestic violence, a bad family background, personal failures, loss of job, divorce, and so forth) are the furthest thing from your mind at the center for inpatient rehab alcohol.
• There’s also a higher chance of recovery success when undergoing inpatient treatment for a longer period of time and with sufficient intensity that only this type of rehab can bring.

Cons of Inpatient Rehab:

• Your life will be put on hold because you’re essentially going on a retreat of sorts. You’ll be in another place away from your home for about upwards to a month to deal with your withdrawal symptoms.
• That means you’ll have to take time away from home, school, or work responsibilities for an extended period of time in order to deal with your addiction and alcoholism situation.
• You will also have limited access to the outside world compared to outpatient or homecare treatment. What’s more, visiting time and hours at an Asian inpatient rehab facilities are limited to family and friends.
• When it comes to choosing between inpatient or outpatient rehab for alcoholism, the costliness of inpatient rehab can make people have second thoughts about it.
• The expensiveness of Southeast Asian inpatient rehab is one of the main roadblocks for the poorer alcoholics out there who want to go to rehab, but can’t afford it, leading to the need for fund-raising or asking for Medicaid assistance.
• The expensiveness of inpatient rehab roots from the increased costs due to the room and board provided. Some facilities even feed you as well, so you have to take that into account when calculating the final price.

Pros of Outpatient Rehab:

• You won’t have to pay for room or board when dealing with outpatient rehab. You just need to attend meetings or get a caretaker to take care of you at your home instead. It’s a mix between house calls and rehab clinic attendance.
• You can continue going to school or work so that your life won’t be put on hold when undergoing outpatient rehab within Asia (or elsewhere). This also allows you to fulfill your personal responsibilities while under treatment as well.
• Many recovering alcoholics who’ve sobered up continue to undergo outpatient addiction rehab as part of their after-treatment requirements without staying at a facility for weeks on end.
• Indeed, outpatient rehab centers schedule meetings and treatments that don’t last overnight and don’t require 24/7 care from the caretakers, particularly when it comes to outpatient rehab for alcoholism.
• You can attend individual and group therapy sessions every week while going home to your own residence as needed. Just attend the required number of hours and complete the program at that pace.
• Friend and family members have more access to you, allowing them to give you loads of support and whatnot. You can even avail of multidimensional family therapy while undergoing Thailand outpatient rehab.
• During the treatment process, you can practice relapse prevention techniques in the “real world” rather than waiting for a bit while stuck at a clinic or residential Thailand inpatient rehab. There’s practical application for what you’ve learned right away.
• Treatments offered in an outpatient facility are similar to what’s found in an inpatient treatment center, but with more flexibility and with less intensity.
• Outpatient treatment allows for regular psychiatrist meetings or prescriptions for medication to manage cravings, withdrawals, mental health issues, or other relapse threats.
• The flexibility of outpatient treatment that allows for meetings at the center or even homecare is another main difference of inpatient or outpatient rehab for alcoholism.

Cons of Outpatient Rehab:

• There’s no 24/7 care at an outpatient rehab center. You attend your meetings and that’s it. You might get 24/7 homecare if available, but most outpatient rehab services are in centers and clinics.
• You will have access to illicit substances and alcohol at home. Your friends and family might not be able to stop you if you start drinking again on the down low. At least with inpatient rehab, you’re spared from such matters.
• What you save from board and lodging, you’ll have to spend on the daily commute, especially if a good outpatient rehab center is far away from home.
• If the home environment itself led you to drink because of instability and stressfulness, you might have a higher risk of relapse by trying outpatient rehab treatment.
• Finally, an outpatient rehab detoxification protocol might be too relaxed and flexible to account for dangerous or life-threatening withdrawal symptoms as well as other complications of alcoholism (like what if you have liver problems already?).

Determining the Best Rehab Option for You

If you want more info on the types of alcohol addiction treatment available, call the help lines of your local inpatient or outpatient facilities. Just remember that your choice between inpatient and outpatient treatment depends on your specific needs as well as your preference. Make your choice before it’s too late.

It’s a choice between an intense retreat and detoxification akin to hospitalization in a clinical or residential setting or flexible everyday meetings and homecare so that you won’t have to put your life on hold while getting back on your feet. In the end, your inpatient or outpatient rehab for alcoholism is just a phone call or a drive away.

If you’re looking for an affordable luxurious alcohol rehab in Asia, visit LANNA Alcohol Rehab.