| Once you face up to the fact that you have a | | | | to use, and exposed before you've gained enough |
| real problem, that you can't seem to stop using | | | | strength and awareness to get past them. You're |
| on your own, and that for any chance at getting | | | | also constrained by your normal family and |
| better you're going to need some professional | | | | professional responsibilities in how much focus you |
| help, you've taken a great step forwards to | | | | can give to your therapeutic recovery. No one |
| recovery. | | | | can concentrate exclusively on getting better |
| However, even once we make that monumental | | | | while they remain working and pulled in the |
| decision to get help, we are left facing some | | | | thousand directions of normal everyday life. |
| pretty tough decisions about what we need and | | | | Without extreme focus, it's pretty tough to |
| where to get it. Inpatient rehab can be very | | | | consolidate these therapies and lessons that will |
| costly, and requires that you leave your job and | | | | keep you sober. |
| family for a month or more; is it really necessary, | | | | The benefits of inpatient therapy |
| wouldn't outpatient therapy work just as well? | | | | Inpatient therapy costs a lot, it takes you away |
| The advantages of outpatient therapy | | | | from friends and family and it disrupts your life; |
| You'll save a fortune, you can support your | | | | but for a lot of us, nothing less than a complete |
| family, and you'll be home every night to tuck the | | | | exit from our environment of use offers much |
| kids in; outpatient therapy for addiction offers a | | | | chance at recovery. |
| lot. Because it is far less disruptive, most | | | | During inpatient rehab we benefit from a month |
| addictions professionals recommend that anyone | | | | or more of enforced sobriety, a month where |
| who has never before received professional | | | | we can start to heal without continual exposure |
| therapy for the treatment of addiction start with | | | | and temptation. We also have the time and focus |
| outpatient therapy. | | | | needed to really get to know why we use, and |
| It just makes sense to start with the easiest | | | | to learn how we can do better. Inpatient therapy |
| solution and see if it will work before progressing | | | | is a big commitment, but when drugs or alcohol |
| upwards to more expensive and intrusive | | | | have made life unmanageable, sometimes it's the |
| therapies on an inpatient basis. You can get | | | | only thing that offers much hope. |
| outpatient therapy from a psychologist or | | | | Try outpatient first |
| counselor, by joining a peer support recovery | | | | If you've never before received professional |
| group, or even through the 12 steps meetings of | | | | therapy for your addiction or alcoholism, you may |
| organizations like AA. | | | | want to consider attempting therapy and |
| If it works, it's the best possible solution. | | | | abstinence on an outpatient basis. It makes sense |
| The problems with outpatient therapy | | | | to start with easier and less costly outpatient |
| While it does make good common sense to begin | | | | therapy. |
| your healing journey on an outpatient basis in the | | | | But if this doesn't work, or if you've tried |
| hopes that you'll not need anything more | | | | outpatient in the past and failed, or if you're just |
| intensive, a lot of people find that they cannot | | | | so tired of using that you want to make a clean |
| resist urges to use without getting away from | | | | break; try inpatient rehab. It costs a lot and it |
| the home environment for a while. | | | | requires a big commitment, but it works better |
| When you participate in therapies on an outpatient | | | | than anything else and if it can get you sober, it's |
| basis, you remain immersed in an environment of | | | | surely worth it at any price. |
| temptation, exposed to relapse provoking triggers | | | | |