Content reviewed by Khelsea Walker

If you or a loved one is seeking recovery from substance use disorder (SUD), it may help to know that there are a plethora of treatment options available. Often, individuals feel deterred from treatment because they lack knowledge of the treatment program options available. Becoming familiar with these options can help you to make more informed decisions regarding treatment as you begin your recovery journey.

Inpatient vs. Outpatient Addiction Treatment Programs

There are two main categories of addiction treatment programs: inpatient and outpatient programs.

Inpatient (Residential) Programs

Inpatient addiction treatment programs, also known as residential treatment programs, require you to live at the treatment facility for the duration of this program. These programs can last anywhere from a month to a year or more. They offer a stable setting for intensive, personalized treatment. While every facility has different policies and expectations for residents, here are some factors that most inpatient programs have in common:

  • Access to 24/7 peer and psychological support
  • Set curfews
  • Structured and intensive schedules for residents

This treatment type may be best for you if you:

  • Struggle with severe symptoms of SUD, especially withdrawal
  • Have a co-occurring mental health disorder
  • Do not have a stable living or work situation
  • Have limited family and/or social support
  • Experienced one or more relapses throughout your recovery journey

Outpatient Programs

Outpatient addiction treatment programs allow you to live at home while you receive treatment regularly throughout the week. The frequency and intensity of treatment sessions depend on the program. Beginning with the lowest intensity program, outpatient options include:

  • General outpatient treatment (OP)
  • Intensive outpatient programs (IOP)
  • Partial hospitalization programs (PHP)

This treatment type may be best for you if you:

  • Live in a stable environment
  • Have access to reliable transportation
  • Are willing to attend regular appointments and counseling sessions
  • Have valuable social support
  • Struggle with mild to moderate SUD and/or mental health symptoms

Addiction Treatment Program Services

While the types of services offered vary between each facility and its program offerings, many of the following services are offered in both inpatient and outpatient programs. Often, several of these services will be used in conjunction with one another.

Research potential treatment facilities in advance to ensure they offer the services you are looking for. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all for recovery, so find what works for you and stick with it.

12-Step Programs

One popular treatment program utilized within the addiction recovery community is known as a 12-Step program. This community-based program utilizes 12 principles—the Twelve Steps—as a guideline to help individuals walk through the journey of addiction recovery. If you choose to utilize this program, you can expect these principles to be the foundation for your overall recovery. This program emphasizes the value of social support on your recovery, offering support group meetings and other group options consistently throughout the program.

Evidence-Based Therapy Programs

Evidence-based practices are interventions that are well-researched to determine their effectiveness for treating mental health and SUD. These interventions can be utilized in both individual and group therapy settings. Some valuable evidence-based practices include:

Experiential and Holistic Therapy Programs

Experiential therapies teach you expressive tools to help you overcome past conflicts, trauma and other problematic emotions. Likewise, they help you strengthen your problem-solving skills for the future.

Holistic therapies are practices that address the “whole” person, including the mind, body and spirit. These therapies draw from complementary and alternative medicine practices to help heal not just your substance use symptoms, but rather your entire being, including underlying issues that may have contributed to your SUD.

Experiential and holistic practices are often grouped together as such interventions utilize expressive activities to facilitate whole-body healing. The following therapies are just a handful of options for this category of treatment options:

  • Art therapy
  • Music therapy
  • Roleplaying
  • Wilderness therapy
  • Meditation
  • Yoga therapy
  • Cooking classes
  • Breathwork

Specialized Group Programs

Certain treatment facilities also offer specialized addiction treatment programs for individuals who share similar life experiences. Specialized treatment may involve trauma-informed care, personalized care and more.

First Responders Program

First responders — including police offers, paramedics, EMTs, firefighters and more — inevitably experience increased stress as a result of their jobs. Similarly, they tend to share similar fears and hesitations about treatment as a result of mental health stigma. As such, this population is incredibly vulnerable to SUD and mental health disorders.

If you are a first responder, consider participating in a dedicated first responders program for healing from substance use and mental health disorders.

Veterans Programs

Veterans are another population uniquely vulnerable to SUD and mental health conditions. Staff within veterans programs honor that veterans require unique compassion and understanding to recover from these conditions. These programs also recognize how crucial social support is throughout the treatment and recovery process.

If you are a veteran, consider participating in a dedicated veterans program to kickstart your recovery journey.

It is important to understand that the services and programs mentioned above only scratch the surface of available treatment options. If you feel overwhelmed by the number of options, know that staff at facilities can help you hone in on what services may benefit you the most.

New Hope Ranch is a men’s-only addiction treatment facility that knows how overwhelming it can be to understand and then narrow down your treatment options. We offer a number of programs and services for our patients looking to achieve and sustain recovery from substance use disorder. We can help you determine whether our programs are a good fit for you. Call us today at (737) 600-8565.