When to Consider Outpatient Treatment for Your Addiction

Dec 01, 2022
When to Consider Outpatient Treatment for Your Addiction
Outpatient treatment offers discreet, compassionate, and effective treatment for addiction, letting you get the care you need to take control of your life again. Here’s how outpatient treatment works and when it’s time to seek treatment.

More than 20 million Americans struggle with substance abuse issues, including millions dealing with opioid addiction to prescribed or illicit drugs. Despite those staggering figures, only a small percentage of people — roughly 1.27 million — are currently seeking treatment.

That low number could be in part because many people don’t understand the available treatment options, or they may be worried that in-patient care is the only avenue. In fact, outpatient therapy is also available for most people struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, providing a more convenient and more comfortable option than traditional in-patient care.

With offices in Glendale and Phoenix, Arizona, The Marcann Group offers compassionate, patient-centered outpatient addiction treatment for people who want to break the cycle of addiction and take back control of their lives, health, and futures. Here’s what outpatient treatment involves and how to tell when it’s time to think about outpatient treatment for your drug or alcohol issue.

Outpatient addiction treatment: How it works

Outpatient addiction treatment works in much the same way as in-patient treatment, but it allows you to access care without causing a significant disruption to your life. It’s also a more discreet option compared to admission to an in-patient facility.

Our team is skilled in designing safe and effective treatment plans that feature both medical and lifestyle components aimed at your unique risk factors for addiction. Most people benefit from a combination of therapies, including the following three components.

Psychotherapy

Also called “talk therapy,” psychotherapy helps you identify and deal with the triggers for your addictive behaviors. Through individual or family sessions (or both), you’ll learn to deconstruct and deactivate those triggers and stressors by resolving conflicts and other unrecognized obstacles that play a role in your addiction.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on helping you identify and modify unhealthy thought patterns that lead to risky and unhealthy behaviors like substance abuse. Through CBT, you’ll learn how to recognize those negative patterns before they emerge, replacing them with positive actions that help you build a healthy future.

Medication-assisted therapy

Many people struggling with addiction benefit from medications that help them break the cycle that causes cravings and substance abuse. Other medications blunt the side effects associated with withdrawal, so you can kick your habit without unpleasant or even dangerous symptoms. We may also prescribe medications to help with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other emotional issues that often occur alongside addiction.

When to seek outpatient treatment

Generally, the best time to seek outpatient treatment for your alcohol or drug issue is the moment you realize you have a problem. The sooner you start treatment, the sooner you can be on your unique path to recovery — and the sooner you can get your life back on track.

But there’s an issue — with drug and alcohol abuse issues, it’s not always easy to tell when you have a “problem,” especially when a part of you is reluctant or fearful of stopping. Fortunately, there are other warning signs or “red flags” you can look for that provide a clear indication that it’s time to seek treatment:

  • Your addiction interferes with work
  • Your addiction is causing financial problems
  • Your addiction is causing relationship issues
  • Satisfying your cravings consumes your thoughts
  • Your addiction has led to multiple hospitalizations
  • Your addiction makes it difficult to meet responsibilities
  • Your addiction makes it difficult to sleep, eat, or function

Take an honest look at your life and the impact of your addiction. If any of these warning signs are true for you, now is the time to reach out and learn about our outpatient addiction treatment options.

Get your life back

Our team is committed to providing truly compassionate and patient-centered addiction treatment tailored to your unique needs. We’re dedicated to helping you get the treatment and support you need to successfully break your cycle of addiction, so you can take back control of your future.

To learn more about the outpatient services we offer, book an appointment online or over the phone with the team at The Marcann Group today.