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Inpatient Or Outpatient Substance Abuse Program: Which Does Your Loved One Need?

18 May 2022

Lieve Boekholt

Do you have a loved one who you believe is suffering from substance abuse addiction? Or, do you have a loved one who you believe has a problem but they think they are fine? Whatever the substance may be, be it alcohol, prescription pills, or meth, your loved one likely needs help and it will take a whole family gathering together to get them where they need to be.

Here's something you should think about when it comes to your loved one: will inpatient or outpatient substance abuse program options work best for them? Inpatient care is where a person is admitted to a care facility, usually for a set amount of time based on how a person presents themselves at intake. An outpatient program is one where the patient comes and goes as they are assigned and they are largely responsible for going to treatment, therapy, and checking in.

Use this guide, along with a substance abuse counselor, to help your loved one learn which option is best for them. Or, you can have an intervention created where your loved one will be the main subject and they have no choice but to accept one type of treatment or be turned away by family members. Sometimes an intervention is the only way to help a loved one understand that they do need an inpatient or outpatient substance abuse program of some kind.

Your loved one has been in treatment before

If your loved one has done inpatient treatment before and they did well with the program, then perhaps an outpatient substance abuse program will be best for them this time around. Your loved one may resist going back into full-time treatment and the goal is to get them to accept any kind of treatment, making an outpatient program a great compromise. Likewise, if your loved one has never been in treatment before, an outpatient substance abuse program may be less intimidating while still giving your loved one committed counseling and care.

Your loved one has a job and a place to live

Inpatient treatment is more for people who have little else to be responsible for and are better off in treatment than in an outpatient facility. If your loved one has a job, children, other responsibilities, and has a place to live, they can do well with an outpatient substance abuse program. Your loved one's counselor can go over all options with you and your loved one to help everyone decide what is best in the end.

Contact an outpatient substance abuse program to learn more. 

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