One of the great things about a quality drug and alcohol rehab is the treatment professionals will try hard to provide the right level of care. They won’t fall short of what the client needs nor will they waste time on treatment that isn’t going to help. All of this is important considering the level of commitment a client has to make.
One of the nice features of a lot of residential treatment programs is they offer flexibility. Should a client show great progress, they can earn the opportunity to transition to a lower level of treatment. By lower level of treatment, we are referring to hierarchy of treatment. In case you are not aware of it, there are four primary levels of addiction treatment. Here they are listed from most intrusive to the least intrusive:
- Inpatient treatment – Clients reside in rehab facility 24/7 for 30 to 180 days as needed
- Partial Hospitalization (PHP) – Client reports to the rehab facility for treatment 5-7 days a week for 6-8 hours a day for several months as needed
- Intensive Outpatient (IOP) – Client reports to the rehab facility for treatment 3-5 days a week for 4-6 hours a day for several months as needed
- Standard Outpatient (OP) – Client reports to the rehab facility for treatment 1-2 days a week for 1-2 hours a day for several months as needed
To be very clear, a client who resides in an inpatient treatment program might get the opportunity to graduate down to an IOP or OP option if they show improvement. Also, clients might get the opportunity to move from one level of outpatient care to another.
It’s important to point out that things can go the other way as well. If a client is struggling at one level, the rehab facility’s administrators may ask that client to consider moving up. The point is good rehabs are always working to make sure clients get the right care based upon the client’s needs.
In your mind, you might be wondering, “is it best to submit to all levels of treatment in the same facility.” Read forward as we address that very question.
Is It Best to Transition to Outpatient Alcohol Treatment at the Place You Did Inpatient?
The short answer to the titled question is yes, you should complete your treatment in one facility if possible. However, it’s not absolutely necessary. We know this because there are plenty of rehabs that only offer one level of treatment. In the case of a rehab that only offers inpatient care, you would need to go elsewhere for an outpatient option. You could probably get a referral to help you with the transition.
Likewise, you may start in an outpatient only treatment center, but find out you need inpatient care. In that situation, you would need to change facilities, again by referral if possible.
With all of that said, it is best to start and finish treatment in the same facility. Why? There is a concept experts call “continuity of care.” What does that mean?
If you stay within the same rehab for all levels of treatment, your therapists can easily interact with one another. Your inpatient therapist can walk down the hall and have a conversation with your outpatient therapist with no inconvenience to anyone.
In a full-service rehab facility like ours, the concept of continuity of care is always at play. For instance, we might place you in a detox program before you start therapy. As you work with the medical staff in detox, they will be keeping records. Some of the information they gather could be important to the therapeutic process.
When it’s time for you to move to the therapy portion of treatment, your records go with you. That means you and your therapist don’t have to waste time reinventing the wheel. Hopefully, you can see what kind of efficiency that brings to a client who is moving from one level of care to another in the same facility.
We hope the above information helps you better understand the treatment process. As you read it again, you should let it serve as your inspiration to pursue treatment for your addiction problem. If you are ready for treatment, we are ready to open our doors to help you. All you need to do to start the ball rolling is pick up the phone and contact one of our staff members at 833-820-2922.