It is often said that the first step in overcoming addiction is that you recognize that you have a problem. There is a lot of truth in this statement, but from that lightbulb moment, different people will have different paths to a point where they can break the stranglehold of dependency. For some people, the next step will be to book themselves into a residential rehabilitation facility and submit to the recovery program. However, this is not an option open to everyone; residential assistance comes at a cost and necessitates a lot of free time.
Not everyone who needs assistance to overcome an addiction has the means to pay for residential care. Equally, not everyone in this position has the freedom to take a month away from their life to follow even the shortest of residential programs. Less still can they be away from work and other commitments for “as long as it takes” – which is often what the most successful residential programs require. It remains vital, however, that people with addiction get help. It is worth knowing what options are available to you if you cannot commit to long-term residential care.
Is after-work rehab an option?
If you can’t work, you cannot earn, and this may result in difficulties supporting your family. Equally, an untreated substance abuse problem will, without a shadow of a doubt, have long-term negative implications for you and your family alike. It is essential that you seek help for an addiction, and non-residential programs exist to help people who are:
- Unable to pay for residential care
- In a position where they are the sole “breadwinner”, and unable to stop working
- Constrained by a schedule because they are at school or have care commitments
- Responding well to initial residential treatment, but in a position to have follow-up non-residential assistance.
One of the advantages of residential treatment – and something lacking in non-residential programs – is the regimented schedule. With after-work programs, you will be responsible for keeping all appointments and satisfying all obligations as laid down in the program. As an outpatient, how well you follow the program will have implications for your level of freedom in the future. There are three primary levels of non-residential treatment, and these are, in increasing order of strictness:
- Outpatient
- Intensive Outpatient
- Partial Hospitalization
Outpatient
For patients attending an Outpatient addiction program, the level of restrictiveness is really quite minimal. You may be expected to attend, initially, for one or two hours per group session, between one and three times a week, with a single face-to-face appointment with your appointed therapist. This level of treatment is often recommended for people whose addictions are relatively moderate, to begin with or those who have left residential care and need assistance while they transition back into the sober world. A standard treatment will usually consist of some counseling and tailored individual therapy. It can be entered as an after-work program.
Intensive Outpatient
This treatment is also an option for people needing an after-work form of rehab. As the name suggests, it requires more of a time commitment than a standard course, with longer appointments on a more regular basis. You may be required to attend treatment up to six times a week, and in the course of a week may have between 15 and 25 hours of group therapy, with at least one hour of one-on-one counseling. The intervention involved in Intensive Outpatient treatment is close to a residential level.
Partial Hospitalization
A program of Partial Hospitalization is, much as you would expect, dependent on the patient being prepared to enter a facility at least part-time. With the right circumstances and support from all affected, it can be entered as an after-work program, though that requires a high level of commitment. Thirty hours a week will be spent in group therapy and another hour for face-to-face counseling.
Partial Hospitalization treatment will usually, though not always, follow a full detoxification program in a separate affiliated facility. In awareness of the commitment required to complete a Partial Hospitalization program, the full plan for treatment will be set out ahead of admission, in consultation with the patient and their loved ones.
Addiction Assistance Is Available
There is a wealth of assistance available for people looking to break their addictions, and it is important that you are able to commit to and complete a structured program, while also fulfilling any other commitments you have. If this means attending a course of treatment on an after-work basis, then that is an option available to you with the assistance of Evolve Indy. Call us at 855-495-1063 to discuss your needs further.