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5 Benefits of Inpatient Vs. Outpatient Rehabilitation

Drug and alcohol addiction is something that few people can overcome on their own. Even with help the process is difficult. And if you remain in the environment that fostered your addictive behavior and continue spending time with other addicts, your chances for successful rehabilitation decrease significantly. This is the main reason why inpatient rehabilitation facilities exist. And while you might think that outpatient treatment is sufficient to overcome your addiction, allowing you to go on with life as normal while you get clean and sober, there are several advantages to be gained when you opt for inpatient treatment instead. Here are a few benefits you’ll enjoy when you decide to attend an inpatient rehabilitation program.

  1. Total detox. When you enter an inpatient treatment program, you will be denied access to any and all addictive substances, including the alcohol and/or drugs that led you to enter rehab. The same cannot be said of outpatient treatment, where you may find yourself facing temptation around every corner. If you’re serious about quitting, it’s in your best interest to cut yourself off completely from the substances you abuse. And an inpatient facility can offer you the clean environment that will guarantee detoxification.
  2. Medical support. In some cases you may need medical support in order to get through the process of rehabilitation. There are many types of detoxification that don’t carry the potential for death, although the process can certainly be uncomfortable. But certain forms of substance abuse detox can come with serious side effects, possibly including death. In such cases it is imperative to have the supervision and care that a qualified medical staff can provide. You may even need access to drug treatments like methadone to safely wean yourself off of whatever substance you are addicted to. An inpatient facility can offer you the medical care you need.
  3. Counseling services. Drug and alcohol addiction tends to run deeper than a mere physical need for the substance in question. Often, people don’t realize that they are predisposed to addiction. And in most cases there are emotional and psychological reasons for addiction. An inpatient rehabilitation program provides intensive counseling services to patients in order to help them understand their behavior patterns and what is causing them so that they can learn to break them effectively.
  4. Family treatment. Few addicts are alone. Most have a network of family and friends that enables their destructive behavior. Inpatient treatment provides counseling and other forms of support for family members, as well, allowing everyone to better understand addiction, deal with group problems, and create an environment outside of rehabilitation that is conducive to clean and sober living.
  5. Coping skills. Perhaps the hardest part of kicking drug or alcohol addiction is finding a way to return to your life without falling into the same, destructive habits that landed you in rehab in the first place. When you choose an inpatient treatment program over an outpatient one, you’ll have the chance to learn the coping mechanisms that will help you to kick your habit and remain sober even beyond your time in treatment. So before you decide to go it alone or you convince yourself that outpatient rehab is enough, meet with experts at reputable facilities like Westlake Recovery. You’ll find that the benefits inherent to inpatient rehabilitation are too numerous to ignore.