A center for outpatient detox allows patients to seek treatment during the day and then return home at night. Many individuals prefer outpatient treatment over hospitalization. They can continue to work and maintain family duties while receiving the necessary addiction therapy. As individuals do not have to pay for 24-hour care, these types of services tend to be less expensive.
Expectations for Outpatient Detox
In detoxification, the body eliminates substances of misuse. During detoxification, medical supervision is offered.
In outpatient detox programs, the team of professionals overseeing therapy will develop a customized treatment plan to fit the individual needs of each client. The individual’s whole medical history, as well as their substance misuse and rehabilitation attempts, must be evaluated.
Outpatient treatments are most effective for individuals who reside in stable and secure homes. If the individual resides in a dangerous environment or around substance abusers, inpatient treatment is the superior option.
If the individual is dependent on alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioids, inpatient detox is indicated due to the extremely high risk of relapse. In some situations, alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms can also be life-threatening.
Prescribed medications can alleviate withdrawal symptoms and diminish cravings. In certain cases, drugs are used to replace the substance of abuse, and then clients are gradually weaned off the maintenance medication over the course of several weeks.
Suboxone is typically prescribed for opioid detox. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, 16,000 clinicians were authorized to prescribe Suboxone in 2013. The medication affects the same area of the brain as opioid misuse, but it does not give the same high. However, the brain is satisfied because it believes it is still receiving the addictive drug. This helps the individual focus on therapy and reduces the probability of recurrence by preventing withdrawal symptoms.
Medications are frequently administered to treat specific withdrawal symptoms, such as anti-nausea drugs for intestinal difficulties and over-the-counter painkillers for aches and pains. During outpatient detox, alternative forms of pain and symptom treatment, such as balanced nutrition, appropriate hydration, and massage therapy, may also be administered.
While the majority of treatment occurs once the individual has stabilized following withdrawal, some therapy sessions may begin during detox. Psychological help is essential throughout this initial phase of recovery. Absent sufficient support throughout detox, relapse is probable.
When attending the clinic for outpatient detox, clients will meet with counselors and support workers. In addition to ensuring that the client has a solid support system at home in the form of friends and family, the admission preparation process must also include this consideration.
What Happens During Withdrawal
The duration of detox and the precise symptoms experienced are dependent on both the individual and the substance of abuse. A person experiencing alcohol withdrawal will have a different experience from someone experiencing opioid withdrawal. Individual factors, such as age, gender, metabolism, substance usage history, and physical and mental health, will affect the specifics of the withdrawal process, but there are certain things you may anticipate while withdrawing from particular substances of abuse.
- Marijuana: Generally, marijuana withdrawal symptoms are minimal and resolve within a few days to two weeks. The individual may feel nervous, exhausted, and irritable. Their appetite may also be disturbed.
- Alcohol: These symptoms can be severe and life-threatening, necessitating medical detoxification. Vomiting and nausea are typical. Additionally, the individual may feel a rapid heartbeat, tremors, anxiety, and insomnia. Due to the possible severity of symptoms and the risk of developing delirium tremens, alcohol withdrawal is often treated in an inpatient facility.
- Opiates: Opioid withdrawal symptoms include profuse perspiration, muscle cramps, hot flashes, chills, diarrhea, anxiety, and nausea. Opioid detox can be quite intense. Individuals should not abruptly stop using opioids. As previously stated, medication-assisted treatment, like as buprenorphine, can be provided to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.
- Benzo: Due to the severity of withdrawal symptoms, medical detox is essential for benzodiazepine withdrawal. Typically, doctors recommend a tapering approach in which the dosage of benzodiazepines is gradually decreased over a period of time until the individual is completely weaned off of the medicines. Anxiety, impatience, muscle pains, poor focus, and insomnia are withdrawal effects. In some cases, seizures can be life-threatening.
- Stimulants: The symptoms of stimulant withdrawal include increased weariness, despondency, perspiration, muscle pains, and irritability. Individuals with significant psychiatric symptoms will be sent to inpatient care. Individuals undergoing both inpatient and outpatient amphetamine detox are examined for signs of depression.
Is an Outpatient Detox Program the Best Option?
The supervising physician must assess whether or not an outpatient detoxification program is appropriate. Again, persons experiencing alcohol withdrawal are not ideal candidates for outpatient detoxification. In the majority of instances, persons withdrawing from opioids and benzodiazepines will be advised to undergo inpatient detox; those detoxing from these narcotics should always be under medical supervision if outpatient detox is chosen.
Journal of Addiction-published research identified an association between increased relapse rates and outpatient opioid detox programs. Those in outpatient detox programs were more likely to face opioid-use triggers that lead to relapse. As clients do not remain in a facility during detox, they face incentives to return to opioid usage and do not have restricted access to the medications. Therefore, outpatient detox is more likely to result in relapse than inpatient detox.
This does not preclude the viability of outpatient detoxification. Outpatient detox may be the ideal option for someone with a solid support system, a safe home environment, and life responsibilities that cannot be put on hold. The goal is to design a plan to limit access to substances of abuse and opportunities to encounter triggers before the process begins.
How to Select the Ideal Outpatient Detox Program
After deciding that an outpatient detox program is the best option, a person can begin refining their alternatives. The following questions should be asked of potential treatment facilities:
- Does this program meet my requirements? Different programs are designed to treat the withdrawal symptoms of various substances of addiction. A program may be able to administer MAT throughout the detoxification process for certain substances, for instance.
- Do you feel comfortable? In a detox clinic, you should feel comfortable with the staff and other clients. You do not need to be surrounded by people who like you, but you must feel comfortable being yourself. Certain therapy programs are tailored to certain groups, such as those that serve the LGBTQ community or young adults.
- Are you able to afford it? Choose a detox facility that will deal with your insurance provider from the several that accept insurance. Outpatient therapies are sometimes substantially less expensive than inpatient ones, and many programs offer payment plans to cover the percentage not covered by insurance.
- Do you have access to a vehicle? Choose a clinic that is convenient for daily travel. The recuperation procedure must be conducive to your lifestyle.
Prepare Yourself for Success
A person is in command of their own rehabilitation in an outpatient detox program because they retain control over their movements. Due to the fact that outpatient detox clients live in the outside world, they face additional temptations but also have the chance to immediately apply the lessons they have learned.
Once again, assistance is essential. Individuals can effectively complete the withdrawal phase and move on to addiction counseling with the assistance of medical specialists in an outpatient detox program as well as a solid support structure at home.