Outpatient alcohol rehab is a turning point in an individual’s recovery from alcohol addiction. This crucial level of care at Sound Recovery Centers teaches guests to find personal motivation, self-reliance, and empowerment over addiction. Outpatient treatment is a continuing level of recovery for those who have begun to heal from their alcohol abuse in inpatient care. Many of our guests choose to work through the levels of care linearly. In this case, outpatient treatment follows medical detox and inpatient treatment. Notably, there are numerous approaches outpatient rehab can take, offering more flexibility and adjustable timelines. This important stage truly sets people up for a successful future of sobriety. Let’s discuss how outpatient rehab for alcohol addiction works.
What Is Outpatient Alcohol Rehab?
Outpatient treatment is a continuing level of care for individuals who are ready to receive more independence in their recovery. As such, guests at the outpatient level of rehab have already invested time and effort into their healing at earlier levels. Mostly, guests move through the levels of care in order, starting with medical detox before inpatient treatment. During inpatient care, individuals are new to the sober state and they work to maintain their sobriety by making it a personal goal. Thus, they require 24/7 monitoring and live in our rehab center. Additionally, they spend time in daily therapy and counseling sessions to begin the inner healing work. Inpatient care may last weeks or months, depending on the person. Once they are stronger in their recovery, they can move into outpatient treatment.
During outpatient alcohol rehab, guests move out of the center and resume some normalcy in their life. Yet, they continue to attend daily therapy and counseling sessions. One pivotal element of outpatient rehab is future planning. Since guests are preparing to graduate from rehab, they meet with their case manager to fulfill concrete life goals.
Why Is Alcohol Rehab Important?
Alcohol addiction is a serious and life-threatening condition that often gets diminished by people who don’t understand the risk. Drinking is a prevalent social activity that starts young. Perhaps because it’s so popular and highlighted in media and television, individuals don’t realize they can develop a condition that alters their brain. To elaborate, alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a brain disorder that occurs when someone has a severe addiction to alcohol. Like drugs, alcohol triggers the brain’s reward system so it begins to desire more. Yet, over time, your neurochemistry adapts to alcohol so you become more tolerant. Finally, your brain requires higher quantities of alcohol to function normally, trapping you in an endless cycle of addiction and withdrawal.
Trying to quit drinking on your own at this stage is not only nearly impossible, it’s also dangerous. Thus, alcohol addiction rehab is crucial in helping people escape the life-threatening cycle of AUD.
When Does Someone Need Alcohol Rehab
There are varying levels of unhealthy drinking. They are commonly classified under the following categories:
- Binge drinking: Consuming a high level of alcohol in a short span of time, equating to 4+ drinks for women and 5+ drinks for men within 2 hours.
- Heavy drinking: Consuming a great amount of alcohol per week, equating to 8+ drinks for women and 15+ drinks for men.
- Alcohol abuse: Consistent unhealthy patterns of drinking that become hard for the individual to control, including binge drinking or heavy drinking.
- Alcohol use disorder (AUD): A severe dependency on alcohol where excessive drinking leads to a brain disease.
Anyone struggling with any degree of unhealthy alcohol use should receive treatment. Even those in the early stages of alcohol abuse deserve help to ensure their condition doesn’t escalate. However, individuals with alcohol abuse or AUD require urgent help through outpatient treatment for alcohol. Rehab could be the difference between life and death.
Alcohol Abuse Statistics
Alcohol addiction and other unhealthy drinking patterns are serious issues that require treatment. Around the world, alcohol abuse affects millions of people. Partly, the issue stems from the social element of drinking. Because drinking is often built into social plans, people assume they can’t develop a serious addiction just from drinking. Yet, almost 29 million people age 12 and older have an alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Beyond the United States, an estimated 400 million people struggle with alcohol abuse. Many people don’t understand how severe alcohol dependency can become. It’s possible to die from AUD, which kills about 2.6 million individuals per year.
Levels of Care in Outpatient Alcohol Rehab
The process of alcohol rehab is straightforward, but it does offer degrees of flexibility to make the process smoother. Individuals who enter outpatient alcohol rehab can choose to enter traditional outpatient treatment or follow a flexible program track. We offer a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and traditional outpatient treatment (OT). Guests can move between PHP and IOP as part of 12-week programming, or can enter a level based on their readiness.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) for Alcohol Addiction
Partial hospitalization is a program that can replace traditional outpatient rehab. This flexible outpatient level program track is for individuals who are between traditional inpatient and outpatient care in terms of readiness. Yet, these guests require the ability to live at home due to obligations and responsibilities. During PHP, guests attend daily sessions in-center and return home at night. Notably, PHP is an accelerated program with a faster timeline. Typically, PHP sessions are six hours per day for five days a week. During this time, individuals engage in therapy, counseling, and optional medication management to find inner healing from their alcohol abuse. In 12-step programming, PHP lasts four weeks.
Intensive Outpatient Program for Alcohol Addiction
Our intensive outpatient program (IOP) is another flexible outpatient treatment track. In 12-week programming, PHP is the final eight weeks of outpatient care. In this case, guests move from PHP into IOP. However, individuals can also move directly into intensive outpatient, according to their needs and readiness. Like PHP, intensive outpatient care allows guests to attend sessions but live at home during an accelerated recovery program. Because guests in IOP have completed much of the inner healing work, they attend reduced sessions. Typically, these meet 3-5 days per week for 3-4 hours a day.
Traditional Outpatient Program for Alcohol Addiction
Alternatively, guests who don’t require the additional flexibility and sped-up pace of PHP and IOP move from inpatient treatment to outpatient treatment. In traditional OP, guests are provided more independence in their recovery and participate in reduced therapy hours per week. During this time, they continue to hone important skills and tools, like relapse prevention planning and trigger management. Additionally, they work with their case manager to prepare for the future. Outpatient programming is the final stage before guests graduate from Royal Life Centers, after which they can stay connected through aftercare.
What Happens During Outpatient Alcohol Rehab?
It can feel daunting to consider alcohol rehab. Let us answer your questions so you see outpatient alcohol recovery at Sound Recovery is straightforward. You (or your loved one) may be ready to move into outpatient treatment from completing inpatient treatment. Or maybe your situation is different and you’re new to Sound Recovery. During outpatient rehab at our alcohol treatment center, you will prepare to fully return to “real life” as a sober individual. There are many steps that go into future planning, and fortunately, you don’t have to complete them alone. Along with our medical team and peers in rehab, you’ll meet with your alcohol addiction therapist and case manager. They’ll help you hone the sobriety skills you’ve been working on to prepare you for graduation and the time after.
Some of the highlights of outpatient treatment’s focus are:
- Flexibility in scheduling
- Trigger management
- Emotional regulation
- Healthy coping mechanisms
- Relapse prevention planning
- Sober community
- Resume and job help
- Sober housing assistance
- Budgeting and financial planning
Notably, these highlights include personal healing work and future growth planning, as outpatient treatment allows you to prioritize all your needs.
Individual and Group Therapy for Alcohol Abuse
As mentioned, you continue to engage in regular therapy and counseling sessions throughout each week you’re in outpatient care. At all of our Royal Life Centers, we combine a proven mixture of traditional and holistic therapy methods. This is to ensure each guest truly experiences full body healing, not only in their mind or body. Therapy is a pivotal element of treatment. Further, we understand a combination of holistic and traditional therapy is most effective for alcohol addiction treatment.
Evidence-based Psychotherapy for Alcohol Abuse
Evidence-based psychotherapy is traditional therapy, including behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, family therapy, couples therapy, and individual therapy. Each of our guests’ therapy is tailored to them. Thus, the topics they explore and techniques they use are modified to each person’s Individual Service Plan (ISP).
Holistic Treatment for Alcohol Abuse
Also, in each guest’s ISP is their holistic therapy preferences. To elaborate, holistic therapies treat the person as a whole, as these activities target the mind, body, and spirit together. When holistic therapy and traditional therapy are combined, greater wellness is achieved. Rehab at Sound Recovery takes a comprehensive, person-centered approach. Thus, we offer diverse holistic therapy activities to ensure whole-self recovery during treatment.
Do I Need Inpatient Alcohol Treatment Before I Do Outpatient?
As mentioned, treatment through Royal Life Centers is entirely tailored to each individual as part of our commitment to person-focused care. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to AUD recovery. We take each person’s needs into account when creating their treatment plan and provide flexible options so treatment remains feasible. Markedly, not everyone needs to complete all the levels of care. Although you have the option to move linearly through the levels, you can also work with our team to enter any stage. Thus, you are not required to complete inpatient treatment before beginning outpatient care. Speak with our admissions team to further discuss the ins and outs of entering rehab on your terms!
Professional Outpatient Rehab for Alcohol Addiction
Receiving professional help for your alcohol disorder makes all the difference in actually achieving sobriety. No matter how many times you’ve tried or how badly you want to, alcohol addiction has too strong a pull on your brain for you to quit. Yet, alcohol addiction is not a lifetime sentence if you enter professional treatment. At Sound Recovery, we are equipped with the tools and equipment needed to help individuals find lasting sobriety.
For one thing, we help guests complete the most challenging first step of recovery with medical detoxification. We monitor guests and administer comfort medications to help them get through the early withdrawal stage. Also, remaining sober for life requires deep inner healing through alcohol addiction therapy and counseling. Our outpatient treatment will equip you with the skills you need to make sobriety a personal reality.
Individualized Treatment Plans
Each guest of Sound Recovery works with their therapist to create a personalized treatment plan. This takes into account their background, history of mental and substance disorders, needs, and goals to shape their rehab.
Expert Medical Staff
We have a knowledgeable and empathetic team of doctors, therapists, counselors, and case managers. All of them are committed to helping you heal and succeed in life as a sober person. You can rest assured your care will be of the highest quality.
Relapse Prevention
The threat of relapse is one of the biggest risks after leaving treatment. In outpatient rehab, we focus on relapse prevention planning to ensure our guests are set up for success. By having an arsenal of tricks and tools they can utilize, individuals fight relapse and keep sobriety a personal goal.
Outpatient Alcohol Rehab Center Near Me
It’s not easy to stop drinking alcohol on your own. If you have an alcohol use disorder, it is virtually impossible to quit by yourself. Fortunately, you don’t have to look far for a knowledgeable, holistic-focused treatment center. We offer alcohol rehab in Washington that covers medical detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient treatment. Sound Recovery can help you achieve sobriety, no matter how long you’ve been trapped by alcohol addiction! As mentioned, we offer flexible treatment programming. Reach out now to change your life through outpatient alcohol rehab.
