Published January 14, 2022 · Reviewed by Sergey Litvinov, MD · ~657 words

Almost nobody decides to get help on a good day. You decide on a bad one, and then you are looking at treatment for substance use and a list of program types that means very little to you. Deciding to ask for help is one of the bravest things a person does, and it is immediately followed by paperwork. There is no single method that suits everyone, so it is worth knowing what the options actually are. Some people need an inpatient treatment program. For others an intensive outpatient rehab or a partial hospitalization program is the better fit. Either way, you and your family decide what works for what you actually need to meet your recovery goals.

Inpatient vs. outpatient treatment: how do they differ?

In some ways, inpatient and outpatient rehab treatment programs are similar. Both exist to care for and support people who are struggling with substance use and addiction.

Both types of programs provide:

• Medical supervision
• Therapeutic care
• One-on-one therapeutic sessions
• Medical and psychiatric assessments
• Group therapy

The main difference between inpatient programs and intensive rehab outpatient services is where you sleep. In an inpatient program you stay in the treatment center for the whole of it. In an intensive outpatient program you come in for the day and go home once the day’s activities are done. This type of program is similar to a partial hospitalization program, except there is no overnight stay.

Which type of program will work for me?

Several things decide whether inpatient or outpatient rehab is the right call. Where physical withdrawal symptoms are a concern, or home is not a place where recovery can hold, an inpatient program is usually what gets recommended. In that situation, 24-hour support watching a person’s safety and health is worth having. Sometimes it is simply easier to start somewhere that is built for nothing else.

When physical withdrawal is less of a worry, or there is a strong support network at home, an intensive outpatient program can be a good choice. You get the treatment and still handle what is waiting outside it. Some people keep working, on far fewer hours. Others care for their children or go to school part-time.

How do I know which to choose?

Only you and your family know what fits. The part that matters most is deciding to get help at all, and then asking a professional you trust to help you work out how. Recovery takes time and effort, and you will need the people who love you and people who do this for a living. Either kind of program gives you somewhere to lean while you do it.

Learn more about detox programs at Pines Recovery Life Detox

If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, the treatment programs at Pines Recovery Life Detox, medical detox and residential inpatient care, might be where this turns around for you. We provide a women’s detox center and a men’s detox center, because addiction lands differently on different people and treatment should account for that.

If you are in South Florida, contact our staff by filling out our online form or calling 800-263-3869 now. Pines Recovery Life Detox is in Pembroke Pines, Florida, and we are ready to help you take the next step.