It can be hard for some people to put their lives on hold to get addiction treatment. Many people need to balance their treatment with their career, family, or education, making residential treatment an unrealistic option. Thankfully, most rehab facilities will offer outpatient programs. Outpatient programs do not require patients to stay on campus, meaning they can leave after their therapy session is done. Not staying on campus during your treatment seems foreign to some people so they often wonder what do you learn in intensive outpatient treatment? Take some time to learn about outpatient treatment and how it differs from other treatment programs.
What Is Intensive Treatment Program?
Intensive outpatient is considered the third level of treatment and intensity of care after residential inpatient treatment and partial hospitalization program. During intensive outpatient, clients still receive group processing and individual therapy time. Intensive outpatient treatment can introduce a lot of concepts to patients to help ensure they get to see a full recovery. If your wondering what do you learn in intensive outpatient treatment, some of those things include:
Cope with Cravings for Drugs and Alcohol
Until clients learn that their cravings for drugs and alcohol are chemical reactions in their brains which causes certain feelings, they take those feelings of cravings for fact. Feelings aren’t fact. Cravings aren’t fact. Cravings for drugs and alcohol are part of what drug and alcohol addiction are. Without cravings, addiction wouldn’t be addiction, and addicts wouldn’t be addicts. Cravings go away over time and become less intrusive when they do happen. Sometimes, they do happen. Learning to cope with cravings in a healthy way means learning to recognize that cravings happen and when cravings happen, there are tools to cope with them, without giving into them.
Identify Triggers and Cope with Them Effectively
A trigger is a cause to an event or situation to happen or exist. A trigger in recovery is often a cause to the event of cravings or serious discomfort. Experiencing triggers is difficult in the beginning but gets better over time. Everyone has different triggers that are unique to their experiences in life. Similarly, everyone reacts to their triggers in different ways. Identifying triggers and developing solution-focused ways to cope with them reduces their power and makes life more manageable.
Communicate in Healthy Ways Then Practice Them
Another thing you will learn in intensive outpatient treatment is that communication is key in life and in relationships. Social life is the antidote to the isolation of addiction. Communication skills help reduce stress, create clarity, and more. Each person will learn about how they communicate, how they can better communicate, and where their style of communication came from.
Make Good Choices and Start Making Them
There are a million and one opportunities to make a choice from the minute the eyes open to the minute they close. Making good choices is a challenge all day long, every single day. Learning about choice making is only one part of the equation. Part of the opportunity of being in a structured and safe treatment environment is starting to make good choices and practice that skill.
Get Addiction Help From Oceanfront Recovery
Addiction affects millions of Americans every year. Getting help does not need to be scary and does not need to disrupt your daily life. At Oceanfront Recovery, we offer a number of programs to help you beat addiction and live a healthier, better future. Some of the programs we offer include:
- Family Therapy Program
- EMDR Therapy Program
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program
- Aftercare Program
There is a level of care that works for everyone. Intensive outpatient is one of many levels of care we offer at Oceanfront Recovery. Our men’s treatment programs are designed to improve their self-efficacy and help them develop autonomy in recovery, free from drugs and alcohol. For information about what you learn in intensive outpatient treatment, call us today at 877.296.7477.
