The decision to seek Inpatient treatment or Detox from excessive drug and alcohol use is a complicated and personal decision. Many times this is a “knee jerk” decision that is based on inaccurate knowledge about what would be the best treatment and standard of care given an individual’s specific drug and alcohol use.  We consult to individuals and families faced with this decision and can recommend facilities and refer to programs which are evidence based, reputable and most importantly an appropriate match for you and your loved ones.

While inpatient treatment and detox is the safest and most conservative treatment available it is not always practical and it is not always the best fit for an individual who has a busy career, a close family in need or an otherwise busy schedule which would preclude being out of town or out of commission for a whole week or a whole month.  While our clinicians are trained and adept at helping individuals see the benefits of inpatient treatment we are also able to help individuals and their families determine if they are first able to be safe and thrive in an outpatient or intensive outpatient setting first. Furthermore, in the past few years advances in ambulatory detox have enabled addiction psychiatrists and physicians to aid in the detox of many individuals at home under the close monitoring of loved ones while patients begin to engage in outpatient treatment.

There are many ways in which outpatient or intensive outpatient treatment programs can better serve you or your loved ones. The majority of people relapse following inpatient treatment and this is a sad and dirty not-so-secret truth about inpatient addiction treatment. That said it is not the fault of inpatient treatment. Addiction can make any treatment center look bad. There are excellent inpatient treatment centers locally including Caron, Mirmont, Ashley and many others. We can also refer to many rehabs which are not local and may provide a better alternative for some patients needing highly specialized programs.

One of the main reasons inpatient treatment can be challenging in the long run is that individuals and families tend to hope that the problem is solved and may relax their efforts following inpatient treatment or detox and this tends to be the most vulnerable and high-risk time for relapse. Inpatient treatment is only the very beginning of treatment and recovery in most cases.

We recommend that you consult with an addiction counselor or addiction psychologist in order to help you determine the most appropriate level of care. If you are immediately concerned about your loved one’s safety of course bring them to the nearest emergency room. If you would like help deciding whether detox, inpatient, intensive outpatient or outpatient treatment s right please do not hesitate to call us any time and we can set up a consultation or evaluation to help you decide what to do.