Outpatient Treatment vs. Inpatient Treatment – 5 Things You Need to Know

Many people will consider inpatient treatment and/or outpatient treatment when seeking help for addiction. There are pros and cons to both types of addiction treatment, and the solution differs per the individual.

To help you make an educated decision, we’ve gathered the opinions of a few people who’ve tried both forms of treatment and shared their thoughts below. Note: The opinions expressed below are for entertainment purposes only and are not necessarily the options of Nashville Recovery and/or its associates.

Remember: Getting any sort of help with addiction is better than doing nothing. The type of treatment you choose will affect the length, quality and cost of your sobriety.

Outpatient Treatment Using Suboxone vs. Inpatient Treatment – 5 Things You Need to Know

1. Convenience – Most people have jobs and families to take care of. Taking off work for a couple of weeks to up to six months for inpatient treatment is simply not realistic. For many, the solution is finding a quality outpatient treatment program that includes one-on-one therapy with a licensed addiction therapist, relapse prevention medicine, as well as joining a group recovery program (i.e. AA, NA, Celebrate Recovery, etc) In fact, outpatient treatment should be your plan after inpatient treatment anyway, since good recovery means having a plan for the rest of your life.
   Finally, with the convenience of telemedicine, outpatient treatment for addiction has never been easier than right now.
2. Insurance – If you have insurance, then you may have options. Some insurance companies will pay for inpatient treatment in-full or at least in-part. The best way to find out is to call your insurance company and ask them about their addiction treatment coverage.
3. Out-of-Pocket Costs – At some point you’re probably going to shell-out a few coins for something related to your recovery. Some insurance companies cover the cost for either or both inpatient and outpatient treatment. However, many outpatient clinics do not accept insurance. The average cost per month at the time of this writing is $350 per month for outpatient treatment in the Nashville area. The good news is many insurance companies will allow the individual to submit their receipts from outpatient treatment in order to get reimbursed. Again, call your insurance company and ask about reimbursement. Inpatient treatment is expensive, costing anywhere from $30,000 to over $60,000. Be sure you know what your responsibility is for inpatient costs, as well as “IOP” (Intensive Outpatient Programs that typically follow inpatient stays), since these can cost thousands of “out of pocket” dollars.
4. Continued Therapy – Some outpatient treatment clinics like Nashville Recovery provide weekly, one-on-one therapy sessions at no additional charge. Therapy is key to long term recovery since it helps the person dive into the triggers and traumas that typically lead to drug and alcohol abuse. The goal of therapy is to locate these issues and then develop a plan to resolve them as much as possible to avoid future drug and alcohol abuse, not to mention a better way of life.
5. Effectiveness – This is a tough thing to give current statistics on since the most accurate stats are often many years old. So we’ve talked to a handful of people who’ve tried both and shared their thoughts below.
   1. Inpatient treatment is a bubble. It’s easy to get clean and stay clean while in a protected environment. The hard part is returning home to your old environment without slipping back into old/bad habits. I relapsed a lot when I got home and finally joined an outpatient treatment program. I wish I would have done outpatient treatment first and saved me and my family the aches and pains fo my relapsing after treatment.
   2. Inpatient treatment was great. It got me clean and provided a solid foundation for 12-step group recovery. I’ve been clean ever since.
   3. I think inpatient was the precursor to me starting outpatient. I think I needed both. Inpatient provided hard-reset and detox which I desperately needed. Outpatient provides ongoing treatment including medicine (Suboxone), therapy and an accountability. I think all of those things combined are what got me clean and keep me clean.

As mentioned above, the most important thing is to take action if you’re addicted. Those who seek a clean life typically find it one way or another as long as the never quit looking.

You May Need Inpatient Treatment if:

• You need extended detox or medical detox due to the severity of your addiction.
• You have issues with multiple drugs and/or drugs and alcohol.
  
• Your home environment is too risky where relapse is too likely.

Outpatient May Be Enough for You if:

• Your primary issue is opioid addiction.
• You can take a day or two off of work to transition from pills or heroin to Suboxone. (if needed)
• A replacement medication (Suboxone), private therapy and group recovery will be enough to help you avoid relapse.

Whatever you do, get help. There are many great options for overcoming opioid addiction today. Don’t suffer another day – Take action.