Expectations matter – especially when considering a substance abuse treatment center.
When we know what’s to come, we can set our mind to the task at hand. We can prepare to work hard, practice patience or all sorts of things in between.
Expectations also offer hope. The reward becomes easier to imagine and possible to reach.
If you’re considering a substance abuse treatment center, you likely want to know what you can expect. You can ask questions to find out, like:
- What programs do you offer?
- What does the commitment level look like?
- What can I hope to gain from therapy?
To help you get started, we’d like to answer those questions for you today. We’ll take a look at our facility right here in Texas: The Right Step Houston. We’ll go over all of the treatment and therapy options we offer and provide a few key details about each.
With knowledge in hand, you’ll know what’s to come—both the hard work required to get sober and the lifelong reward of walking in recovery.
A Quick Note About the Difference Between Substance Abuse Treatment and Therapy
You may see these words interchangeably used when people talk about addiction. And that’s okay. But for our purposes today, it’s helpful to point out the main difference between the two.
Treatment refers to the process of detoxing from drugs and alcohol or when a person first enters a period of sobriety from which he can begin to heal.
Therapy refers to the process of identifying the root causes of addiction and working through strategies to heal, cope and proactively avoid using in the future.
Make sense? With this distinction in mind, let’s breakdown the options available in each category.
Move Toward Sobriety: Substance Abuse Treatment Options
First things first, let’s talk about the treatment options available to help you through the withdrawal stage or the early days of sobriety. While in treatment, you may also be going through therapy, which we’ll discuss in detail later.
In-Person Residential
With an in-person residential treatment plan, you agree to come and live on campus here in Houston for a minimum of 30 days. You’ll have access to a professional staff 24 hours a day. So you can count on help whenever you need it.
We’ll assist you through the detoxification process, which can be tough. Because our staff is medically trained, we can offer prescriptions to help manage your symptoms and see you safely to sobriety.
While you’re here doing the hard work of individual treatment and group therapy, we’ll also do our best to make you feel at home. We provide amenities, opportunities to get outside and enjoy nature, and a focus on healthy, nutritious foods.
Partial-Hospitalization Program (PHP)
A partial-hospitalization program allows you to attend treatment in person during the day and return home at night. That’s why you might also see this referred to as a “Day-Treatment Program.” This option has the benefit of flexibility while still receiving quality support.
Here in Texas, you’re expected to complete between 20 to 30 hours of treatment each week. Treatment includes individual, group and family therapy. And because you’ll be going home each night, you’ll have the opportunity to put what you’re learning into practice right away.
Most programs last around one month and include additional benefits like holistic therapies, wellness education, medication management, sports activities and more. Many people choose to move from a PHP to an outpatient program to manage sobriety.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
An intensive outpatient program also allows you to live at home. You’ll attend a few in-person sessions a week, spending around three to four hours in each session. This schedule means that, with minor adjustments, you can continue working and caring for your family as before.
We provide a structured setting for continuous care and dual diagnosis, meaning we can help you process through addiction and mental health issues with standardized therapy and develop healthy coping strategies.
On the days you’re not with us, your doctors and therapists will reach out to see how you’re doing and ask about any support you may need—all with the goal to sustain recovery for the long haul.
Virtual Intensive Outpatient Programs
A virtual IOP works much like a traditional IOP but from the comfort of your own home. Even before COVID-19, this worked as a cost- and time-saving option for people who otherwise might delay getting help from a substance abuse treatment center.
We use a completely secure video platform to connect you with your doctors and therapists a few times a week. In this format, you’ll receive a thorough assessment and diagnosis, work together to develop a treatment plan and begin the process of getting better.
You can also rest assured that studies show telehealth addiction treatment is just as effective—and sometimes more-so—than comparable in-person options. Suffice it to say; we want to help in any way we can.
Move Toward Wholeness: Substance Abuse Therapy Options
When the goal is recovery, detoxification and a few weeks of sobriety aren’t enough. Don’t get us wrong, making it to the other side of withdrawal is a feat worth celebrating. And the weeks that follow can be full of hope and bliss. So embrace that.
Still, we’d be lying if we said there wasn’t more work to be done. If you want to be rid of addiction for good, you’ll benefit from digging deep into how you got to where you are today and what you’ll do to avoid this road again in the future.
That’s where therapy comes in.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy works as a practical process for overcoming unwanted behavior by starting with the source: your mind. After all, it is our thoughts that dictate our emotions and our emotions that encourage our actions.
Because of this, CBT can be used to treat addiction and dual diagnosis including depression, eating disorders and more. Through what Psychology Today calls a “structured and systematic” approach, a person develops healthy habits for both their thought life and their daily acted-out-in-the-real-world life.
Science backs up this approach in a big way, too. The American Psychological Association lauds CBT as a tool that has proven time and time again to “actually produce change.” In a world where nuance often leads the way, a solid, researched-back plan is the way to go.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (which falls under the umbrella of CBT) will encourage you to focus on emotions, both good and bad, and learn to manage them as a means of creating better habits and a holistic lifestyle.
You’ll start by learning to balance the tension between change and acceptance. Your therapist will help you make the brave, bold steps necessary for change to occur while also accepting who you are as a person and the circumstances surrounding you.
This process works, too. As Recovery Answers explains, DBT “provides individuals with the skills that help them tolerate distress, improve emotion regulation capacity, and cultivate mindfulness.” Hugely beneficial for recovery, no doubt.
Illness Management and Recovery (IMR)
Illness Management and Recovery therapy works to treat both mental health issues and addiction to drugs or alcohol. First, you’ll receive education about your diagnosis. Why? Understanding what your body is going through and what it needs from you empowers you to move forward in confidence!
You’ll then learn how to manage any mental health issues and addiction in a strategic and productive way. This form of therapy typically lasts between six and 12 months and is proven to help patients reach related goals and avoid relapse.
Recovery Answers said it best: “We encourage recovery by any and all means possible.” And with so many options available for treatment and therapy here at The Right Step Houston, you can absolutely expect the way forward to be positive.
At The Right Step Houston, we want to make sure you or your loved one have access to quality treatment options that can help you change your life.
Call us today at 844.768.0169 to speak with our team
of professional admissions specialists.
By Stephanie Thomas