An outpatient programme is one that is usually designed for those who do not have a very serious or life threatening addiction or dependency on alcohol.
While some alcoholics do suffer from severe addiction and need the services of a rehab to go through detox and behavioural therapy, for some individuals, the problem is not yet severe enough to warrant rehab. In this case, and for many other reasons some of which are outlined below, an individual may choose to go through outpatient treatment.
An outpatient programme is also an excellent place for those who have been in rehab to ‘top up’ their skills. There, they can speak to counsellors and engage in group therapy where they will have the chance to talk about their experiences and gain some perspective about their healing.
There are many centres that offer this type of treatment and they will usually recommend that a patient come in for an assessment before checking into rehab. They will have to ask very difficult questions of the patient to try and assess their level of addiction and this may be a very challenging first step for people to take. However, for those who are not drinking every day or twice a day even, this may be an easier way to go through treatment than checking into residential or primary care rehab.
Some of the benefits of an outpatient programme include the ability to live your life as you did before. This means that except for therapy sessions at the outpatient facility, you will be able to live your life and see family and friends.
Of course, as an alcoholic, this also means that you will need to be more careful than ever before as you will not be isolated from alcohol.
The thing to remember about outpatient facilities is that while they can protect you from a substance during the time you are there, when you are out in the world, you may still be surrounded by alcohol, making it more difficult to stick to the programme.
The need to go to rehab or to an outpatient facility is really dependent on every individual and since people are different, an assessment is needed to ensure that the patient is getting the right treatment at the right place and the right time.