Who Needs Inpatient Addiction Treatment?

Inpatient care is not always necessary when it comes to addiction rehab and recovery, and many individuals are able to safely and comfortably attend outpatient care while they recover from drug addiction. However, some individuals do require inpatient care in order to heal and recover from their drug addiction fully. Therefore, it is important to ask: who needs inpatient addiction treatment?

What are Inpatient Centers?

Inpatient care provides a structured environment.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, inpatient rehabilitation facilities (or IRFs) “provide an intensive rehabilitation program” to patients who are recovering from an addiction, an illness, or an injury. These programs provide accommodations for patients to stay at the facility for a certain period of time, which often varies depending on the needs of the individual. In many cases, this treatment option provides medical care to patients who need it in a hospital setting, but other residential programs exist in non-hospital settings where patients stay at the facility as well.

Choosing the Option of Inpatient Addiction Treatment

Many individuals feel that inpatient care is always necessary for addiction, but a large number of recovering addicts are able to receive treatment on an outpatient basis. The option for inpatient care, however, still exists, as it is necessary to certain patients. If you choose to stay at an inpatient care center, there are some important aspects of the treatment you should understand.

• Inpatient rehab often offers more treatment options than outpatient rehab, simply because patients have more time at the former type of facility which also generally has more resources.
• Inpatient rehab is usually more expensive than outpatient care, as stated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. However, many rehab centers exist all across the country in all types of settings that are low-cost or even free for patients to attend.
• Inpatient rehab centers often work through community care, which dictates that every individual the patient encounters––including doctors, nurses, counselors, volunteers, and even other patients––become “active components of treatment.” This is called resocialization, and it is an important tool for the patient’s overall recovery.
• Some inpatient centers provide treatment that is highly structured and scheduled where patients must attend classes all day while others are more free-form and allow patients more unstructured reflective time. It is important to visit a facility before you attend in order to find out what the program will be like and what you should expect as a future patient.

Who Needs Inpatient Addiction Treatment?

Certain individuals may be in need of inpatient addiction treatment in order to overcome their addictions and begin a stronger, more balanced recovery. This option is available for these particular individuals especially, but while some patients need to be in a controlled environment in order to heal, others do not. It is important for you to consider what your needs are as an addict but also as an individual in order to choose the best treatment option available to you. According to the NIDA, “effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug abuse.”

First and foremost, many individuals decide to attend inpatient care because it provides them with a safe and controlled environment where they will be able to avoid the temptations of drug abuse. Many people are able to attend outpatient care safely and without relapsing, as stated above, but this ability depends heavily on certain aspects of the individual’s life as well as their addiction syndrome. If the person has

• Experienced repeated relapses back to drug abuse
• Been through several different treatment programs without the success they hoped for
• Continually moved to more and more dangerous drugs of abuse (from prescription opioids onto heroin, etc.)
• Shown to have an addiction so severe that it has been very difficult for them to quit in the past, then inpatient care might be a necessity.

Those individuals who abuse and are addicted to multiple drugs may also fare better in inpatient care. This is because polydrug addiction can be extremely difficult to treat and may require more intensive care. Certain drugs, such as PCP, methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and others, have also been known to cause drug addiction syndromes that are so severe, they can be extremely difficult for the individual to fight while still living in a more open environment. These drugs as well have been known to cause severe psychological disorders in those who abuse them.

Some individuals may experience psychosis that was caused by their drug addiction while many others are likely to suffer from depression or other mood disorders, as this is an issue that is often linked to addiction. A study from Psychiatric Quarterly states that patients with severe mental disorders, illnesses, and other psychological issues are “predicted to have a better outcome in inpatient treatment.” This is because these programs often have more care options for patients as well as more resources that allow the simultaneous treatment of both addiction and psychological disorders.

In addition, those who do not have strong social support systems at home may also want to consider inpatient care. As these programs provide resocialization with a strong community aspect, this can be exactly the type of treatment needed by an individual who is fighting addiction alone. According to the NIDA, “Family and friends can play critical roles in motivating individuals with drug problems to enter and stay in treatment,” and the lack of this encouragement can be difficult for an individual. Inpatient care can help to fill that void in many ways, as well as increase an individual’s likelihood of doing well in treatment and avoiding relapse.

Whether or not any given individual needs inpatient care strongly depends on their unique situation, but generally, these aspects can intensify one’s need for this more concentrated care option:

• Those who require a controlled environment
• Those who are severely addicted to certain substances like methamphetamine or PCP or who have multiple addictions
• Those who have high psychiatric severity in addition to their addictions
• Those who lack a strong social support system

Do You Want to Receive Inpatient Care for Your Addiction Syndrome?

Call 800-256-3490 and we will help you find the inpatient addiction treatment center near you that best suits your needs. Call and get help today.