Who Needs Intensive Inpatient Treatment?

You have decided to stop using. Now you need to know what type of treatment to choose. There are a lot of choices when it comes to drug and alcohol treatment facilities and it is difficult to decide which is best for your individual circumstances. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, inpatient treatment is very effective in treating multiple forms of addiction. This is not the only reason to choose it. There are many reasons to choose an inpatient rehab but it is still important to weigh your options. Inpatient patient treatment is excellent for a variety of users.

A Serious Illness that Requires Treatment

Intensive inpatient treatment may be necessary for those with cardiovascular disease.

One of the main reasons to choose inpatient rehab is because you have an underlying illness. Withdrawal from various substances can exacerbate conditions. This causes complications in the detox and withdrawal process. Some of these conditions are:

• cardiovascular disease,
• high blood pressure,
• diabetes,
• cancer,
• COPD,
• emphysema, and
• many other conditions.

These are just a few of the conditions that become dangerous when a person is detoxing. Since inpatient care offers a range of medical services as well as counseling and dietary help, these conditions are easy to care for in an intensive inpatient treatment setting. Doctors and medical staff are able to foresee complications and treat illnesses quickly and efficiently. They would not be able to do this in an outpatient or home setting.

A Need for a Safe Place to Recover

Many drug and alcohol users end up homeless or in bad situations. Quite a few circumstances sometimes contribute to the drug use and addiction. Some of these situations and circumstances are:

• homelessness – some drug addicts lose their homes and jobs to their addictions.
• forced prostitution and trafficking – many addicts come from forced situations. Dealers sometimes force addicts into prostitution to support their habit. In this case, a safe place to recover is essential to get them away from that situation.
• people in domestic violence situations – domestic violence is one of the leading contributors to drug addiction among families. Both men and women in domestic violence situations need safe housing in order to detox and clear their heads.

These are not the only situations but these are often the most pressing. People need steady meals and housing in order to come off drugs safely. Some people might not be able to provide this for themselves while they are coming off the drugs. Inpatient therapy provides this.

A need to be Away From Your Triggers

When a drug addict is at home, there are often things that remind them of using. This makes the cravings worse and leads to relapse. When a person’s environment contributes to their drug use, they have a difficult time detoxing at home. Neighborhoods and easy access to their drug of choice also causes issues. In an inpatient treatment facility, you are not exposed to these triggers. Counselors at an inpatient facility offer resources and techniques to deal with cravings and triggers.

Have Tried and Failed at Outpatient and Home Detox

Another reason that you need inpatient treatment is that you have tried other methods. Some people do better when they are away from their home environment. The stress of work, school, or family contributes to their drug use and relapse. If other treatments do not work, it is time to try an intensive treatment program. These programs are only available through inpatient therapy where an addict is under supervision and monitoring. Most people who try other treatment methods and fail do so due to environment.

Have and Underlying Mental Illness

Mental illness is difficult to deal with without the added stressors of addiction. Addiction can lead to serious psychological issues. When the drug use stops, sometimes both the issues that were there previously and new issues caused by addiction become worse. A depressive who is addicted to cocaine, experiences a severe depression when they stop using the drug. This depression can lead to suicide. Without inpatient treatment, they might become a danger to themselves before they realize the depression is due to the drug and not what they are actually feeling. Inpatient treatment can stabilize and treat a number of psychiatric illnesses.

Not Particularly Motivated to Quit

Unfortunately, many people who need inpatient treatment lack the motivation to quit the drug. Many people who are in inpatient treatment are there by court order or family interventions. Inpatient treatment can be voluntary or involuntary. Involuntary inpatient treatment is still effective. Even if the treatment is not involuntary, the locked nature of inpatient treatment is sometimes best when you lack the motivation to quit. Getting out can provide much needed incentive to quit using your drug of choice. This incentive is not present in outpatient treatment or home treatment.

Some people will accept outpatient treatment because they are strongly encouraged to quit. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to halfhearted efforts at recovery. These halfhearted efforts are just a disguised way to keep using. In inpatient treatment, it is more difficult ignore the benefits of treatment.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there are around 23 million people over the age of 12 who need treatment. Many of those need intensive inpatient treatment. Inpatient treatment helps those that cannot get off the drug on their own or their circumstances dictate that they will do better in an inpatient environment. If you feel that you need inpatient treatment for whatever reason it is important to look at it as a serious option.