Is inpatient or outpatient addiction recovery treatment best for you?
Do you need to go to rehab? Are you struggling to decide on your level of care? We explore the ins and outs of inpatient and outpatient rehab for addiction in the UK.
What is Inpatient rehab for addiction?
Inpatient treatment is any rehab program that involves you staying in the clinic full time. Inpatient treatment can also be things like staying overnight in a hospital, going to a detox clinic for drug detox, or taking part in clinical trials or studies[i].
Options for inpatient rehab in the UK
There are several options for inpatient rehab in the UK. Some of the most common are as follows.
Quasi Residential rehab
With this model, you stay away from home but don’t live in the same place as the rehab clinic. You travel for treatment but are still residential, living somewhere away from the social circle that got you into drugs.
Private Residential Rehab
Private residential rehab is the mid-range priced rehab clinic option. It offers you full time treatment in which you can recover.
NHS Assisted Residential Rehab
NHS Assisted residential rehab takes place in a private facility. It will only happen if you have gone through all other NHS avenues and proven your recovery isn’t working.
Luxury inpatient rehab
Luxury rehab is the most expensive option for private rehab for addiction care. It features the same attention to your recovery from addiction as private rehab but without the luxurious extras.
What is Outpatient rehab for addiction?
Outpatient treatment is any rehab help you get where you can go home at the end of the day. If you are using a home detox kit for alcohol addiction, if you are getting online therapy, or if you are seeing a group once a week, these are all considered to be outpatient treatment[ii].
Options in outpatient treatment
There are a few choices in what outpatient treatment means to you. Some of the common types are as follows.
Online Therapy
Online therapy is an innovative new technique for treating you for an addiction as an outpatient. If you can take online therapy sessions after a successful detox period, this might be enough to help you to stay away from drugs or alcohol[iii]. You can see our pages about online therapy for more information.
NHS Assisted
NHS Assisted outpatient rehab for drug addiction is what we call the amalgamation of NHS services available to you before they send you to a residential rehab clinic. The NHS will try every path possible before paying for you to go to a residential rehab clinic. This means GP appointments, group therapy sessions as an outpatient, and perhaps trying more holistic means.
Dayhab
Dayhab is a specialist rehab centre that allows you to seek help for addictions, through the day. A dayhab centre offers everything you can find at a private residential rehab clinic, but you can fit the sessions in around your day. You might go to morning classes, see a group in the evening, or join in afternoon sessions with the therapist.
What are the differences between inpatient and outpatient rehab?
Here are where inpatient and outpatient treatments differ.
In Inpatient Rehab:
- You stay the night
- You take therapy sessions in the morning and afternoon
- There are holistic programs and extracurricular activities to explore and enjoy
- You will be invited to attend exercise sessions
- You will be invited to attend educational workshops
- You will be on a dietary plan
In Outpatient Rehab:
- You go home
- You take therapy sessions in the morning or afternoon
- There are holistic programs and extra-curricular activities to explore and enjoy
- You will be invited to attend exercise sessions
- You will be invited to attend educational workshops
- You will source your own meals
What are the similarities between outpatient and inpatient rehab?
You will receive the same attention to your care whether you opt for a private, NHS assisted[iv], or luxury inpatient or outpatient rehab programs. The staff are trained in the same institutions and NHS assisted programs take place in private rehab clinics, since the NHS doesn’t have rehab clinics of its own.
Which treatment plan has higher success rates?
While inpatient rehabilitation is one of the most successful types of rehabs[v], it doesn’t fit in with every lifestyle. If you are able to, a 7, 14, or 28 day inpatient, full-time residential rehab program will give you the best chance of success. However, if you suffer from an addiction but still work full time, then outpatient treatments might be better for you[vi]. It is a similar story with those who are the sole guardian to children, or who have commitments that otherwise stop them from attending full time rehab clinics[vii].
What should you do to get ready for inpatient rehab?
There are a few things you should do if you are going to inpatient rehab. Here are some of the important things.
Things to take to rehab
To pack a bag for inpatient rehab, you need the minimum of items. Think about clothing, toiletries, and perhaps a book or two. Don’t bring anything that might disturb your recovery, but phones and laptops are acceptable. Even if they are acceptable, it might suit you better to put your phone off while in rehab. This will make it easier to sever connections with those that feed your addiction.
Things to do before you leave
Be sure to speak to anyone you have responsibilities too. This means informing your work, your co-parent, or your children. Be sure that the people who you love to know where you are so that you don’t get reported missing.
What’s a day in the life of an inpatient in rehab like?
A day in the life of inpatient rehab in the UK starts with an early rise. Breakfast will be served, or you will be allowed time to make it if you are in a quasi-residential rehab clinic. You will go straight to group or therapy with a counsellor, then spend time in an exercise program or an educational workshop. You will break for lunch and have more of the same.
In the evenings, you will be invited to attend communal activities and holistic therapy sessions (such as art, music, or another creative outlet). The idea of filling your day end-to-end is that you are too tired to go out at night and use drugs or alcohol. A busy mind is one that is fighting cravings.
What’s a day in the life of an outpatient in rehab like?
As an outpatient, you will wake up in your own bed and tend to your responsibilities. In between things that you do in a day, for example do a few hours of work or take the kids to school and pick them up again, you will attend rehab sessions. You will see your group at least once a week and your appointed counsellor at least once a month. You will be invited to attend courses that better your education, to take part in exercise programs, or to do specific therapies.
At the end of a day in outpatient rehab, you go home again. There is no catch. You travel to and from a rehab clinic and don’t pay for full time rehab. However, outpatient rehab takes about three times as long as inpatient rehab.
What about Detox?
You can go through detox for alcohol addiction at home, provided you meet the eligibility criteria. You should not detox from drugs at home unless otherwise instructed by a doctor. You can go through detox in a hospital or rehab clinic, then go on to receive further rehab treatment as either an outpatient or an inpatient.
What about aftercare?
You can receive secondary treatment regardless of whether you are in inpatient or outpatient treatment. Aftercare describes services offered by your rehab clinic to help you transition back into normal life[viii]. They usually include things like telephone and group support, but services differ per rehab clinic.
Costs of Inpatient and Outpatient Rehab
Outpatient services, although originally seemingly cheaper, stretch on for at least 3 times the length[ix] of a full time course. If you think about travel costs and time spent, then inpatient care is better value for money, even although it doesn’t seem like it when you put the money down. Not all outpatient services can be performed from the comfort of your own home… and the longer your recovery goes on for, the more it will cost. To throw an additional spanner into the recovery from addiction funding debate, you can also get private residential inpatient treatment.
Free Consultation on Rehab Clinics Near You
We offer free consultations on inpatient and outpatient rehab in England and Wales. Call us for a chat about your rehab options, or to see if we can get you a rehab referral for somewhere that’s perfect for you. There’s no obligation and no risk, just free advice.
Which is better for you, Inpatient or Outpatient?
Although it all sounds terribly complex, we here at Help4Addiction have years of experience in matching you with what you need out of a rehab clinic. Whether you decide on inpatient care or prefer to be seen as an outpatient – we will happily point you in the right direction. Contact us today, on 0203 955 7700, or visit our online consultation service and get started. The journey to recovery starts with a single step.
[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_rehabilitation
[iv] https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/drug-addiction-getting-help/
[v] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15540492/
[vi] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1360-0443.1996.911217733.x
[viii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2670779/
[ix] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360883/
