Inpatient vs. Outpatient Treatment: Pros and Cons

Well done, you’ve made the move to look into getting sober and you’re investigating inpatient vs outpatient rehab programs. You’re on the right blog page, we’ll answer your question. Both are valuable additions to a comprehensive treatment plan, but there are distinct differences between outpatient rehab programs and inpatient rehab facilities and the services they offer.

What is Inpatient Rehab for AUD and SUD?

An inpatient rehab center is a live-in treatment facility. You’ll spend anywhere from a few weeks to a few months there getting clean from drug and alcohol addiction. It’s your new home away from home, removing you from your current environment and the stressors in it that drive your addictive behavior.

These facilities have everything you need to recover in-house. But there’s a few different types of residential programs, from state-run facilities to group homes to private traditional rehabs, to the luxury rehab options from Carrara.

Regardless of which venue you choose for your treatment, these rehabs focus on offering on-site medical detox and nursing care, with therapy programs to help you work through the behaviors governing the addiction cycle in your mind.

What is Outpatient Rehab for AUD and SUD?

An outpatient alcohol detox or drug rehab program takes place remotely. You’ll be staying at home and going to therapy sessions or meetings, and you may have a prescription for ongoing medication requirements related to keeping you sober.

Outpatient programs can be standalone treatment plans for people with mild addictions like smoking cigarettes or marijuana. These programs are also the final phase of recovery for people staying in residential inpatient rehab. You’ll finish your detox and intensive therapy program at the facility and follow an aftercare plan that forms the basis of the “outpatient” part of your treatment.

Standalone outpatient addiction recovery programs don’t offer enough support if you’re deep in the grip of SUD and AUD. You won’t have the mental resilience to commit to your recovery because you don’t remove yourself from your environment. So, you just keep repeating your addictive behavior as you encounter the environmental stressors in your life which cause you to use.

What are the Pros of Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment for AUD and SUD?

Outpatient and inpatient alcohol rehabs and drug treatment facilities both have their share of pros and cons, and we’ve already touched on a few of the advantages and disadvantages of each. Let’s take a deeper dive into comparing these two programs to give you an idea of which one to enroll in based on the severity and intensity of your current addiction.

Pros of Inpatient Treatment for SUD and AUD

A Safe Space to Recover

Luxury inpatient substance abuse treatment centers like Carrara offer structured recovery plans that occur in phases. They’re the better choice for people dealing with severe SUD and AUD because they take you out of your current environment and into a safe space where you’re monitored around the clock and assured of the best chance of making a full recovery from addiction.

In-House Medical Detox and Nursing Care

At inpatient addiction treatment centers like Carrara, you detox in a luxury private suite with an ensuite bathroom, with full medical supervision and nursing care 24-hours a day. When you’re deeply addicted, you’ll need a medical detox program to help you get clean, and you’ll feel fatigued and irritable during the process. Your private room gives you a safe place to withdraw, with all the support you need to make it out the other side.

A medical doctor tailors your detox program after a thorough medical evaluation. They’ll administer medications during the course of your detox treatment in your private room. It’s a fully controlled environment, and you might need to spend anywhere up to two weeks in this situation before you’re ready to progress to your therapy program.

Group Support

You’re not alone at the facility, you’re getting clean with a few other people. At Carrara, there’s up to six people getting clean at any time, and you’ll develop relationships with these people, confiding in and supporting each other during your stay. It gives you  way to escape the loneliness and isolation of recovering at home, and a chance to connect with other people struggling like you.

Prepared Meals

At Carrara luxury drug detox you get a tailored nutrition plan with all your meals prepared but a private chef. You get meals bursting with flavor and nutrients, and everything your body needs to recover, without lifting a finger to make it. Just relax in our fully serviced luxury dining area and share a meal with friends.

What are the Pros of Outpatient Treatment for AUD and SUD?

Ongoing Support and Therapy

All inpatient drug rehab facilities like Carrara offer outpatient recovery programs. It’s an essential part of your recovery plan after you leave the residence. An outpatient program gives you ongoing support after leaving inpatient treatment. You get a structured aftercare plan with regular individual and group therapy sessions to keep working through your trauma and get support with the ongoing struggle of staying clean.

Outpatient drug and alcohol rehab programs help you when you’re feeling tempted to use again. You’ll have someone to call when you’re feeling vulnerable and a wealth of new strategies to help you overcome your environmental triggers that cause you to use. With the right aftercare plan, you can integrate back into your environment and move forward with your life without the fear of relapsing.

Get Back to Your Life and Move Forward

You can carry on with your life and get back to work or school and take care of your family responsibilities while attending meetings and therapy sessions. You’ll feel like things are getting back to normal, and you have the support and coping skills you need to stay strong when temptation strikes.

What are the Cons of Inpatient Treatment for AUD and SUD?

Cost and Insurance

Residential facilities are expensive because you’re living at a fully serviced luxury property. You’re getting round-the-clock care in a fully monitored environment, with medication and food provided for you. You also have access to a full medical team and nursing staff, wellness instructors and therapy professionals. Many insurers don’t cover the full cost of residential inpatient treatment programs, and you might be left with a copayment that’s pretty substantial.

Limitations on Your Personal Freedom

Inpatient recovery programs are hosted at live-in facilities where you reside under supervised care 24 hours a day. You’re monitored around the clock, and you can’t leave until you’ve completed the program. At Carrara Beach House, you can go for a walk on the beach to break the feeling of being couped up, but there’s someone there to keep you company and ensure you come back.

Limited Duration of Care

Many inpatient recovery programs have set schedules that only last four weeks or so. If you’re deeply addicted to drugs and alcohol, it might not be enough time for you to reach a point where you’re comfortable to go home and return to your life without relapsing.

Some people find transitioning back to their lives from their time at the full-time inpatient facility, and they end up relapsing shortly after returning home. At Carrara, you get customized inpatient treatment programs tailored to your specific circumstances. If you need more time, we’ll make sure you get the care you need so you can reach a point where you’re comfortable returning home.

What are the Cons of Outpatient Treatment for AUD and SUD?

Limited Medical Care

One major drawback of outpatient treatment is the lack of medical care and customized treatment programs offered to clients. There is no medical detox in a monitored environment.

You might get medication to help you manage your withdrawal, but there’s no one supervising you, and you won’t get the same kind of comprehensive medical screening and assessment offered by inpatient programs.

You’ll be withdrawing by yourself if you’re using an outpatient program as your sole method of getting clean. That means there’s less support to lean on when things get rough, and no one looks out for you when you’re going through the worst of your detox symptoms.

Lack of Correct Diagnosis

Using an outpatient program as your sole recovery strategy means you don’t get a correct evaluation of your disorder, and you might not get the correct treatment if you have a co-occurring mental health disorder. That’s not good because it may cause complications with your treatment during detox and further down the road of recovery.

Risk of Relapse

Without anyone monitoring you during the early stages of your recovery, you’re at a higher risk of relapsing. When temptation appears and seduces you, you don’t have as much support on hand, there’s no one to call, and it might be a day or two until your next meeting. The risk of relapsing is much greater because you don’t have the support you need to help you make it through the tough times in your recovery.

Outside Influence and Triggers

While outpatient treatment helps you keep in touch with the real world, it also exposes you to those triggers that might tear down the building blocks of recovery. If you’re constantly being exposed to people or places where alcohol or drugs are available, the temptation to relapse can be overpowering.

Moving Forward with Carrara Treatment Centers: Luxury Residential Inpatient Rehab

So, what’s the best inpatient drugs rehab center for your recovery? The reality is you need both inpatient and outpatient treatment in your recovery plan to achieve a life of lasting sobriety. Inpatient care in the foundation of your treatment and the outpatient program gives you the aftercare you need to integrate back into society and get back to your life.

The type of inpatient rehab facility you choose for your recovery also matters. At Carrara, you get luxury accommodation, scenic, peaceful, private surroundings, and a full medical and nursing team working with you to get your life back on track. Our high end inpatient rehab offers gourmet nutrition, wellness programs, and luxury amenities to help you relax and release the tension, trauma, and stress driving your addictive behavior.

Alcohol and substance use disorders are hard to get over, but recovery is attainable. It all starts right now. Pick up the phone and call our admissions team at (323) 302-8170. We’ll talk to you about planning your inpatient admission and answer any questions you have about our inpatient programs and outpatient aftercare services. Make the change you need in life and commit yourself to recovery at Carrara.