Detoxification is an important step on your journey to recovery. Through detox, you have medically managed support to help you safely withdraw from substances. As the Journal of Substance Use & Addiction notes, one-fifth of admissions to an addiction treatment program are for detox. However, addiction treatment must go beyond detox to be effective for long-term recovery. Said differently, addiction treatment and recovery should be more than a brief pitstop for detox.
Many traditional treatment programs focus on substance use itself and abstinence. Thus, traditional programs seek and consider you to be in recovery when you no longer consume one or more substances. Although sobriety is a valuable and worthwhile goal following treatment, lasting recovery is about more than abstinence. Looking beyond detox to address the other factors that have contributed to your substance use is vital to whole-person healing. Thus, continuing care can be valuable beyond detox and treatment to empower you to lead a fulfilling life in recovery.
At The Guest House, we know detox is the first step to ensure recovery begins on the right foot. Starting on the right foot untethers you from physical dependence on substances to move beyond detox to treatment and recovery. Therefore, we are dedicated to supporting a full continuum of care to seamlessly transition to our residential treatment program. In a holistic trauma-specific treatment program, you can build the necessary tools to move beyond detox and foster whole-person healing. With continuing care, we give you the space to go beyond detox for the desire and willingness to finally break the cycle of harm.
However, you may question what is continuing care. Is continuing care the same as attending a residential treatment program? Beyond detox, engaging in continuing care can include inpatient treatment and support beyond a residential program. Thus, expanding your understanding of continuing care can highlight the value of continuing care beyond detox.
Recovery Beyond Detox: Continuing Care
You may have heard the terms aftercare and continuing care used concerning addiction treatment. Often, aftercare and continuing care are used interchangeably, yet they do not always refer to the same thing. Aftercare is often considered a part of continuing care, and the continuum of care encompasses both. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the term aftercare can carry different meanings in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery. Occasionally, aftercare has referred to traditional outpatient treatment following a residential or intensive outpatient program (IOP).
Further, aftercare has been used to discuss a client’s participation and work in different mutual support group programs. Other programs may perceive aftercare as a continuum of care where you receive clinical support throughout your recovery. However, the term aftercare has been used less and less in favor of continuing care. SAMHSA notes that continuing care is a treatment system that addresses your specific needs. Moreover, continuing care is a treatment system in which you enter different treatment levels based on your specific needs.
In continuing care, you enter a level of care that you can step up or down from as needed. Thus, the continuum of care acknowledges that there is no one level or way to approach recovery. A continuum of care for addiction treatment understands that there are multiple ways to address challenges. As a result, a continuum of care model relies on four components to highlight the importance of continuing care beyond detox. Listed below are the components of a continuum of care model:
- Promotion: Strategies that support physical and psychological health and resilience
- Prevention: Access to resources to prevent potential onset of a disorder or relapse
- Treatment: A diverse array of services are provided to treat SUD and other mental health disorders
- Recovery: A variety of services used to support your ability to live a productive life within your community
The purpose of a continuum of care is to make support accessible, no matter where you are in your journey. Within the continuum of care model, there is a treatment philosophy that encompasses five levels of care for effective long-term recovery. Elements like specific services, settings, and client needs can vary at each level of care. However, it is important to remember that the continuum of care is not a concrete, unchanging treatment model. Rather, the continuum of care is a point of care service that can be used to support your recovery journey.
Listed below are SAMHSA’s five levels for continuing care in the continuum of care:
- Early intervention services
- Residential treatment program
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
- IOP
- Outpatient program (OP)
The five levels of continuing care showcase the importance of building a treatment and recovery plan that best fits you and your needs. At The Guest House, we include multiple levels of care, such as:
- Medical detox
- Residential program
- Day/night program
- IOP
- OP
Through multiple levels of care, you can be supported at every stage of the recovery process. The idea of a multi-stage treatment and recovery program is built on the realization and understanding that recovery is a dynamic process where the opportunity for triggers and cravings, and thus relapse, is always possible. When the experiences and needs of the whole person are overlooked, you can get caught in a cycle of chronic relapse. You end up spending your life feeling like you are walking a tightrope between sobriety and relapse.
Now, there is a greater understanding of the complexity of addiction and recovery. Addiction not only often co-occurs with other mental health disorders but is rooted in challenges from other domains of life, like traumatic experiences. With greater awareness of the complexities of co-occurring issues, detox cannot serve as a standalone treatment for successful treatment. Therefore, as noted in another article from the Journal of Substance Use & Addiction, the full continuum of care addresses detox to recovery monitoring. Within the continuum of care, you go beyond detox to effectively manage chronic disorders and unlock a new way of thinking about treatment and recovery.
Continuing care is a shift from taking a single-modality approach to addiction treatment to a holistic approach. By looking deeply at a holistic approach to residential and IOP treatment programs, you can see the value of holistic care beyond detox.
Exploring Residential and IOP Treatment
Residential and IOP treatment programs typically indicate a medium to high-intensity care level. Continuing care, on the other hand, takes you into another stage or level of the continuum of care for a low-intensity care level. Thus, understanding residential and IOP treatment can give you insight into a path to recovery beyond detox you could take.
You may occasionally hear residential treatment programs and inpatient programs used interchangeably. Although they have some similarities, like being a live-in facility, residential and impatient are not the same. In general, an inpatient program is the highest level of rehab services available.
Moreover, an inpatient treatment program will include intensive support:
- SUD and other mental health disorders are treated in special units of the hospital or facility
- You typically stay overnight for a few days or weeks
- Typically used for individuals who need 24-hour care
- Services will typically include detox, rehabilitation, evidence-based treatments, and modalities
Additionally, listed below are some of the differences between residential treatment and inpatient treatment:
- Residential
- Voluntary admission
- Retreat-focused setting: Treatment is typically provided in a rehab facility or center
- Typically, there is no designated time limit for how long you can stay in treatment
- Can be short-term, 90 days or less, or long-term, 12 months or longer
- Treatment can end after program completion or continue with step downs to IOP and or OP
- Inpatient
- Admission can be voluntary or involuntary
- Medical-focused setting: Can be provided in a hospital setting or a rehab facility
- Typically, a time-limited program: A predetermined duration of time
- Often ranges from 30 to 90 days
- Treatment can step down into OP or transition into a residential program
Although an inpatient program can be more intensive, a residential program creates a comfortable and relaxing environment in a 24-hour live-in facility. Moreover, a residential program provides a comprehensive and structured treatment program for SUD and or mental health disorders. Compared to other treatment programs, residential often supports a holistic, individualized approach to treatment. A residential program is typically a long-term program that can run from one month to a year or more. The flexibility of a residential program highlights the length of time as a foundational tool for recovery.
When you are not hindered by a predetermined length of time, you can gain the majority of the tools you need to dismantle your unhealthy thinking and behavior patterns. Additionally, even within residential programs, different types of rehabs are designed to meet your specific experiences and needs. For example, there are rehabs designed for specific populations like women and adolescents. Women-focused residential programs often incorporate services that allow clients to bring their children with them. Women-only programs also focus on reducing gender-specific barriers to treatment, like child care and parenting classes.
Meanwhile, in adolescent-focused residential programs, students can attend a recovery school to maintain their education as a part of their treatment program. Furthermore, while there are different types of residential programs, they often work in phases of treatment. As SAMHSA states, each phase of residential programs has different expectations and activities to support your well-being and recovery. The first phase may restrict you from having contact with people outside of treatment to eliminate distractions. Then, during the last phase of a residential program, you will learn more strategies and skills to effectively respond to life stressors and achieve your treatment goals.
For example, in the last phase of treatment, you may start working on employment and academic opportunities. Finally, after completing your residential program, you can step down a level of care to enter IOP. An IOP treatment program is designed to treat SUD and co-occurring mental health conditions. The ability to treat a wider range of conditions in IOP allows for a smooth transition from residential treatment to support different challenges.
Entering IOP typically means you are beyond detox and no longer need medical detoxification or around-the-clock supervision. Thus, in an IOP, you can focus on learning coping strategies and relapse prevention tools as you start to build your life in recovery. Unlike inpatient and residential treatment programs, in IOP, you can live at home and work toward reconnecting with your loved ones and community while in treatment. Now, you can take the skills and strategies you have learned in residential and IOP to actively incorporate new adaptive behaviors into your daily lives.
Listed below are some of the benefits of IOP:
- You can attend your treatment program and utilize other services during the day while living at home
- Often offers flexible evening and weekend programming
- Allows you to pursue or continue to attend work and or school
- Programs can include individual therapy, group sessions, and coping skills
- Your length of time in treatment is dependent on your specific needs
- Can be 2 weeks or 3 months
- Provides services for multiple needs, including medical and psychological needs
- Can be effective if you had difficulties being successful in an OP
Beyond detox, a residential and IOP gives you the foundation to dismantle unhealthy thinking and behavior patterns. Yet, what happens once you have completed your residential and IOP programs? Upon entering early recovery, taking a step down in support or care level can feel intimidating.
You may worry about how you can find independence and maintain your recovery without around-the-clock or intensive support. Finding independence in recovery is where the value of continuing care beyond detox shines. With a holistic approach to recovery, you can establish independence and continue to learn and grow in recovery with an alumni program.
Finding Independence in Alumni
An important part of independence and recovery beyond detox is peer support. Different levels of peer support can exist as informal and formal systems of care in recovery. Moreover, peer support can be found in different levels of care, like group therapy and an active alumni program within the continuum of care. Through an active alumni program, you can access multiple branches of support through community bonds found in connecting with your peers and giving back to your community.
Active alumni programs are a vital part of lasting recovery as they connect you to instrumental, affiliational, social, and emotional support. However, many traditional treatment programs do not provide engaged continuing care programs like an alumni program. Therefore, access to a holistic and trauma-specific approach to care offers support no matter where you are on your recovery journey. Some of the ways an alumni program can support your well-being and foster community include:
- Financial, employment, and housing resources
- Access to support groups, weekly alumni meetings, and sober activities and events
- Recovery information
- Continuing care needs
- Relapse prevention tools and planning
- Additional treatment, mental health, and physical health resources
- Opportunities to be of service to others
Recovery does not start and end with treatment, and an active alumni program reminds you that you are not alone. In a holistic program, you can find the tools and support to build a foundation for long-term recovery.
Building a Foundation Beyond Detox
Looking at holistic residential, IOP, and alumni programs beyond detox speaks to the value of services and resources. Through a holistic trauma-specific approach, you can access supportive tools like individual and group therapy, along with trauma work. No matter what stage of treatment and recovery you are in, you can access a wide range of therapies and modalities to heal. Through trauma-specific therapies like individual and group therapy, you learn how to share and rebuild trust in yourself and others. With greater trust, you uncover self-awareness and self-understanding to dismantle self-defeating patterns and rediscover self-love through connection with others.
Fostering Long-Term Recovery Beyond Detox at The Guest House
At The Guest House, the core of our treatment program is built on recognizing that SUD and other mental health disorders are often coping mechanisms for trauma. Recognizing the intersection between challenges with SUD, trauma, and mental health disorders is a foundational piece of healing the whole person. Uncovering the roots of your distress is made possible by a holistic trauma-specific approach to treatment and recovery.
We are committed to providing a safe and non-judgmental space where long-term healing can become a reality. Whether you are looking for evidence-based talk therapies like individual and group therapy or therapeutic modalities like somatic therapy and transformational breath work to dismantle trauma, there is a path for you. Recovery is not a one-dimensional process but rather a dynamic process where healing the whole of your parts is the root of a fulfilling life in long-term recovery.
Traditional programs often focus on sobriety as one modality of recovery. However, treatment must go beyond detox to support long-term recovery. Recovery is a dynamic process of continual learning and personal growth. Offering holistic trauma-specific support at every stage of recovery is vital to building the necessary tools to heal the whole of your parts. Thus, a holistic approach to continuing care allows you to build a recovery plan that fits your experiences and needs. With residential treatment, IOP, and an alumni program, you can heal in mind, body, and spirit at every level of care. Therefore, at The Guest House, we are committed to fostering a safe, nonjudgemental space where you can thrive. Call us at (855) 483-7800 today.