Outpatient Treatment Centers in California
Outpatient treatment for substance abuse is appropriate for two types of clients. Those who have been through inpatient treatment will generally need outpatient support for a period of time while they readjust to life without drugs or alcohol. Others whose addictions were not deep-seated or of long duration may be able to recover without the necessity for residential treatment.
Many treatment centers in California have both inpatient and outpatient programs. This allows for a seamless transition for those who have been through residential treatment. Sober living communities and halfway houses provide the most supervision, while support groups and counseling are useful when the client has returned home.
Not every substance abuser needs long-term or residential treatment. If a person has recently begun abusing alcohol, for instance, and can stop without significant withdrawal symptoms, participation in Alcoholics Anonymous or another type of support group may be sufficient for recovery. Similarly, a teenager who smokes marijuana several times a week does not need the same kind of intervention as a chronic user who has been smoking throughout the day for years.
Prescription Drug Treatment Centers in California
Another type of client who can often benefit from outpatient treatment is the person addicted to prescription drugs. While abusers of prescription drugs may experience some of the same physical elements as users of illegal drugs such as heroin or cocaine, the psychological process is often very different. Prescription drug abusers may have begun using the drugs legitimately, but built up a tolerance and an addiction unwittingly. Outpatient treatment that includes instruction in pain management can often be very successful.
Of course, some who abuse prescription drugs do so knowingly, with the intent to get high. If the client has a long history of this kind of abuse, or has built up a significant tolerance, then detox and a residential program at one of the many inpatient treatment centers in California is the preferred approach.
