10 Reasons to Choose Inpatient Addiction Treatment

Inpatient rehab provides you with a safe and drug-free environment, which is very helpful in addiction recovery.

Alcohol and drug addiction rates have skyrocketed over the past decade with more and more people opting to experiment with different types of drugs. Not surprisingly, addiction treatment rates have increased as well. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the year 2009 saw an estimated 23.5 million Americans in need of treatment for an alcohol and/or drug problem. Only 11.2 percent of this number actually sought out needed treatment help.

With such a wide range of treatment options from which to choose, it can be difficult determining which one will work best for any one person’s treatment needs. When considering outpatient versus inpatient addiction treatment, certain factors, such as time constraints and work responsibilities may make outpatient treatment the only viable option.

Other more pressing factors can easily tilt the scale towards the type of intensive treatment environment available through inpatient care. For those still on the fence, here are 10 reasons to choose inpatient addiction treatment –

1. Motivation to Get Well

Inpatient addiction treatment programs place a heavy emphasis on helping recovering addicts get (and stay) motivated to get well. While a person may have no other recourse but to get needed treatment help, motivation is, nonetheless, the driving force behind a successful recovery.

2. Physical Withdrawal Effects

The longer a person abuses drugs the more severe the withdrawal period will be. Uncomfortable physical withdrawal effects can easily drive a person back to using again.

3. Psychological Withdrawal Effects

The psychological withdrawal effects can be just as distressing as the physical ones. Feelings of depression and extreme anxiety can greatly intensity ongoing drug cravings, making it that much harder to maintain abstinence.

4. Drug-Free Environment

Inpatient addiction treatment requires a person to live at the facility for the duration of treatment. For some people, not having easy access to drugs greatly increases their chance of a successful recovery.

5. Nutritional Needs

Long-term drug use often leaves the body in a malnourished state. The body’s weakened state makes it even harder to abstain from drug use.

6. Needed Supports

Having needed supports in place throughout the treatment process helps strengthen a person’s resolve and determination to get well.

7. Existing Medical Conditions

Inpatient addiction treatment provides needed medical care for any conditions that result from ongoing drug abuse. When left untreated, existing medical conditions can hamper the addiction treatment process.

8. Existing Psychological Conditions

People who develop depression or anxiety disorders as a result of addiction, or those with preexisting conditions, can receive needed psychological treatment in an inpatient program. Failure to treat co-existing psychological conditions can greatly jeopardize a person’s ability to maintain abstinence.

9. Medication Therapy

Some types of addictions, such as alcohol and opiates, require additional physical supports that give addicts a better chance at maintaining abstinence for the long haul. Medication therapies are designed to lessen drug withdrawal effects while at the same time reducing ongoing drug cravings.

10. Unable to Stop Using

People who’ve made multiple attempts to stop using are experiencing firsthand the damaging effects of addiction. At this point, addicts have essentially lost control over the drug’s effects in their lives. Inpatient addiction treatment programs offer the type of structure and monitoring needed to help addicts regain control of their lives.