What is Rehab?

Hear stories that you can relate to.

Steps toward recovery 

There are several types of drug and alcohol treatment available, but most programs include a few common steps toward recovery:

• Withdrawal management (formerly known as detox): Short-term, medically supervised care to help you safely stop using alcohol or other drugs and manage withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal management may happen in a hospital, residential program, or specialized outpatient  setting, and is often the first step before ongoing treatment. Some types of withdrawal can be serious or even life-threatening, so a trained professional should guide you to the appropriate setting for your withdrawal management. Always seek professional help before stopping certain substances, especially alcohol or benzodiazepines.
• Therapy: Helps you recognize your triggers,  build coping skills, and make changes that support recovery. Optimizing the resources to support your recovery is known as developing recovery capital. Once you have built up your recovery capital and achieved stability in recovery, you can carefully begin exploring the events in your life that led to your initial substance use, such as childhood trauma and other adverse experiences. This exploration should only be done when you are ready, and with a therapist whom you trust.
• Discharge planning and continuity of care: Planning for next steps, so you’re not left on your own after the main phase of treatment.

Types of rehab

• Withdrawal management (detox): You receive short-term, medically supervised care to help you safely stop using alcohol or other drugs and manage withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal management may take place in a hospital, residential, or outpatient setting, depending on your withdrawal symptoms and risk of complications, and is often the first step before ongoing treatment. Withdrawal management should always be directly linked to longer-term treatment. Some programs may be connected to longer-term inpatient treatment or a residential program. In other cases, outpatient treatment may be appropriate after completion of withdrawal management.
• Inpatient: You stay overnight and receive 24/7 care in a structured setting. This can be in a hospital or a nonhospital residential program, and can be especially helpful if you need intensive support for substance use and other health concerns. Inpatient care often follows withdrawal management when additional stabilization or intensive treatment is needed.
• Hospital: You stay in a hospital and receive medically managed, highly structured care, including 24/7 nursing for substance use and other serious biomedical or mental health conditions. Hospital care often focuses on stabilization and may be short term.
• Outpatient: You live at home and go to a clinic or facility regularly for individual, group, or family sessions with addiction treatment professionals. Outpatient care can range from an hour or less per week to several days per week. Depending on your needs, outpatient treatment may include a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), or standard outpatient therapy. Typically, higher intensity treatment is advised initially, and once you’ve achieved recovery, sessions can be shorter and/or more spaced out. Some people may also complete withdrawal management on an outpatient basis before continuing treatment.
• Telehealth: You meet with addiction treatment professionals by phone or secure video instead of in person. Outpatient care may be delivered exclusively via telehealth or through a combination of virtual and in-person visits. Telehealth can also supplement  residential or hospital-based care.

Other considerations

Rehab is not the only option for your treatment, nor is it the best treatment option for everyone. Additional treatment options include therapies, support groups, and medications for substance use disorders.

Deciding on a type of treatment can feel overwhelming. It’s important to figure out if rehab is right for you and then choose a program that meets your needs.

If, in consultation with an unbiased professional, you decide that rehab is right for you, keep in mind that the length, setting, services, and cost of treatment vary based on your goals, health needs, and substance use history.

Inpatient and outpatient rehab programs can help you adopt healthier ways to think and live substance free. Specialty programs may also be available for people who want care tailored to a specific age group, gender, religious affiliation, or other preferences.

Cost is a concern for many people. Insurance plans, loans, and scholarships are available to help cover rehab costs.

Life after rehab

Rehab helps you to not only become free of alcohol and other drugs, but to also develop the skills to stay drug-free — and get back the parts of your life that you may have lost. Many rehab programs offer job training, family counseling, and other support services to prepare you to lead a stable and fulfilling life after rehab.

No matter what type of treatment you choose, it can help put you on a path to lifelong recovery.