TuftyPanda

So the short version, I was taken to detox 3 nights ago where something was wrong (I blew a .446) so they took me to ER where I spent roughly 8 hrs. then back to detox. Finally blew 000, transmitted to rehab location program. I requested inpatient as this isn't my first serious binge. Not an option for Medicaid so I started IOP today. I go Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. What about those weekend days? I don't see how this is intensive (and frankly the 2 hour therapy session was pretty unbearable) and I'm wondering, has anyone had success with this type of so-called rehab? I wanted to drink through the whole thing and it was all i could do to get home and not go hunting for a drink! 3 hours later, still craving.

JeffreyAK

I went through a couple IOPs, one was 7 days a week, all day except Sat. and Sun., and the other was 5 days a week, all day. It's really up to you, are you ready to quit? No program will do it for you, and it's gonna be hard. The programs I went to emphasized going to community support group meetings (AA, Lifering, Smart, etc.) in addition to the group sessions, and one required a certain number of outside meetings a week. What was great for me about the IOP was that I learned a lot of tools and I learned a lot about what addiction is all about, well beyond what I could pick up in meetings. The staff were great and the other folks in the group were great too, so it became kind of a group support thing, you didn't want to relapse because you didn't want to bring anyone else down with you. Hope it works out for you!

Dee74

Hi and welcome back Tufty Panda - I'm glad you're ok.
I have no experience to share , but others will

I think that basis of anything, despite the method we employ, is a commitment to staying sober.

Can you think of ways you might strengthen that commitment at all?

D

entropy1964

Include another support group for the weekends and days you aren't in IOP. AA for example.

Have you read the big book? Surrender and acceptance are the foundation of recovery.

ScottFromWI

Welcome back Tufty. I'm glad you were able to get the medical help you needed, that's a very scary sounding situation.

As others have mentioned, you need to supplment your IOP with other programs. You will most likely learn about a lot of the resources that are available to you while you are there ( local meetings, etc ) so it's going to be your responsibility to be accountable and make the effort to attend meetings on your own, or whatever other things you can do. Even spending time here throughout the day can be a form of support in istelf.

At the end of the day though, even inpatient treatment won't "fix" you in itself. The decision to accept your addiction for what it is and do something about it can only be made by you.

SoberCAH

I was under lock and key for 35 days.

But I bet that you can recover if you couple the IOP treatment with a lot of meetings and working a recovery program like your life depends on it (believe me, it does).

Please keeps us posted, amigo, we're glad you're here.

Algorithm

A 0.446 BAC? That is enough alcohol to produce stage 3 (surgical) anesthesia, or worse. I would encourage you to take this latest event a little more seriously, as you may not be so lucky the next time.

If medicaid insurance is paying for your IOP, consider it a "freebie", and do whatever you need to do to get a grip on this thing. Given what you've said about this not being your first time, unless you have a death wish, your drinking days are over.

I'm a little concerned about your asking whether this IOP can "work" or not. I get the sense that you may believe that someone can fix this for you, much like getting antibiotics to cure an infection. Alas, it doesn't really work that way, but you can beat this thing.

Take care of yourself.

JeffreyAK

I know a woman who was hospitalized at 1.0 BAC, and I've been to at least 0.46 before I was taken against my will to the hospital. Oddly, I remember most of my 0.46 episode, except some parts a couple hours before I was hauled off, when my BAC must have been even higher. It's amazing how much a picked addict can drink, but the dangerous part is, while the BAC to get really drunk keeps going up and up, the BAC to die does not. So it's a crapshoot once you get up into the 0.4+ range, and you might not live to drink another day.