CarrieBear

Need peoples experience on any side of.the fence please. My fiance is looking for treatment. Meets.with a specialist tnis week and we are considering options like outpatient, seems what hes most intested in. were also weighing cost, time, impact on his work, home life. he got a.dui but was onky .03 over. his real problem is oxy, poly drug use. he has ins. and his dads been making calls to local places sort.of wants.him to.do in house rehab and will help pay but he doesnt want to be away.work. did outpatient help ? would you recommend.it? THANK YOU

LBrain

where are you? depends greatly on area and options available.

CarrieBear

Florida

what kinds of things would u look for in a good outpatient?

Dee74

It's my opinion your bf really needs to do this legwork himself.
Is there any reason why he can't Carrie?

D

AveryMarie

I understand you're trying to be helpful to the one you love. I'm hoping he's looking into things as well? I had no choice, I had to do outpatient due to my work schedule but it really depends on him. We all have different elements we need to consider when choosing a program. If I could, I would have like to have taken the time to do in patient but I'm getting by so far with out patient

LBrain

okay, you're in the states, florida, the rehab capital of the world. let the specialist you are seeing recommend one for him.
One thing I discovered is that the "client" choosing the "treatment" is not in the best of the client. In my experience with rehab/outpatient facilities, the person most in need of help is the wrong person to make the decisions. Kinda redundant eh?
I've been through three rides on this roller coaster. And I see kids/young people scratching and clawing to get out of inpatient. One guy in my IOP two months ago after a few weeks was finally made to go inpatient. He thought he could handle it on the "outside". Relapsed in a month. Let the pros handle it. Really.

Amazingglazier

CarrieBear Welcome, I did outpatient twice in the last 3 years it gives you the flexibility to dabble a bit with alcohol, don't know about the drug part. That may be what is on his mind if he is not ready to fully commit to sobriety, only he knows! He definitely should be the one looking for treatment, after all it will be his program. Slips and slides happen , but best not to plan on them ! Good Luck to you both! Stay Strong and Well ! Bobby

Leana

A family member did 30 days in patient followed by 40 days full day outpatient followed by 30 days of 1/2 day outpatient. If she would not have done the inpatient I don't believe she would have made to her 7 month sobriety date (as of yesterday). In patient made all the difference in the world.

CarrieBear

He saw his GP last week and he wanted me with him. we got pamphlets and printouts and this referral. we are all looking, talkjng, and i dont think he needs to decide alone. were a close family . whatever the specialist says is what we will try to make happen. there is work issues, house payments, our one year old. if we need to finance part of it, it would be good to know in advance, we have to plan a little. no one is controlling him, your all so big on control here, yikes.

Mrsbee

I would have to agree here. My husband completes his outpatient program tomorrow, but this followed inpatient. He says that inpatient is what really made the difference, that it literally saved his life. He has learned a lot through IOP but really credits his inpatient stint for the drastic positive changes he has made. Of course, everyone is different, but just sharing my experience

CarrieBear

thats what his dad.thinks, and if were told the same this week i want him to seriouly consider it. its really important to start right i think. i will manage $ and everything . its all confusing the first time for us. thank u

CarrieBear

do u know what inpatient does different? is it the retraining, counseling ? being away and time to think?

Mrsbee

Again, can't speak for every facility but the place my husband went, inpatient was much more rigorous. No cell phones, tv or books other than those recovery-related. Also, their entire day was scheduled down to the minute, from 6:30am until 10:30pm, and I believe there was more one-on-one counseling done during his time as an inpatient. Whereas outpatient clients were able to bring cell phones in, only go for five hours a day which meant less time in process groups, etc and of course have the opportunity to go home. They got breathalyzers every morning as outpatient clients and drug-tested weekly or as needed, but my husband said that some of the outpatient clients took advantage of the freedom, as in they snuck in using when they knew/thought they could.

Nonsensical

I did a 2-week outpatient back in 2005. It kept me sober for a few months.

MIRecovery

IOP and AA worked for me the second time. The first time I failed when it was only IOP

Thepatman

I'm in an outpatient program.

Had my first therapist meeting tonight. We made a plan. And I had to sign it.
First thing on the plan we agreed on is no Alcohol. 0 tolerance.

Of course I could drink, but I am at the end of my rope and don't want to drink anymore. And I feel accountable to myself and to the program.

So I would say outpatient works so far for me. But if one does not want sobriety nothing will work anyway.

CarrieBear

we were reading about the drug tests and accountability. he thinks he needs structure right now, no free time, hes depressed and needs help with this, he fell apart when his mom became sick suddenly and died within a few months. hes got a lot of unresolved stuff in his head and he agrees, its got to be worked on because it torments him and he doesnt know how deal with it. hes quit on his own a couple times past year but cant stay off and hes scared now because of the dui and poss pot charge. he seems ready, but hes scared . I was spitting mad about dui but this could be positive and i had to let anger go and get onboard be. can do this.

all your comments help, thank you for taking time to reply, wanted first hand accounts not only pamphlets and website words.

gincognito

I'll let ya know as soon as my insurance approves it

CarrieBear

good for you, I hope they approve it soon.

gincognito

It's worth noting how difficult insurance has become. All the doctors and specialists I've been seeing agree I should do it but I have a PPO and the insurance company designates an inpatient facility based upon primary care ID number. My primary care ID number routes me to a completely different inpatient facility on the other side of town. I will probably have to get rid of the primary care doctor I've had for 10 years in order to get it paid for. I'd almost rather just pay out of pocket and suck it up. Very frustrated.