Iop?
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 848
Iop?
I'm just curious of one's experiences in Intensive Outpatient programs for alcoholism. I will be starting this over the weekend and would like to know how everything goes.
I don't need to know about detox as I've white knuckled my way through that one more time already. I am just more curious about the curriculum and/or what they thought they got from that instead of just therapy and AA.
I'm determined that I cannot drink again as I've ruined my body and family too many times.
I don't need to know about detox as I've white knuckled my way through that one more time already. I am just more curious about the curriculum and/or what they thought they got from that instead of just therapy and AA.
I'm determined that I cannot drink again as I've ruined my body and family too many times.
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,513
Did you get any information from the IOP that you registered for? It's likely that they could give you an idea of what to expect week-to-week because I think that programs vary from place to place. I have no personal experience though.
Good luck with your decision to stop drinking.
Good luck with your decision to stop drinking.
EndGame
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 4,677
I had a pretty good idea about IOP before I went, but I did it mostly because, well, I needed to do something. That, and I was virtually unemployable when I first put down the drink. Also went to daily AA meetings for the same reasons. I had constant and intense cravings every day for several months, and IOP helped me to stay away from alcohol, at least for the time I was there. I was intent on not failing (again), and the thought of getting a dirty urine or breathalyzer was harrowing. The general orientation of IOP is not to get you sober, but to help you stay sober, so there's a lot of talk about triggers, people places and things, and relapse prevention. Making something better of yourself.
When someone in the group blew numbers, they were asked to "wait outside" until the counselor finished testing the rest of us. Of course, we came to know what waiting outside meant. Intense humiliation when the person was invited back into the group a few minutes later to explain himself. Always, always an extremely transparent excuse or excuses that only added to the humiliation in which we all shared. One time, this guy said he'd eaten penne a la vodka before the group, that he disliked the aftertaste so much that he gargled large amounts of Listerine after his meal, and that this accounted for his "false reading." Another guy immediately challenged him about seeing the busted guy walking out of a liquor store with a package a few days earlier. The guy said he was picking up something for his mother.
The thing is, this guy had habitually engaged in behaviors that were not at all sober, and even boasted about the things he'd done. Like following his married boss home from work to catch his boss involved in trysts with a co-worker, even taking pictures. He did this more than once in an effort to gain leverage at work. The guy was stalking his boss and thought it was a brilliant strategy. He completely discounted the idea that were he to just perform better at work, that he wouldn't have to worry so much about his status. To say nothing of the potential dangers in doing what he'd done.
The same guy later on divulged that he'd set up a table and chair, together with a couple of potentially libelous posters in a mall and in front of a shop where he got his prescription eyeglasses. When his glasses broke, he wasn't granted a free replacement, and his stated intention was to bring to public awareness the misdeeds of the shop. Perhaps the worst part of IOP for me was due to those who were court-mandated to be there. They often laughed at people who were genuinely interested in getting sober, and sometimes verbally abusive to them. Sober house heroes who couldn't even avoid jail.
One of the biggest and perhaps darkly entertaining events was when some guy asked another guy for his urine, since he knew his own urine would be dirty. Using the other guy's urine, he failed the test anyway. So he turned in the guy he "borrowed" the urine from, and the guy who gave him the urine went into his counselor crying, insisting that it must be a mistake, though we knew this was not the case. From what I've heard, both have continued to be in and out of various mandated programs, including residential programs, for the past three years in order to avoid spending time in jail. But I digress.
Yeah, IOP gave me something to do with the many surplus hours I then had, allowed me to see my alcoholic self in others -- especially my dishonesty and acts of bad faith -- and gave me something to work on, despite my reservations about getting sober. The seemingly negative aspects of IOP were merely dress rehearsals for real life.
When I put down the drink, I had no intention of getting sober. But I practiced what I now preach. Action. Even when taking specific actions goes against my feeble, alcohol infused beliefs, (or, perhaps, especially so). I've learned to live with a range of intolerable circumstances, but sitting in despair is not one of them. The simple solution for me is always to act. When in doubt, always do what's hardest; the more difficult path is usually the best.
When someone in the group blew numbers, they were asked to "wait outside" until the counselor finished testing the rest of us. Of course, we came to know what waiting outside meant. Intense humiliation when the person was invited back into the group a few minutes later to explain himself. Always, always an extremely transparent excuse or excuses that only added to the humiliation in which we all shared. One time, this guy said he'd eaten penne a la vodka before the group, that he disliked the aftertaste so much that he gargled large amounts of Listerine after his meal, and that this accounted for his "false reading." Another guy immediately challenged him about seeing the busted guy walking out of a liquor store with a package a few days earlier. The guy said he was picking up something for his mother.
The thing is, this guy had habitually engaged in behaviors that were not at all sober, and even boasted about the things he'd done. Like following his married boss home from work to catch his boss involved in trysts with a co-worker, even taking pictures. He did this more than once in an effort to gain leverage at work. The guy was stalking his boss and thought it was a brilliant strategy. He completely discounted the idea that were he to just perform better at work, that he wouldn't have to worry so much about his status. To say nothing of the potential dangers in doing what he'd done.
The same guy later on divulged that he'd set up a table and chair, together with a couple of potentially libelous posters in a mall and in front of a shop where he got his prescription eyeglasses. When his glasses broke, he wasn't granted a free replacement, and his stated intention was to bring to public awareness the misdeeds of the shop. Perhaps the worst part of IOP for me was due to those who were court-mandated to be there. They often laughed at people who were genuinely interested in getting sober, and sometimes verbally abusive to them. Sober house heroes who couldn't even avoid jail.
One of the biggest and perhaps darkly entertaining events was when some guy asked another guy for his urine, since he knew his own urine would be dirty. Using the other guy's urine, he failed the test anyway. So he turned in the guy he "borrowed" the urine from, and the guy who gave him the urine went into his counselor crying, insisting that it must be a mistake, though we knew this was not the case. From what I've heard, both have continued to be in and out of various mandated programs, including residential programs, for the past three years in order to avoid spending time in jail. But I digress.
Yeah, IOP gave me something to do with the many surplus hours I then had, allowed me to see my alcoholic self in others -- especially my dishonesty and acts of bad faith -- and gave me something to work on, despite my reservations about getting sober. The seemingly negative aspects of IOP were merely dress rehearsals for real life.
When I put down the drink, I had no intention of getting sober. But I practiced what I now preach. Action. Even when taking specific actions goes against my feeble, alcohol infused beliefs, (or, perhaps, especially so). I've learned to live with a range of intolerable circumstances, but sitting in despair is not one of them. The simple solution for me is always to act. When in doubt, always do what's hardest; the more difficult path is usually the best.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 848
Wow that sounds crazy. I don't really care if the court ordered guys laugh at me. They can think what they want. I am there to get better because I need to.
Thanks for taking the time to tell me!
Thanks for taking the time to tell me!
Guest
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: The Deep South
Posts: 14,636
IOP was a great experience for me. I went for a 20 day outpatient in April of 2013. It was my decision to go and I checked myself in. The sharing and the group therapy aspect of it was what was so valuable for me at the time. It helped me grieve the loss of my mother and process some things about my life and my new marriage.
I highly recommend IOP to anyone who wants to go! I personally got more from IOP than I did from individual counseling or meetings.
I highly recommend IOP to anyone who wants to go! I personally got more from IOP than I did from individual counseling or meetings.
Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 14,937
I hope you find it valuable.
To be honest, it wasn't a good fit for me.
The group I was in had a couple of court ordered people in it with much more serious problems than me; meth addiction, homelessness, and a wide variety of legal issues, which tended to dominate the group discussion. Me, I was just a garden variety alcoholic, with a good job, nice home, and a supportive family.
After a couple of meetings I figured out that after completion of the group, my aftercare recommendation would be to attend AA meetings.
I decided to quit the group and just skip ahead to the AA meetings. That was a good decision for me.
To be honest, it wasn't a good fit for me.
The group I was in had a couple of court ordered people in it with much more serious problems than me; meth addiction, homelessness, and a wide variety of legal issues, which tended to dominate the group discussion. Me, I was just a garden variety alcoholic, with a good job, nice home, and a supportive family.
After a couple of meetings I figured out that after completion of the group, my aftercare recommendation would be to attend AA meetings.
I decided to quit the group and just skip ahead to the AA meetings. That was a good decision for me.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 1,074
IOP was both a good and scary experience for me. Scary in that I hadn't really planned on going there. My husband wanted me to be inpatient, but they wouldn't accept me. So, that's how I ended up in IOP. I was terrified when I was locked in a room an interviewed by a nurse. I felt like a total lunatic. But a really nice gentleman who was in the program greeted me on my first day and told me that everything would be fine, and he told my husband that he must love me very much. I found that for the most part everyone there was just looking for help. Just average people that wanted to get back on track. Most people were really kind and supportive. However, there were a few people that were a bit scary. There was a girl there named "Princess" and she was terrifying. I just stayed away from people like that and only interacted with people I trusted. I tried to get as much out of the program as I could. I found it really beneficial, but you have to take what you learn from it and apply it to your life. You also have to find a program outside of it to work with too.
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
