Aprilntex

I started and Intensive Outpatient Program today after struggling to stop drinking on my own. The program include three, three hour group sessions a week and one one-on-one session a week with a therapist a week. I had my first group session today and I really don't think group sessions are for me. I want to say I'll stick it out and give it a chance but there's a cost involved. I don't want to use up my flex spending on this program if I can find something else that would work better.

Does anyone have experience with IOP in a group environment that can share the benefits? Are there individual IOP programs? I can't seem to find any out there. I need a structured program, just don't think something that involves group sessions is for me.

Any advice or shared experience is very much appreciated!

Dee74

Hi aprilintex

I have no experience to share but I think anythign new is bound to be a bit confronting,

If not IOP then what are you going to do?

D

Aprilntex

Hey Dee74

I have no idea what else I would do. I'm completely stressing about it right now. What I'm not going to do is stop that program without having something else lined up. I'm going to discuss my thoughts with my therapist in the program during my one on one Friday.

I got a lot from listening to others in the group meeting tonight but sometime in hour two my brain just shutdown. I made sure I was participating in the discussion so I was engaged but listening to everyone in the group was draining.

Just wanted to get thoughts.

Thanks!

Berrybean

Three hours is a VERY long time.
Maybe ask what the rational is behind this. Perhaps that shut down is part of the intention? As a teacher I'd NEVER do anything longer than an hour as we all have a limited capacity for focussing.

Have you tried AA?

BB

DontRemember

3hrs would drive me insane! But, it's great that you got something out of it. When I zone out in AA I think about all sorts of stuff(how someone's share reflects to me,what's for lunch..is that a new clock.. recovery thoughts..does that guy have on new shoes..?) It's actually kinda nice. For me the big thing about meetings/group is what carries forward after that. What did I get from that time there? I've never left a meeting or a day reading/posting on here without learning/remembering something.

MindfulMan

I did IOP after inpatient and it was the most lifechanging part of my recovery. Inpatient had been largely 12 Step groups, IOP was mostly cognitive group based. It was a dual diagnosis program, addiction plus a mental illness diagnosis, I suffer from bipolar disorder.

It was an 8 week program. Meetings were from 4-6 every weekday, with the first hour dedicated to addiction recovery and the second to our diagnosis. We also had individual therapy once a week, and a session every other week with a psychiatrist for medication monitoring.

We sometimes met in one big group but mostly split into two small groups. I didn’t like the people in my small group much at all, and could find them draining, but I very much got what I needed. It really gave me a lot of tools to cement my sobriety and deal with the “what.”

I’m currently in time-limited individual time limited therapy to figure out the “why.” What were the underlying reasons why I chose a destructive and numbing management strategy, and working through the issues and solve life issues instead of avoiding them in a bottle, a fistful of pills, or a gram of blow.

Hopefully your IOP is a good program and you are just adjusting to it as well as to a sober life. They vary. If you think it valuable, stick it out, you will probably will get a lot out of it. If not, rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, find another strategy, but give it a bit of time to evaluate.

daredevil

2-3 hours, 2-3 times a week for 2-3 months is pretty standard for intensive-outpatient treatment. The collective experience of addicts has shown that this typically works (that's why IOP programs don't deviate much from those parameters). Several of the weekly recovery meetings I go to are at an IOP. I've heard many people say they've benefitted from the experience.

2muchpain

I was involved in an IOP program. It was 4 hours long, but the time was divided up between different groups that focused on different issues with different therapists and different clients. We also had a few short breaks and a lunch time. There's no way I could sit in one room with the same people for three hours. Are there other IOP programs in your area you could look into? John

andyh

if you've never done Group Therapy before it can be a bit daunting to start with. even if you have done it before in another group, it can take a little time to get used to a new set of people & build up some trust to feel able to share openly.

it is more than likely going to be a somewhat uncomfortable experience - you'll be working through thoughts & feelings, & probably being challenged on them by other group members. whilst there can often be opportunities for humour & levity, if you're enjoying all of it you're probably doing it wrong

I would suggest that you stick with it for at least a couple of weeks & if you think after that time that you're still not benefiting from it, then look at other options.

anxiousrock

I'm with everyone else....3 hours at a time seems way too long.
By the end I'm sure no one is paying attention anymore at all.
Personally I like the AA meetings as they TRY to keep them to an hour....I've been to some slightly shorter or longer.
I would definitely talk to a therapist about alternative options available if you do not feel like this is going to work for you...you still need to be comfortable and happy going.

tomsteve

april,good on ya for starting something to help your recovery.
what seriously caught my attention is I really don't think group sessions are for me
after one session???? how can you know something will work better when youve only been to one session? shouldnt you give it a chance?
why not bring up your concerns with the people running the program? ask them what the benefits are going to be?

ScottFromWI

A couple of thoughts:

Think of how many hours a day/days a week you spent drinking. And the amount of money you spent on alcohol. Then contrast/compare that to what you will spend on IOP - I bet in most cases the IOP will be cheaper and a much better investment of your time and money.

The "I" in IOP stand for "intensive"...which means it's going to be intense for a while. 2-3 hours sessions multiple days a week are not uncommon at all. Also remember that you don't generally do it forever - most people participate for a matter of weeks, not months or years.

There are definitely addiction counselors that you can work with one-on one. In general the costs are going to be a lot more of course, but they are definitely lots of them out there.

PinkPanther08

I did an IOP program and it was MUCH more intense than what you have described. It was EVERY day from 9-3, there was a lunch for break. I was in the dual program because initially my issues were more emotional. The head of the program was amazing and I suppose the benefit was to keep one busy because we were required to go to a meeting that night. I would be exhausted but mostly mentally drained.

I thought it was too time consuming. The head instructor was helpful but the group was too large for him to give much specialized attention. There was a meet with a psychatrist a couple of times a week for those who were on meds.

These were alcoholics, addicts and those with mental illness. It took me two weeks just to get over the trauma of seeing everyone so doped up they couldn't keep their eyes open. I was already scared of medication so that terrified me. There were also people getting ECT treatments which was also very scary.

They kept me an extra week simply because my insurance would pay. It was helpful because the head of the program was amazing in reading through my issues but I had very little time with him. The education was some what helpful but it isn't anything you couldn't find on your own on line. They would play dated videos during the second half of the day which really annoyed me..

LBrain

99% of the time 90% of the people in IOPs are not there of their own volition. That's what makes them seem wasteful. And usually it's the kids in for opiates who are the disruptive or uncooperative types. Then you have you DUI mandates, etc. If you could find a group with people who actually want to be there, it would be much better and the time would fly. But as with most things - if you are in America - the choice is not yours if insurance is paying for it. Or there may be few options.

The best approach is to learn as much as you can from the facilitator, the material and from others. And the "others" that are disruptive, use them as motivation to be 'better than that'. You should learn a lot from IOP if you don't think of it as 'punishment' but rather as an opportunity.

PinkPanther08

But people were there for so many different reasons, most to get their kids back, some for work related issues, so I think many were going through the motions.

This was something mandated, it wasn't my personal choice.

I was also seeing another counselor while doing the program because like I said there wasn't enough attention to go around. I didn't mind group but because the group was so diverse and my mind set was different I seemed to have the least of the problems. I don't know how much I benefitted from group that one couldn't benefit from a AA or EA setting.

I might suggest seeing a good counselor 2 times a week and some meetings

MindfulMan

My IOP wasn't mandated and they were very selective on who they accepted. There was a 5-8 week waitlist. Generally we didn't get people who didn't want to be there. Also you did your 8 weeks (or less, if your insurance didn't cover the full treatment) and then left, so people were leaving and new people coming in throughout the program.

One of the most influential and motivated people I met was a 19 year old university student in for marijuana addiction and generalized anxiety disorder. The program director is a brilliant, highly decorated PHD/MBA addiction specialist and scholarly researcher, who 11 years ago was a hopeless heroin addict that nearly ODd 3 times. If there was anyone I'd met who had what I wanted, it was he.

As I said, the programs vary.

PinkPanther08

I agree programs certainly vary. That sounds like a nice one. I thought I was going to see a shrink for an evaluation and realized I was at a mental facility that was full fledged lockdown.

I think the program director was great, he could read almost anyone and their BS in minutes including me but the place was under staffed and I think/know I stayed an extra week just because my insurance could cover it.

I am reflecting back on how I got here and the crazy thing is, I was sober on a vegan diet just trying to be more healthy when I decided to binge drink and it stayed in my blood system long enough to be detected at work.

I've struggled more since but I think it is more emotionally connected.

DesertDawg

This was VERY much my experience in inpatient....but not so much in IOP. Most of the people in my IOP group were also in inpatient with me, everyone was respectful, and the group meetings and check-ins 3 times a week helped me out with some accountability. I'm an introvert to the extreme, and I wasn't initially comfortable in the group setting either, but at a certain point I decided that I'm basically fighting for my life here, so I allowed myself to open up a little in IOP.

Aprilntex

I haven't tried AA. I'm going to try out a Refuge Recovery meeting this weekend. Their program is meditation and mindfulness. Things based off buddhist practice. Did some research on AA and I'm not sure I like the idea of the 12 steps. I definitely plan to give that a try though since I'm open to finding a long term support even once I complete the IOP.

Aprilntex

I've called all of the programs in my area and they all have the same hours for their IOP programs. When I called initially to find a program, I didn't ask how their meetings are structured. Maybe the time wouldn't be so bad if it were structured differently.