Deciding to enter recovery is one of the scariest but most beneficial and beautiful decisions you can ever make. It forever changes your course and marks the first day of the rest of your life. Anyone willing to take on a challenge like that is picking their family, friends, and themselves over their addiction for the first time in often a long time; this should be applauded. It’s never an easy feat.
However, many people checking into recovery have a rude awakening after getting started with their program. There’s no sugarcoating it—recovery is hard. It forces you to face tough facts about yourself, relive past trauma, and admit that much of the way you’ve been living life up to this point has been flawed. Sure, recovery programs are about forgiving and acceptance—that’s how they should be, but the process brings up old baggage.
With that, it’s important to go into recovery with a realistic mindset in place. Simply thinking that because you’ve entered a program, you’re guaranteed life-long sobriety is a dangerous way to approach this next phase. Once you hit the first obstacle or bump in the road, it could completely derail your progress, put you in a negative mindset, and end up forcing you out of a program entirely. It’s a major problem within the recovery community.
Let’s review some of the hard facts about evidence-based treatment centers in the Seattle area so that you or your loved ones can both set realistic goals and expectations and make the best decisions for the recovery journey.
Types Of Seattle Treatment Centers
There are multiple types of rehabs in Washington state, with many in Seattle specifically. They’re all equipped to handle different kinds of patients, situations, and substance use disorders, so knowing what you or your loved one needs is important for starting your recovering journey on the right path. Let’s go through the different types so you know what to expect.
The Different Types Of Treatment Centers In Seattle
The recovery process is complicated and sometimes fills people with false hope. Here’s what to expect at different types of Seattle addiction treatment centers and the specialty of each one.
Seattle Addiction Treatment Centers
Outpatient Rehab And IOP Program (Intensive Outpatient Program) Plans
Outpatient treatment programs allow patients to carry on with many aspects of their day-to-day lives while undergoing treatment for drugs and/or alcohol. It lets people hang onto their social circles and keep up with friends and loved ones.
Outpatient Alcohol Treatment And Drug Program Characteristics:
- It’s often cheaper to undergo an outpatient program than to stay in a facility for an extended time period.
- Outpatient treatment for alcoholism and drug use can be beneficial if an individual resides in a supportive environment conducive to maintaining the recovery journey without disruption or negative influence.
- Programs are structured to help prevent relapse through social impact and surroundings but are significantly less intensive than residential programs.
- An IOP Program (Intensive Outpatient Program) is slightly more rigorous than a regular outpatient plan. As an alternative to a typical facility where you stay overnight (which will detail more later), intensive outpatient programs provide many of the same.
- Perfect for patients with mild addictions.
- If the patient suffers from a serious addiction or their social environment/living situation contributes to the inherent problem, then an inpatient program is much better suited to that scenario.
Getting Sober Or Clean At Inpatient Treatment Centers
When a patient requires extensive or constant care, free from the distractions of everyday life, an inpatient treatment center is necessary to help them start fresh and develop new habits and patterns of behavior. This is when an individual should check into a residential facility for an extended period to start the recovery process from drugs, alcohol or both.
Characteristics Of Inpatient Treatment Centers:
- Inpatient treatment centers are meant to help break the vicious cycle sustaining someone’s addiction.
- These are typically a month or longer in length, depending on the severity and type of addiction.
- Individuals get immediate access to medical professionals and counselors to help with maintaining their sobriety and staying healthy.
- Inpatient programs provide structure and schedules and help people start to formulate routines and understand the importance of them.
- The main goal of an inpatient program is to help patients go through the recovery process in a safe environment, free from distractions and external (often poor) influences.
Other Types Of Seattle Drug Treatment Centers And Alcohol Programs
While we’ve focused on inpatient and outpatient treatment as the main priority for this blog, there are many other types of addiction care available in the Seattle area. Here’s a quick rundown summarizing some of the other available treatments.
Alcohol And Drug Rehabilitation Centers In Washington State And the Greater Seattle Area
Detox Facilities
Detox, or detoxification, is often the first step in someone’s recovery process. When someone addicted to a substance suddenly stops taking it, it’s incredibly uncomfortable and can even be dangerous if you don’t do it in a medically supervised setting. The effects on the body are different for everyone, depending on the substance and their biological makeup, but detox facilities help people start their recovery journey in a safe, comfortable environment.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
Partial Hospitalization Programs, also known as “PHPs,” help individuals ready to leave an inpatient facility start preparing to enter an outpatient treatment program. It’s not as intensive as the standard inpatient phase and starts to afford more freedoms and leeway to people as they begin to make new routines in the outside world.
Dual Diagnosis Facilities
If someone enters a dual diagnosis program, it’s because they’re suffering from both a substance use issue and mental health problem simultaneously. This requires an elevated level of care and attention from both mental health counselors and substance use professionals.
It’s common for mental health problems and substance use issues to co-occur, one often causing the other. Many people with persistent mental health issues turn to substances to cope, while consistent substance abuse can make mental wellness issues worse.
Aftercare And Maintaining Commitment To A Recovery Journey
Aftercare is the phase of recovery that takes place after they’ve undergone outpatient and inpatient treatment programs. This is a way for them to start their recovery journey in a supportive environment in the real world. This could include the following:
- Groups from 12-step programs
- Personal Counseling
- Social Groups Centered Around Sobriety or Recovery
- Academic or Employment Support
- If needed, some programs offer legal support and advice
- Life Coaching And Career Guidance
- Financial Literacy Coaching And Advice
Aftercare is a crucial part of everyone’s recovery journey. Not only is celebrating sobriety important, but it gives someone seeking a new identity a like-minded community focused on maintaining commitment to a healthier lifestyle.
The Seattle Freeze And Why Many People Struggle With Substance Abuse In The Pacific Northwest
In case you’re unfamiliar, the Seattle Freeze is a social phenomenon where people not native to the Pacific Northwest have a hard time making friends. A 2019 survey showed that 40% of Washington and Oregon residents don’t think it’s important to make new friends.
This sort of social isolation, combined with the gloomy weather, tends to lead adults to substance use as a method of coping with mental health issues or escapism. For those in recovery, finding themselves in an environment where it’s hard to find community can be detrimental to their progress.
However, the benefits of sobriety aren’t only physical. Recovery communities provide a healthy outlet for those seeking, participating in or finished with their programs and make it much easier to navigate the Seattle Freeze and the mental health issues that come along with it.
Social issues are a major contributor to substance abuse and the mental health issues that frequently lead to them. Finding ways to be active and involved in the community is an excellent way to maintain your health and keep your mental makeup positive.
A High Functioning Alcoholic Can Be Hard To Spot
It can be hard to recognize if you or someone else in your life has a drug or drinking problem, especially if everyday life hasn’t been seriously interrupted yet. However, dangerous behavior like this often leads to problems with daily life eventually the longer it persists.
Find a reputable substance abuse assessment to see if a larger problem is lying in wait.
Lakeside Milam Recovery Center Can Help You Start Your Recovery Journey And Set You Up For Long-Term Life Success
Here at Lakeside Milam Recovery Center, our purpose is to help people heal after having their lives ruined by the disease of addiction. Once we get them to a better place, we provide community and support to help them stay the course and maintain their recovery journey moving forward.
Contact us today if you or a loved one is suffering from substance abuse. It can be scary to start, but there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. You can have the life you dream of. We can help you get it.
