Many women who live in Orange County have a substance use disorder (SUD). They are addicted to drugs like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, prescription opioids, and even marijuana. Addiction is a destructive force that causes women to spiral out of control and experience many negative consequences. These include legal problems, family struggles, problems at work, and financial issues. Plus, a whole lot of shame and guilt usually accompany a drug problem.
Many women don’t go to drug addiction treatment in Orange County because they think they will have to commit to an around-the-clock stay of 30 days or longer at an inpatient facility. Working women, those attending college, and mothers raising a family usually can’t afford this kind of time commitment.
We want women to know that they do not have to check themselves into a residential rehab to get help. At New Directions for Women, we offer a women’s outpatient drug rehab in Costa Mesa. We have been helping women get sober for 40 years through our effective drug addiction treatment programs. We provide a compassionate community of women who are working together to help other women achieve sobriety.
What is an Outpatient Program for Drug Rehabilitation?
Outpatient programs (OPs) vary in the types and intensity of services. OPs generally cost less than inpatient or residential programs. You should be careful though because some low-intensity outpatient programs are not much more than drug education.
Other program models, such as intensive day treatment or intensive outpatient programs, are comparable to residential programs in services and effectiveness. It depends on the characteristics and needs of the individual. Some outpatient programs also treat people with medical or mental health problems.
Outpatient programs are considered a direct service for someone with a substance use disorder or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders that don’t require 24-hour supervision. An OP is an alternative to inpatient and residential treatment programs.
Because the services are conducted in outpatient settings, the duration of treatment may be longer than what is required for inpatient or residential services. Studies show that the longer a person stays in some type of treatment, the less likely they are to relapse. Besides, allowing individuals to stay in their own homes and communities may improve their readjustment and transition to community life.
Differences Between Inpatient and Outpatient Programs
Outpatient drug and alcohol treatment programs have a lot in common with residential (inpatient) programs, but with different environments. Here are some differences and similarities:
- OPs provide people with more freedom of movement which allows them to keep their commitments to family, work, and school.
- Because they can go home after a day or evening program, they can have a greater feeling of privacy. There is often no need to explain any long absences to friends, coworkers, or family members.
- Unlike residential programs, outpatient programs don’t provide a safe, secure environment that protects them from negative influences to use substances. Individuals in outpatient treatment return to their own environments and have to voluntarily abstain from drug and alcohol use. This requires a lot of perseverance.
- Like residential programs, outpatient programs provide a support network in the form of official support groups of non-using peers and sponsors.
- Outpatient drug and alcohol treatment requires group therapy and support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. This introduces a positive element into the person’s life and helps with long-term recovery.
- Similar to residential programs, outpatient programs also focus on family support and involvement. In OP the person can immediately apply what they have learned to their daily experiences.
Outpatient Treatment
What is outpatient treatment?
Outpatient programs are considered a direct service for someone with a substance use disorder or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders that don’t require 24-hour supervision.
Core Services Provided
Group Therapy
Individual Therapy
Monitored Use
The Benefits of Outpatient Treatment
More Freedom
Prioritized Privacy
Living from Home
Core and Enhanced Services in Outpatient Programs
A set of core services is necessary for all OP treatment and should be a basic part of the treatment for all individuals. Enhanced services are often added and provided either on-site or through links with community-based agencies or individual providers. For example, a program that serves mainly working mothers of young children may see providing childcare and transportation as a core element. But a program that serves mainly single men with no children is unlikely to need that service.
Core Services
Some examples of core services are:
- Group counseling and therapy: This is the heart of most OPs. Studies confirm that for providing relapse prevention training, a group approach is at least as effective as a one-on-one format. However, some individuals with severe psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia or antisocial personality disorder, may not be able to take part in a group therapy setting.
- Individual counseling: Most individual counseling in OPs focuses on the immediate problems that come from the person’s substance use disorders and their current intentions to achieve and maintain abstinence.
- Pharmacotherapy and medication management: These are important additions to substance abuse treatment that shouldn’t be separated from other therapies. The purpose is to provide ambulatory detoxification and relief of withdrawal symptoms for certain individuals. Medications can also prevent relapse by reducing cravings or blocking the addictive properties of drugs.
- Monitoring alcohol and drug use: Routine monitoring of illicit drug and alcohol use to see if the selected therapy is having the predicted effect.
- Case management: People who misuse substances are likely to have interrelated problems along with their SUD. Case managers help the person recognize and itemize needs that can’t be handled by the OP. They can then help them get access to those additional services.
Enhanced Services
Examples include:
- Adult education: People with SUDs may need encouragement to enroll in adult education classes or GED programs.
- Transportation services: People in OPs may need tokens or passes for public transportation.
- Housing and food: Recovery homes are not usually licensed facilities but offer housing for a limited time.
- Licensed childcare: OPs that serve women who have children may have childcare facilities on-site or nearby.
Obstacles for Women Seeking Substance Abuse Treatment
These are some of the obstacles that women usually encounter when looking for help with their substance use disorder (SUD).
- Women are more likely than men to have economic obstacles to treatment.
- They tend to have more problems attending treatment appointments due to family responsibilities.
- Women are more likely to experience feelings of embarrassment, shame, and guilt because they need treatment.
- Mood disorders such as depression and anxiety tend to be more common and severe among women and may actually keep them from seeking treatment.
- Physicians tend to believe substance use treatment is not effective for older women.
What Is Our Outpatient Program at New Directions?
Are you or your loved one ready to enjoy the freedom that comes with recovery? Let’s talk about our outpatient program at New Directions for Women:
- New Directions for Women in Costa Mesa offers a 16-week outpatient program.
- We meet three hours per session for four sessions during the week.
- Our facility has a two-hour Saturday family component.
- We offer day and evening sessions to accommodate every woman’s schedule.
When women attend our outpatient drug rehab in Orange County, they receive the same type of quality care they would expect to receive at our residential facility. The only difference is, women do not have to live on-site. They attend treatment in the morning or evening and go about the rest of their day once sessions are completed.
In recent years, outpatient has become the optimal choice for those who want to start their recovery journey. The most recent statistics show that between 2011 and 2013, 56 percent of all people in Orange County who needed addiction treatment chose to go to outpatient drug rehab instead of residential treatment.
Why Go To An Outpatient Drug Rehab In Orange County?
Women typically attend an outpatient drug rehab in Orange County for one of three reasons:
- They want to get help for a substance use disorder but their daily responsibilities will not allow them to attend inpatient rehab around-the-clock for a month or longer.
- Some women can’t afford the financial cost of an inpatient program.
- They have completed residential treatment but require ongoing care in an outpatient setting.
Our outpatient program at New Directions For Women accommodates all three of these situations:
- We offer day and evening sessions to allow women the flexibility to set their own treatment schedule.
- OP is affordable. We believe drug rehab for women in Orange County shouldn’t break the bank. New Directions accepts most insurances and even have partial scholarship opportunities if finances are a problem.
- We welcome clients who have finished an inpatient program and need or want continued support.
What To Expect From Our Outpatient Drug Rehab In Costa Mesa
Here are just a few of the many benefits of attending IOP at New Directions For Women:
- Our gender-specific treatment approach promotes a safe atmosphere of recovery for women. Some women are not comfortable with men and are not able to fully open up about their concerns.
- We utilize proven, research-based models of addiction treatment. Evidence-based therapy has a proven track record of effectiveness.
- We offer weekly individual therapy sessions. Getting to know and trust your counselor is a primary component to understanding yourself.
Family is Essential
- Family involvement is integral to our program. When a family member has a substance use disorder, it affects the entire family. All members of the family need to understand how to support the drug-dependent member and heal themselves in the process.
- We provide trauma therapy (Seeking Safety). Women commonly turn to drug and alcohol use to medicate themselves due to past traumatic events.
- Peer support groups allow women to connect with other recovering women. Learning to see different sides of issues, and new strategies for coping is helpful for recovery and long-term abstinence.
- We teach relapse prevention strategies to promote ongoing recovery. Recognizing your triggers and how to deal with them is essential to prevent relapse.
Holistic Therapy
- Yoga is integrated into our program to establish a connectedness to self and body. Holistic therapies like yoga help treat the whole person—body, mind, and spirit.
- We promote anger management and life skills workshops to facilitate growth. Anger and stress have been known to be a trigger for a relapse.
- We show women how to enjoy a sober lifestyle. You will need to learn to live a substance-free life and learn to find friends with a similar lifestyle.
With a solid decades-long reputation for helping women get sober in Costa Mesa, we believe we are the best outpatient drug rehab in Orange County.
Ready to Start Your Recovery Journey? Know A Woman Who Needs Help?
Drug addiction affects women profoundly. Whether you are looking for outpatient drug rehab in Orange County for yourself or a woman you care about, we are here to help. Our mission is to save the lives of women of all ages, women with children, and pregnant women affected by alcoholism, other addictions, and related issues.
We understand your situation and apprehension at starting a treatment program. But we also understand that you don’t want to live under the control of drugs or alcohol anymore. You owe it to yourself to reach out for help. Contact us. Our staff of trained professionals is here for you.
References:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles
