Intensive Outpatient Program for Real-Life Sobriety
It is impossible to overstate the value of an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for reaching and maintaining lifelong sobriety. Typically, IOP follows a hospitalization or partial hospitalization program to treat acute substance use disorder. But IOP can also be tremendously helpful for those who are attempting to get sober outside of a structured inpatient environment.
The Science of Addiction
“Professionals are successful at every in every other area of their life, except for mental health and addiction.”
Maintain Your Sobriety Throughout the Holidays
While our holiday gatherings may look a little different this year, celebrations with family and friends can always be risky situations for those in recovery. While it’s always best to surround yourself with people who support your sobriety, sometimes we can’t avoid the people and activities which once encouraged or triggered our substance use. To maintain sobriety throughout the holiday season, it is essential to have a plan of action. Your plan should realistically and honestly consider any potential pitfalls. Once you’ve identified your “danger zones,” you can make smart decisions, in advance, for how to weather those challenges.
Care for the Caregiver: Mindfulness
“The need to take care of each other is the need to take care of self.” -Tracy Traut, Program Director of the Indiana Professionals Recovery Program (IPRP)
During the next couple of months, we’re going to focus on a topic that is more relevant now than ever: Care for the Caregiver.
Goodbye Hello
Goodbye to my former life
Goodbye to untruthfulness to myself and others
Goodbye to sorrow
Goodbye to self-imposed drudgery
How to Choose a Treatment Center
Conduct a quick internet search for a substance use treatment center, and you’ll instantly see that there are thousands of options. That can be overwhelming and not particularly helpful for those seeking treatment. We understand how difficult it can be to find quality, affordable, and effective care, so we have broken down a few important questions to consider as you begin your search.
Why Join an Intensive Outpatient Program?
Making the decision to get help for your substance use disorder takes bravery and can be life-changing. Following that decision with detox, residential, or partial hospitalization treatment is a crucial next step toward achieving a sober life. But what happens after that? The transition back into “real life” is a perilous time for those in recovery. Many will be returning to situations that triggered their substance use in the first place.
Continued support following an inpatient program is critical to sustained recovery. That’s where an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) comes in. After being stabilized in a residential or partial hospitalization program, patients in IOP begin the real work of building and enacting a strong recovery plan that reinforces their recovery in their home environment, with all the stresses and temptations that come with it.
Perspectives Series: A Recovery Specialist
By Nick Culp, Recovery Specialist
As of October 23rd, 2020, I will have worked at Parkdale Center for 18 months. As Recovery Specialist, I am a live-in member of the staff. My job is to be a resource for our patients in the evenings and on weekends. I help get new patients settled and make sure they have everything they need. I often accompany them on shopping trips, doctors’ appointments, visits to the YMCA, and so on. I also provide emergency and crisis support when needed, and of course, I reinforce the rules. Most importantly, I act as a sympathetic sounding board for those new to recovery. Like our patients, I struggled with addiction myself, and have been in recovery for 6 years. Addiction impacted every aspect of my life: my relationships, my focus, and my career.
Healing From Addiction: A Family Affair
According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, substance use disorder (addiction) is characterized by the inability to consistently abstain from controlled substances, impairment in behavioral control, continued cravings, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Conservative estimates state that nearly 10% of the general public are currently or will be addicted to drugs or alcohol in their lifetime (SAMHSA).
6 Ways to Practice Self-Care for Sustained Recovery
Recovering from substance use disorder requires a balanced approach to healing the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. It’s not enough for an addict to simply put aside their drug of choice. We know that substance use is one coping mechanism for individuals struggling with extreme stress, mental disorders, trauma, and grief. Without addressing these other factors, relapse is more likely. So, to achieve long-term recovery, we need to address these problems as well.
