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The Three Benefits of Residential Treatment

Residential treatment provides structure, community, and focus for recovering addicts and alcoholics

Residential treatment (inpatient) of drug or alcohol addiction is often more successful than outpatient care. Being in a program 24 hours a day, 7 days a week may seem daunting, but this sober environment is essential to battling drug or alcohol addiction. People who go through residential treatment have a better chance of getting to long-term recovery and staying healthy. There are many benefits of residential treatment, but they are easily summed up in these three categories.

1. Structure

A regular, daily schedule may seem very restricting at a distance. However, the structure of routine allows each person to focus on getting healthy. It eliminates gaps of down time that allow cravings to grow, and gives stability to the rougher moments of recovery.  Clear boundaries and accountability help people with addiction redevelop willpower and keep commitments.

2. Community

Most every person with a chemical dependency has felt isolated, guilty, and misunderstood. The stigma of addiction make many people afraid to seek treatment. Being able to get to recovery without the pressures and judgments makes the process easier to deal with. At a residential treatment center, everyone you meet during the day will understand the pain and suffering addiction causes. Fellow patients share their own stories of struggle and success, and addiction professionals act as knowledgeable and compassionate guides. Whenever you’re at a tough moment, someone will be there to help you through it.

3. Focus

Freed from the obligations of work, school, friends, and family, a person in residential treatment can completely focus on themselves. This may sound selfish, but people with addictions must learn how to stop caring for the addiction and start caring for themselves again. Residential treatments are more than getting sober. People address their past issues and develop new healthy habits. The structure and the community provide an environment where they can heal body, mind, and spirit.

The ultimate goal of any addiction treatment program is a successful and sustainable recovery. Outpatient services may work for some, but there is an alternative. Consider residential treatment if you have not had success with outpatient treatment, have been using for an extended period of time, have a poor support structure at home, can be dual-diagnosed, or simply need structure, community, and focus to overcome addiction.

If you or a loved one are considering residential treatment and would like to learn more, please refer to Bradford Health Services’ Extended Care Programs, or call for a free consultation today.