Hydrocodone Addiction Treatment and Rehab Options
There are different types of hydrocodone addiction treatment options, based on the level of care provided. When choosing the type of treatment, the choice should be based on what will offer the individual the best opportunity for success in recovery. All other considerations, including job and family responsibilities, should be secondary because if an individual is not successful in recovery, all of those responsibilities will be in jeopardy.
Addiction is characterized by a pathological need for control, a tendency to rationalize bad decisions and a lack of objective self-insight. This is a challenging combination, as it propels many people to believe that they can stop using drugs on their own. They may be reluctant to see and admit that they require a higher level of care, such as inpatient or residential rehab.
Partial Hospitalization
What is partial hospitalization? A partial hospitalization program is halfway between inpatient and outpatient treatment. Individuals will attend their treatment programming during the day but will return home at night. This gives patients more freedom after hours than if they were in an inpatient program.
Partial inpatient treatment is appropriate for people who have a high likelihood of success as well as the ability to be more self-directed. The presence of a strong support system is also an important factor for success with a partial hospitalization program.
Inpatient Hydrocodone Rehab
Inpatient drug rehab involves staying at a hospital or rehab facility during the entire treatment, with 24-hour supervision. The inpatient therapy is more intense than residential rehab and may be involuntary or on an emergency basis.
Inpatient rehab has benefits that improve the transformative effect necessary for recovery by:
- Removal from the people, places and things that were associated with the substance use and preventing triggers
- Removal from any toxic relationships or environments
- Allowing for a more intensive, committed treatment regimen
- Providing a social environment, or a “culture of recovery”
- Ensuring that participants have some solid recovery time before they are discharged
Inpatient treatment may be followed by a less intense “step-down” program, such as partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient therapy (IOP).
Outpatient Hydrocodone Rehab
Outpatient drug rehab involves living at home or in a sober living house and attending treatment activities during the day. The intensity of the daytime treatment will depend on individual needs and the programs available at the outpatient facility.
Most people with a severe addiction will likely have better outcomes with a residential or inpatient program. However, outpatient rehab may be appropriate if:
- The person’s physician is aware of the drug use and agrees with the outpatient treatment
- The individual is already detoxed from the drug and is free of withdrawal effects
- The drug use was mild or of short duration
- The person has a safe, drug-free place to stay away from drug dealers and others who use substances
- The person is strongly motivated to stop using
- There is no co-occurring substance use or mental health disorder
- There is a good support system in place
- The person does not live alone
- The cost of inpatient rehab may be a factor for some individuals, making outpatient treatment a more viable option
Medically-Assisted Detox
To recover from hydrocodone use, people must start out by ridding the brain and body of the drug. This process is known as detoxification, or detox. As the body clears the drug and its toxic metabolites, unpleasant withdrawal symptoms occur.
For many individuals, their fear of withdrawal symptoms is a major barrier to recovery. By participating in a medical detox program, people can reduce the discomfort of the process. Medically-assisted detox involves using medical support to avert or reduce withdrawal symptoms and to prevent the shock of detox on the brain and body.
Dual Diagnosis and Co-Occurring Disorders
Dual diagnosis, the presence of a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder in the same individual, is present in more than half of people with substance addiction. Many of these people are not even aware they have a mental health disorder.
A dual diagnosis can be particularly challenging to face simply because one disorder can cause the other and so both need to be treated simultaneously. The disorders can also worsen one another as they co-occur. This challenge makes seeking dual diagnosis rehab in a program equipped to deal with both issues especially important.