Substance addiction is a chronic condition, but addiction outpatient (IOP) treatment programs near Boulder, CO, can help you manage it and prevent relapse.
Substance addiction affects multiple aspects of a person’s life; in fact, it often touches each essential part of their life, sparing little and taking much. Effective treatment plans don’t simply address one element of addiction either. They must target the physical, mental, and behavioral aspects of the addiction in order to successfully treat the mind, body, and spirit.
Flatirons Recovery features high-quality addiction treatment that features strong
mindfulness and relapse prevention components. We offer various treatment modalities, including evidence-based therapies such as individual counseling sessions and holistic treatments like nutrition that enhance overall wellbeing. Together, our treatments support lasting recovery.
Alcohol and drug addiction tear a person down. At Flatirons Recovery, we build them back up with new skills, new perspectives, and new, healthy ways of coping with trauma and negative emotions. Our intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment plan is ideal for many clients who are either transitioning from a more intensive problem like inpatient therapy or are stable enough to attend outpatient therapy and reside in their hopes.
Here, we’ll discuss our IOP as well as our various approaches to addiction treatment and how they help individuals rebuild their lives and learn to successfully manage their addiction. If you’re searching for a leading IOP treatment program in or near Boulder, CO, get to know why so many people find recovery success at Flatirons Recovery.
Why Is Treatment Crucial for Addiction?
Substance addiction is an insidious disease. In some cases, it may be years before a person develops an addiction to a particular substance. In other instances (and depending on the substance), a mere few uses may be enough to trigger addiction. Addiction causes both physical and psychological dependencies. That’s why medical detox alone is seldom enough to prevent relapse; it’s often the psychological factors of the condition that lead to relapse.
Addiction changes the chemistry of the brain; individuals addicted to alcohol or drugs experience physical cravings in relation to their physical dependence but also powerful compulsions to use even though they know that their actions will have negative consequences for their lives. A person who is addicted to drugs like heroin or methamphetamine knows how overwhelming the need to use can be.
Addiction treatment at Flatirons Recovery provides the individualized support that addiction sufferers need to cope with their compulsions. Through various treatment methods, we help our clients learn to identify their individual triggers (often negative emotions) and then to develop healthful strategies for coping with them. Without treatment, people don’t learn how to change; they may want to change tremendously but they don’t have the professional resources and coping skills that are available through therapy.
What Is Intensive Outpatient Treatment?
Intensive Outpatient Treatment or IOP provides intensive addiction therapy on an outpatient basis. Typically, our IOP treatment plan is offered three to five mornings each week, usually from about 9-12 for approximately 4-12 weeks (depending on the person’s needs). Clients will also meet individually with therapists each week for one-on-one counseling.
What Types of Treatments Are Offered in IOP?
During IOP therapy, therapists rely on various medically sanctioned treatments like
cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. Some treatments are similar in nature because they’re targeting a person’s coping skills, but they work in different ways. For instance, during CBT, clients learn to identify how their thoughts and feelings impact their behaviors; they also learn ways to manage those thoughts and feelings in healthier ways in order to change their behaviors.
In DBT, there’s a strong focus on distress tolerance and mindfulness. It’s often those negative situations when people feel fearful or upset that they fall back into negative thinking patterns, which can repave the road back to addiction. By learning to cope better with distress, clients eventually find it easier to keep their recovery journey on track.
How Is IOP at Flatirons Recovery Different from Other Addiction Treatment Centers?
Flatirons Recovery features a strong mindfulness component to our treatment offerings. During our Boulder IOP sessions, for example, we will frequently spend some time practicing mindfulness techniques. Mindfulness offers people in recovery various benefits that not only enhance the recovery process, but also their lives in general.
For instance, the practice of mindfulness helps people to slow their lives down. When they stop rushing, they find that it’s easier to think more clearly, to focus on the present, and to tackle the tasks associated with the present. Addiction often involves a lot of mental chatter; mindfulness slows the chatter, helping clients to manage it better–even to keep it at bay.
Clients who practice mindfulness techniques at our Boulder treatment center also find that they help them to improve their understanding of their own reactions to different things. They’re more mindful of their reactions to a negative circumstance, for example. Once they become mindful about their negative reactions, they can manage those reactions in better ways, ways that enhance their lives and recovery.
Finally, being mindful allows people to enjoy life better. Our clients find they notice things about their lives or what’s happening in their outside world better. Whether they’re hiking or sitting on their porch, they’re able to notice the world around them and respond to them with positivity.
Community-Based Recovery
At Flatirons Recovery, we also focus on some community-based recovery plans such as 12-step programming. These types of program structures have helped thousands build a recovery framework for their lives. Many of our clients find that the 12-step model is particularly conducive to their IOP because it corresponds with the new lives they’re trying to build along with the new addiction management strategies they’re practicing. Those who do not will have many other options for community based support, such as SMART Recovery and Recovery Dharma.
We prize our own peer group treatment sessions because it’s important for clients to support one another just as our therapists support them all. During our group sessions, we focus on elements that may pertain to 12-step recovery, SMART recovery, or other addiction topics that are relevant for the group. Together, clients learn about themselves, the nature of addiction and recovery, and how to transition to a new, healthier lifestyle.
How Long Does IOP Usually Take?
At Flatirons Recovery, clients usually spend anywhere from four to 12 weeks in the program. The length of time varies because their individual needs vary. Some clients are ready to transition to less intensive therapy after a month of treatment. However, others may benefit from the full 12 weeks. Studies have shown that the longer a person spends getting formal addiction treatment, whether they’re addicted to alcohol or drugs, the less likely they may be to suffer a relapse.
Our treatment staff specialize in addiction medicine. They can help clients find the right program to suit their needs as well as help them determine when to transition to the next level of treatment. The goal of all clients is to prevent relapse and manage their addiction successfully. If it takes one person five weeks and another 10, it’s alright so long as they are continuing on their recovery path.
Is IOP Right for Me?
Intensive outpatient therapy isn’t always the ideal treatment plan for someone who may just be starting their recovery journey. In some cases, it just isn’t intensive enough. Some clients may need everyday, daylong-treatment and to live on our campus in sober-living housing. Also, not everyone feels stable enough to reside in their home or to have entire days where they are on their own without any treatment.
Flatirons Recovery does offer day treatment and partial hospitalization programs for addiction. However, clients who are transitioning from those programs often move to our IOP as they move forward on their recovery journey. Many clients want to continue to work, go to school, or continue to maintain their family obligations; in these cases, IOP may be the ideal fit for them.
What Happens upon Completion of an IOP Program?
At our recovery center, many of our clients transition from IOP to aftercare programs or choose to meet weekly with a therapist and support group. While some individuals feel ready to get back to their lives, most people can benefit by some continued form of support. The first year or two of addiction recovery can be challenging. That support can help clients keep their recovery on track.
The Benefits of Getting Treatment at Flatirons Recovery in Boulder, CO
Flatirons offers empathetic treatment in a positive setting. Recovery is serious business, but it often happens that together, we have fun. We help our clients find positivity in their lives–in the effort they bring to each session. There is fun to be had just as there is substantial learning to be done. We also individualize therapy here because each person brings a different set of experiences to their therapy sessions. We help them form strategies that will apply to the context of their lives and unique situations.
If you’re living in Boulder, CO, and are ready to get help managing your addiction, get to know all the Flatirons Recovery offers. Our multi-type treatment plans address clients where they happen to be on their recovery journey. Contact us to learn more. We can’t wait to help you achieve your recovery goals.