Lifespan Addiction Medicine

Substance Use Treatment Young Adults and Adults

Are you finding yourself struggling with alcohol or drug use? Has your use of substances become more harmful than beneficial or enjoyable?

You are not alone. Everybody has their own journey to getting help, and there are a variety of resources available both in Rhode Island and across the country.

What Is Substance Use Disorder Treatment/Addiction Medicine?

Substance use disorder treatment services, also known as addiction medicine, encompasses the services and supports designed to help those suffering with a substance use disorder, or the recurrent use of alcohol and/or drugs that causes clinically significant impairment, including health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home.

Available Substance Use Programs

Those struggling with substance use have a number of programs and services in the community to help them.

Withdrawal Management/Detoxification Programs

Detoxification, sometimes called “detox,” is the process of stopping alcohol or drug use until the bloodstream is clear of the substance. It’s often the first stage of recovery for patients who are experiencing withdrawal symptoms due to a dependency. 

Inpatient and outpatient withdrawal management or detox programs provide a medically supervised environment to assist patients with managing the effects of detoxification. Twenty-four hour medical care, medication management, and counseling are often available.

Speak to your provider about possible detoxification side effects. 

Crisis Stabilization/Acute Stabilization Programs

Crisis stabilization programs provide short-term care for patients experiencing an acute psychiatric and/or substance use crisis that could escalate to a point in which hospitalization would be required. Generally, the length of stay is a few days. 

Crisis stabilization services can include:

• Substance use education
• Case management
• Discharge planning
• Referrals to outpatient programs and recovery supports

Residential Programs

As the name suggests, residential or inpatient treatment programs require patients to live onsite with 24-hour supervision or care. Length of treatment is dependent on each individual’s needs, but is usually between 30 to 90 days. Typically, days are scheduled with activities, therapy, and assessment and initiation of alcohol or drug cessation medications. Some residential treatment programs can even assess for underlying management of mental health issues identified within early sobriety.

Residential programs can be an effective level of care for patients who have completed medical detox and no longer require medical stabilization. Patients may also require inpatient treatment if their symptoms aren’t being managed effectively in an outpatient setting or if they have previously tried rehabilitation unsuccessfully.

Partial Hospital Programs

A partial hospital, or “day,” program (PHP) provides treatment for individuals with substance use disorders, including the misuse of alcohol, prescription drugs, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, or opioids like Fentanyl, Oxycontin or Percocet.

PHPs offer an intensive, therapeutic environment for patients who do not require 24-hour care yet need more structure than is available in outpatient treatment. The program is designed for patients who are able to successfully manage their symptoms while at home.

Partial hospital treatment programs are ideal for those who:

• Seek intensive addiction care for substance use disorders, with or without any other mental health symptoms
• Require more structure than is available in traditional outpatient care 
• Are able to participate in a program requiring a commitment of 25-30 hours weekly

Learn more about the Newport Hospital partial hospital program

Intensive Outpatient Programs

Substance use intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) offer a similarly structured level of intensive care, but with a reduced time commitment (often three days per week). IOP programs offer flexibility in treatment delivery and are often recommended as a “step down” in between residential and outpatient levels.

Because IOP programs offer day, evening, and weekend programming, patients can maintain responsibilities outside of treatment, including work, caregiving, parenting, and education. This level of treatment makes attendance less disruptive for clients to manage day-to-day responsibilities. 

IOP programs provide opportunities to practice the foundations of recovery in real time, applying newly acquired skills with family and friends while still engaged in treatment. 

Intensive Outpatient Programs are ideal for those who:

• Have emotional, behavioral, and cognitive conditions that are mild or treatable on an outpatient level but are creating distraction from daily responsibilities 
• Are able to participate in a program requiring a commitment of roughly 15 to 20 hours weekly

Both PHPs and IOPs commonly offer services like group therapy, aftercare planning, vocational services, and medication management. 

Learn more about the Lifespan Recovery Center and Gateway Healthcare programs

Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Programs/Outpatient Dual Diagnosis Program

Outpatient simply means that care takes place in a non-residential setting, so clients can live at home while participating in treatment. According to American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria, outpatient treatment is usually less than nine hours per week for adults and less than six hours per week for adolescents.

This level of care usually works for patients with less severe symptoms of a substance use disorder. It may also provide a “step down” level of care for someone who has completed inpatient treatment.

Outpatient services also include Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) programs that assist with cravings and withdrawal symptoms that are experienced when an individual attempts to abstain from alcohol or opioids. These services are available at Lifespan via the Lifespan Recovery Center and via community resources.

Learn more about some of Lifespan’s substance use treatment programs

Peer Recovery and Family Support

People new to recovery often live in environments filled with opportunities for relapse. Peer recovery services are specialized, therapeutic interactions between current or former consumers of behavioral health services and individuals in the process of recovery. Certified peer recovery specialists (CPRSs) are trained and certified to offer support and assistance to those in the recovery process and share their own lived experience and practical guidance.

Recovery community centers offer hope in a positive, safe environment to people in early recovery. They often provide opportunities to learn interviewing and computer skills, and work on interpersonal relationships.

Visit the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals for more information about peer recovery resources.