What the different kinds of treatment mean

The vocabulary in this industry is not designed for the person who needs it. Here is what the terms actually mean.

Detox, or withdrawal management

Getting the substance out of the body safely, under medical supervision. Typically three to seven days. It is not treatment — it is what makes treatment possible. Withdrawal from alcohol and benzodiazepines can be genuinely dangerous, which is why doing it under supervision matters.

Residential, or inpatient

Living at the facility, usually for 30 to 90 days. Structure, therapy and distance from whatever the environment at home was contributing. The most expensive option and the most disruptive to work and family.

Partial hospitalisation (PHP)

Treatment most of the day, most days of the week, but sleeping at home or in sober housing. Often used as a step down from residential.

Intensive outpatient (IOP)

Usually nine to fifteen hours a week, often in the evenings so someone can keep working. Frequently what people mean when they say they want help without disappearing for a month.

Standard outpatient

Weekly or twice-weekly sessions. Usually a step-down, or appropriate where the problem was caught early.

Medication-assisted treatment

Methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone, usually for opioid dependence, alongside counselling. Programmes providing methadone are federally certified and appear as opioid treatment programs in the record.

Which one?

That is a clinical judgement, not a shopping decision, and any facility worth using will assess before telling you. Be wary of anyone who recommends their most expensive level of care before asking questions.