At Miramont Behavioral we treat a wide range of mental illnesses, substance use disorders (SUDs), and dual diagnoses in Middleton and Waukesha, WI. Sometimes our patients come to us because their family has asked them to; other times, they take the initiative on their own, knowing they need help. In those cases, our patients sometimes struggle with how to explain to their families, children, friends, and employers what they’re doing and why.
That’s why we’re providing this resource that sheds light on the types of addictions and co-occurring disorders that cause people to enter treatment, along with methods utilized during treatment. If you feel that you’re struggling with an addiction, a mental health issue, or a combination of both, please contact us immediately. We’re here to help and give you more tools for successfully sharing your story.
What Types of Addictions Send People to Inpatient Care?
There are two types of addictions that we treat with inpatient addiction programs in Middleton: chemical and behavioral. Chemical addictions involve substances like alcohol or heroin. Behavioral addictions, on the other hand, create compulsive behavioral patterns that people find tremendously difficult to stop, such as exercise, food, or shopping addictions.
Alcoholism and opioid addictions often send people to residential treatment programs. Supervised inpatient models are necessary due to the severity of these substance disorders and the withdrawal symptoms, which can be incredibly uncomfortable and frightening without medical attention. Cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and prescription medication addictions can also warrant residential treatment.
Additionally, thousands of people struggle with co-occurring addictions and mental health problems—such as the presence of alcohol abuse and bipolar disorder. These double whammy types of situations make a person much more likely to need inpatient treatment. Here are the main components of inpatient care:
- 24-hour monitoring
- Medication management
- Group and individual therapy
- Holistic therapies
Which Addictions Require Outpatient Care?
Outpatient care in Waukesha helps people with milder substance addictions to various drugs—or addictions that were initially treated in inpatient care and no longer require constant supervision. Outpatient care also provides solutions for people who struggle with maintaining sobriety while also treating anxiety disorders or depression. Outpatient care typically involves the following but is always tailored to the individual:
- The creation of aftercare plans that ensure a smooth transition back to living at home, heading back to work, and interacting with society again
- Building of life skills
- Stress and craving management
While all of the facets of inpatient and outpatient care are supported by science and ultimately benefit the patient, they’re challenging and require dedication, commitment, bravery, and discipline. Keep this in mind before reading our tips for sharing your decision to enter treatment—or when you’re listening to your loved one’s or employee’s story.
Tips on How To Tell People That You’re Going to Treatment
It’s normal to feel nervous, anxious, ashamed, guilty, and fearful before opening up to others about your addiction and your choice to treat it. These useful tips may help guide you in planning the conversation.
- Hold the conversation in a private, quiet, and calm space.
- Decide which details you will share, which you won’t, and prepare answers to anticipated questions like how long you’ll be gone, how often you can communicate with others outside the program, and how your household or financial life will run during your treatment. Share your plan for covering child and pet care if necessary.
- Understand that others may need a few hours, days, or weeks to process what you’re saying and where you’re going. They may be in shock or denial, or express feelings of disappointment or betrayal. This is normal and doesn’t make you a failure or a bad person. It’s helpful to expect waves of questions, concerns, or even demands.
- If you’re speaking with an employer, know your medical leave and disability rights if applicable. It can also be beneficial to provide a general timeline for your return to work and how outpatient care will affect your work day.
- Come to terms with the fact that sobriety is an ongoing journey. Even when you leave inpatient treatment or finish an outpatient program, you will always be in recovery. This may mean that you’ll be unable to spend time in places with substances or in stress-inducing environments that may contribute to relapse. People may want or need to know this.
The final and perhaps the most important tip of all is to remind yourself that treatment is a step in the right direction—one that will make you a better person, a more reliable friend or partner, a more present parent, and a healthier professional.
