Delray Center for Healing

Advantages To Outpatient Treatment

The most critical aspects of treatment for all those who finally succeed in their recovery are the outpatient relapse prevention and maintenance phases of treatment.

With the recent advances in medical science, treatments that were previously thought to be impossible, are now becoming standards of care. Among these are the newer forms of outpatient detox and relapse prevention. Many of these treatments are modified versions of inpatient treatments.

Other techniques have been completely new developments, true cutting edge medical technologies. These techniques incorporate both brand new medications as well as innovative procedures to obtain the optimal benefit from these medications. A number of such procedures have been developed by and are unique to The Delray Center For Healing.

All of these procedures are customized to meet the needs of busy working profssionals. Few working professionals have the time or money to take a week, or much less a month, off from work for treatment. Most people tend to find out when this out when it is too late. They often lose their job from the extended absence rot heir business crumbles. Financial strife often follows as the unearned wages can be enormous. Those who are self employed risk losing their businesses altogether. For some people inpatient treatment is unavoidable, but for most cases the treatment can be better handled as an outpatient.

The detox regimens used by Dr Rodriguez are based on that which he used for inpatients for the detox ward in Jackson Memorial Hospital. The regimens are modified and individualized to make them safer, more comfortable, more convenient, and to account for the specific needs of each patient. Most inpatient detox regimens today are very short due to cost constraints imposed by insurance companies and by the high overhead needed to run any inpatient facility. Each day of inpatient treatment ussually costs at least $500, but more often $1000 or more. Most inpatient regimens are 3-5 days, depending on the substance.

The major problem with this is that the body can physiologically detox only so fast. Opiates will require 7 to 9 days while alcohol and benzodiazepines may require even longer. Trying to cut the detox short will cause the patient to experience very uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. In the case of alcohol and sedatives, this can rather easily lead to very dangerous complications such as seizures and delrium tremens. Every alcohol detox runs the risk of seizures, but this risk is unnecessarily so much higher if the detox regimen is only 5 to 6 days long or less. A longer regimen in the hospital becomes more and more expensive with each additional day though, with the price ussually becoming prohibitive for most individuals.

This can all be bypassed with an oupatient detox, where the pressure of time is simply not there. A detox regimen can easily be extended to 14 days or more, depending on the specific needs of each individual patient. The additional cost for these extra days would be minimal, basically the price of the additional medication used over the additional days. The detox pace can also be easily adjusted to minimize discomfort, which is especially convenient when a softer pace is needed on a specific day due to important events or responsibilities that require a patient at their best on that particular day.

The easier pace is both less physically and less emotionally demanding, allowing for a quicker total recovery. The easier pace also allows the body to detox within more normal physiologic parameters which substantially reduces the risk of complications such as seizures and delerium tremens. Testament to this is that in his entire career, in over the thousands of detoxes performed by Dr Rodriguez, there has never been a patient who has experienced a detox seizure or delerium tremens. Most inpatient detox units will have up to several detox seizures a week.

There are also tangible advantages to an outpatient relapse prevention program. Sober time earned in an inpatient or residential setting is valuable and meaningful, but not as meaningful as sober time earned while subjected to the real life stresses of an outpatient setting.

The most critical aspects of treatment for all those who finally succeed in their recovery are the outpatient relapse prevention and maintenance phases of treament. It is during these phases that an individual works through their illness while working through the different problems in their personal and professional lives. Outpatient treatment is relatively inexpensive, which facilitates following through with the necessary long psychotherapy courses.

Outpatient Detox

The generic "cookbook" approach is not practiced here. There are many different options and advanced medication combinations available for all of the substances.

Chemical detoxification is available for ALL substances of abuse at the Delray Center for Healing. These substances include, but are not limited to, Alcohol, Opiates (Oxycontin, Heroin, Percocet, Vicodin etc), Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Klonopin, Valium etc), Muscle Relaxants (Soma, Flexeril, etc), Methadone**, Barbiturates (Fioricet, Fiorinal, Seconal, etc), Ultram, GHB, LSD, PCP, Marijuana, Cocaine, and Amphetamines. These can all be managed on an outpatient basis, safely and reliably. Most detoxes can be done safely with little or no discomfort, often while the person is still working. All detox regimens are individually tailored to meet the very specific needs of each individual, and account for the specific clinical details of each case.

The generic "cookbook" approach is not practiced here. There are many different options and advanced medication combinations available for all of the substances. Very highly specialized options have been developed for Opiates, including the use of Sebutex/ Suboxone (Buprenorphine, a.k.a. "Buprenex"), and the very popular Rapid Outpatient Detox. Outpatient detoxes cost just a fraction of what an inpatient detox would cost, require minimal to no time lost from work, and are far more discreet.

**Detox off of Methadone is more difficult than off of regular Opiates. This process is more involved and may not be possible in all cases. This can be determined on an individual basis with a brief telephone pre-assessment with Dr Rodriguez. The pre-assessment is free.

Relapse Prevention

Relapse prevention is truly the most important part of substance abuse treatment. The common mistake is to believe that the addiction is "cured" following detox. Addiction, unfortunately, is a chronic illness with an exceedingly strong tendency towards relapse. Many relapses are illogical and not desired. Many believe a relapse ia a conscious decision by a competent adult. This is partly true, however, this does not account for the often overwhelming physical and psychological cravings that will strongly bias that competent adult's decision. An individual suffering from addiction, even if "detoxed", will require ongoing treatment with therapy, and ussually medications, to have a fair chance at remaining sober. Willpower alone has long been proven to be not nearly enough to remain sober. Diagnosis and treatment of the very common co-existing depression and anxiety problems also is critical. These co-existing conditions are very frequent, yet so avoidable, causes of relapses in many individuals.

The most successful relapse prevention treatment regimens are those that can be reliably sustained over a long period of time. Treatment must be effective, cost efficient, and time efficient for this to be possible. Treatment at the Delray Center for Healing is designed with all of these needs in mind. Individual and group therapy is structured to work around work schedules. This allows for a quicker return to full functional status, which is highly therapeutic. This also allows for the possibility to seek effective treatment without being absent from work. This helps to both maintain the highest degree of confidentiality (noone at work notices a 7 or 28 day absence) and it allows patients to continue earning their wages to support themselves and their families. Treatment regimens ussually consist of combinations of group therapy, individual therapy, and medical Psychiatry.