Did you know that about one in three families has a loved one dealing with addiction? Whether it’s to a prescription opioid, a street drug like heroin, or even alcohol, many people are battling addiction today. For many, their recovery journey starts with residential detox and then transitions to one of several residential housing options available to them before they even think about outpatient services. Addiction is a complex illness, and treatment sometimes works best in a more structured environment. If you are looking to get out of your current environment, Gaudenzia serves clients from all over the east coast.
Residential Housing Options
What is Addiction?
Medical science is just now really starting to see addiction for what it is: a chronic brain disease. People with this condition seek and use drugs and alcohol compulsively. It’s an illness that costs taxpayers more than 500 billion dollars every year, and thousands of lives are lost annually to overdose.
While people make a choice initially to try drugs or to pick up that first drink, repeated use changes the chemical processes of the brain, ones that affect self-control.
Today, most understand that addiction, medically called substance use disorder (SUD), is a relapsing disease. For many, the best hope of enjoying a life of sobriety is an intensive treatment option, a supportive family, and specialized services like those offered in our residential addiction treatment program.
Why Consider a Residential Treatment Program?
Residential treatment provides two critical benefits:
- 24-hour recovery support services
- Distance from the life that triggers substance abuse
Residential housing programs offer a structure that creates a better environment for healing and long-term control of SUD. It takes individuals who may feel isolated by their substance use disorder. Then, it puts them together in a community setting without the pressures and judgment of the outside world.
They become members of a peer support network and work with others who understand what they are going through. As a group of residents, they come together to help one another and tell their recovery stories. When one falters, the rest are there to hold that person up.
One of the most significant benefits of a residential treatment program is the ability to focus on healing. Life is full of many triggers that work to distract, keeping those in need of help from remembering what’s important: recovery.
Through the various residential housing options, people can maintain the focus and find their healing path. They won’t have to deal with distractions like work, school, or friends who may not understand their need to live in sobriety.
What is Residential Housing?
When someone says residential housing, what may pop into your mind is a locked building with an institutionalized feel. Modern residential treatment programs are not what most people might think. Some of these programs are found in houses, and not hospital-like facilities.
As the name suggests, residential housing is a live-in program. That can mean many things. It might refer to an inpatient treatment program where those with SUD live together while they undergo treatment. In most cases, they have access to a private or semi-private room. They eat with others in their treatment family and do activities together, such as exercising or having fun. They participate in both individual therapy and groups. Join others from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and DC in a residential community of healing.
Residents have live-in situations for every stage of their recovery, including:
- Detox
- Intensive treatment
- Sober living for relapse prevention
In the U.S., substance use disorder and mental health conditions play a significant role in homelessness. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reports on any given night; an estimated 600,000 people sleep on the streets. Residential housing options can mean giving them a chance to feel better and have a home.
Residential services typically start with a detox treatment program. From there, the next step is a residential program for intensive treatment. Some opt to skip the traditional residential care and choose intensive outpatient services but stay in a sober living or residential recovery program. There are residential treatment programs that cater to specific populations, like the homeless, women with children, or those who have chronic medical conditions.
What are the Different Residential Housing Options?
They will vary from one treatment program to another. At Gaudenzia, with close to over 100 facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington D.C., there are several different kinds of residential housing options.
- Detox residential programs
- Inpatient residential service
- Halfway houses
- Partial Hospitalization
- Housing programs for women with children
- Housing programs for pregnant
- Women only housing programs
- Mental health services
- Co-occurring programs
- Temporary housing
- Permanent housing
Some of these options would provide a choice of residential or outpatient treatment programs. Even those undergoing outpatient treatment have housing options, though, such as a recovery community or sober living environment.
Testimonials from Gaudenzia Alumni
“A serious institution for serious addiction. They will work hard on treating your loved ones. Behavioral Health Clinic Baltimore will do their best to give their patients the care they need. They are very encouraging and will surely deliver sobriety for their patients.”
Detox Residential Treatment
Detox is the first stage of recovery treatment for most. Certain drugs like opioids and alcohol cause physical dependence, meaning they change the way the brain releases certain chemicals such as endorphins.
Endorphins make people feel good. Over time, the brain starts only to release these endorphins when that person uses a drug or drinks alcohol. When they stop, the brain’s chemistry becomes unbalanced, which can lead to some unpleasant and potentially life-threatening side effects.
Residential detox creates a safe environment for detoxification from a drug or alcohol. People undergoing this treatment can get comfort care and medical support that makes the process easier. Once clean, they can move on to intensive therapy to prevent further drug use.
Residential Treatment Program
Residential treatment programs in PA and other areas allow people to live together and support each other as they work towards recovery. Those in treatment live together in one environment. They attend various types of therapy and work together as a group.
Halfway Houses
Halfway houses allow those in recovery to live in a more structured setting as they reintegrate back into the community. Often, these houses are for those who have completed traditional treatment or that are undergoing intensive outpatient care and need a place to live. It allows them some freedom but still has some regulation and supervision elements.
Partial Hospitalization
Partial hospitalization allows individuals to go through treatment, have supervision during the day, and then go home with family or friends at night. When at the residence, they participate in various treatment programs like medication-assisted therapy, but at night return to a home base.
Housing for Women with Children
It can be difficult for women in need of SUD treatment to stay with and care for their children. If they don’t have family who can look after them, they might end up in the foster care system. A residential program for women with children provides housing for them as a family unit. Children have access to education and care while mom undergoes treatment.
Housing for Pregnant Women
Women with SUD who are expecting a baby need special care. Depending on the drug they use, their baby may be at risk for withdrawal after birth or even defects like fetal alcohol syndrome. By staying in residential housing equipped to help during pregnancy, these women increase their chances of having a healthy baby.
Women’s Treatment
A women’s treatment program caters to the unique needs of women. It also helps them feel safe in a world that may feel dangerous to them due to a history of abuse or trauma. In most ways, this option is ideal, as it allows women to focus on overcoming their challenges.
Temporary and Permanent Housing
Temporary and permanent housing creates short and long-term solutions for those that need help making a home. For some, it gives them a chance to start over again and avoid potential triggers for their drug use like homelessness or living in unhealthy environments.
In 2017, almost two million people entered drug treatment, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Mental Health Services and Co-occurring Programs
Some experts estimate that one in four people with a substance use disorder has an underlying mental health condition like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. They often begin using a drug or drinking alcohol to self-medicate and control an illness they might understand fully.
A residential program for mental health services or co-occurring disorders allows you to get mental health treatment at a mental health treatment center if necessary. For those with co-occurring issues, it’s better to deal with both of them at the same time to decrease the risk of relapse.
Contact Gaudenzia Today
A good number of them require residential housing to get the help they need. There are many different kinds of residential housing, though. The trick is to work with a treatment program that can help you determine which one is right for your needs.
If you are someone you love needs a residential treatment program serving Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and DC, give Gaudenzia a call at 833.647.0719. We offer a variety of residential housing options and know we can help.