For decades, the standard of care for detox was to go to the hospital for inpatient care. This continues to be as inconvenient as it is expensive. Over 10 years ago though, Dr Rodriguez pioneered five new forms of outpatient detox, two for outpatient opiate detox and three for outpatient alcohol and benzodiazepine detox, which changed the face of addiction treatment. Patients no longer had to miss 1 or 2 weeks of work to complete a chemical detoxification. What was once considered not possible has since become the new standard of care for addiction treatment.
Outpatient addiction treatment has only grown in availability and sophistication over the last few years. Modern advances such as Subutex and Suboxone, sublingual forms of buprenorphine that have received FDA approval for opiate detox and relapse prevention maintenance, have made treatment even more effective. These medications allow for safe and comfortable detoxification from opiates and opioids such as heroin, oxycodone and methadone. Patients are often back to work within a day, sometimes even the same day they first present for medical care. The comfort levels are greater than with inpatient detox, in part because there are no time constraints.
The absence of time constraints is of particular benefit to outpatient alcohol and benzodiazepine detox. Sedative detox is a delicate process that requires a critical minimum amount of time to be completed safely. A rushed process can become dangerous, with the risk of major complications such as delerium tremens, seizures and death. A well-planned outpatient detoxification of sufficient length is usually more comfortable and safer than any 5 to 7 day inpatient detox. Outpatient alcohol detox also has the benefit of very little to no time missed from work. This reduces the opportunity cost of treatment as well as maintaining the highest degree of privacy.
A high degree of safety, privacy, convenience, clinical effectiveness, and cost efficiency make outpatient detoxification an increasingly popular treatment option. The greater accessibility of outpatient addiction treatment has helped thousands of patients achieve and maintain sobriety. The high success rate has allowed many to receive the help they needed without ever being missed at work. Less than 10% of patients that present to our center for outpatient detox have still required inpatient care to achieve stability. The comfort, convenience, privacy and cost efficiency we offer is simply unparalleled.
