Addiction Recovery

5 Signs You Might Need PHP Rehab

February 28, 2022

PHP rehab is an effective outpatient program for substance abuse treatment. However, it requires psychiatric evaluation before entering PHP sessions.

Mental health problems differ in severity and treatments can be confusing. Even more confusing is the fact that people with the same mental illness can receive different kinds of treatments. For this reason, many people coping with one form of mental health disorder or the other often find it difficult to access the right treatment. That’s why it's important to consult a mental health professional first. 

If you’ve been researching mental health treatments, you might have come across partial hospitalization programs or PHP rehab. 

What is PHP Rehab? 

In its simplest terms, it is a substance-abuse rehabilitation program that doesn’t require 24-hour supervision under a medical setup. In other words, PHP is a day rehab. Patients don’t have to stay in a facility to get better. Under this program, patients can go home after the treatment.

Who Is It For? 

PHP rehab is popular with patients who want to receive treatment for substance abuse and related mental health illnesses, but don’t want to stay in a treatment facility. Aside from going home to their families every day, they can also see family and friends during weekends or after treatment. 

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How Do You Know If PHP Rehab Is For You?

If you have an addiction problem, it’s never too late to get better. Here are five signs that might need to sign up for PHP treatment:

1. You’re Starting to Develop an Addiction

Signs of addiction are hard to detect. During the early stages, addiction signs aren’t always visible. However, addiction develops when a person becomes dependent on the substance. For example, you start to feel the need to take the substance frequently. Once you establish dependence on that substance, addiction starts to develop. 

Frequency is not the only measure of addiction. Sometimes, the quantity of substance ingested is a warning sign. If you think that you’re starting to develop an addiction, here are some guide questions for you:

  • Am I taking this substance frequently (e.g., daily, every two days, every week)?
  • Do I feel the need to take this substance frequently?
  • Do I show signs of lack of control or inability to discontinue using that substance?
  • Am I risking my safety by increasing the amount of substance ingested or resulting in harmful practices just to ingest the substance into my body?
  • Does skipping these substances make me feel bothered, uneasy, or irritated.

If most of your answers are ‘yes,’ there’s a high chance that you’re starting to develop an addiction. PHP might be a great treatment for you. However, you still need the professional diagnosis of a board-certified psychiatrist to determine if PHP is the right treatment approach for you. 

2. You Have Substance Abuse Issues But Are Mentally And Physically Stable 

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One of the requisites of PHP rehab is the safety of the patient. If the patient has a high risk of harming themself or a threat to take their own life, PHP is not a recommended treatment. Instead, in-patient programs are the recommended treatment program for patients with tendencies of suicide or self-harm. That’s why facilities only accept PHP patients once they prove that they are mentally stable.

Moreover, PHP treatment is not an immediate treatment program prescribed to substance abuse patients. As much as possible, medical professionals want to put patients in an in-patient program. However, if the psychiatrist can say that the patient qualifies for treatment programs other than in-patient treatments, that’s the only time where PHP becomes a possibility.

3. You’re Experiencing Severe Withdrawal Symptoms

During rehab, PHP patients will have to deal with their withdrawal symptoms while undergoing treatment. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms is normal and difficult if you’re alone. In treatment, the facilitators will teach you coping techniques that can help you fight withdrawal symptoms. If you’re alone, withdrawal symptoms won’t get away. They’ll likely worsen over time.

Severe withdrawal symptoms involve constant yearning for the substance. You’re starting to get the feeling of ingesting more and ingesting more frequently. You start to feel like the substance has become the air you breathe. Withdrawal symptoms are difficult to fight alone. Seek help now and fight your addiction.

4. Your Addiction Is Affecting Relationships With People Around You

Addiction destroys your health and relationships with other people. Signs of substance abuse addiction are isolation and seclusion. You start to intentionally avoid people and stay away from the company of good friends and loving family. The substance becomes your new friend, and you can’t just get enough of it. For example, drug addiction destroys you in many ways.

Drugs aren’t cheap, so you need to finance your addiction. You start depleting your savings, borrowing money from friends, and resulting in illegal ways just to get more drugs. In effect, you burn bridges with people who, without malice, extended financial assistance to you in the past. If you or someone you know is in this situation, treatment is possible — PHP rehab is possible.

With recommendation from a psychiatrist, you can enter a partial hospitalization program to get better while continuing your life outside treatment.

5. You’re Starting To Neglect Responsibilities at Home, School, Or Work

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A decline in performance at school or work is a warning sign of a lingering problem. Though not all are due to substance abuse, you can also reflect on your performance. If you’ve been under the influence of any substance lately, do you feel like you’re neglecting your responsibilities? Do you receive complaints from your boss or clients for poor outputs? If you’re a teenager, do you skip schools or cut classes intentionally?

Substance abuse can mess up your mind in many ways, and it will snowball if you do nothing to stop it. Losing interest in working or studying is one of the first signs. For adults, unpaid bills piling up are a sign of intentional neglect and financial difficulty. If you feel that you’re neglecting responsibilities because of substance abuse, seek help and prevent things from getting worse.

Take The All-Important Next Step Today

Treating mental health and substance abuse problems can be hard for people without knowing the best treatment option for their unique situations. It’s true that there are many treatments available today, but you can’t simply figure out which one best suits you without consulting a licensed and certified psychiatric professional. 

Substance abuse requires expert diagnosis to determine which treatment works best for you. While PHP rehab is attractive, only a medical expert can prescribe this treatment to you. Your road to recovery starts with Another Chance. We are a drug and alcohol rehab facility that specializes in offering treatments for substance abuse patients, with PHP as one of our specialties. Let’s talk about your healing journey today.

Call us now at (971) 272-8263 or fill out our contact form to get started.