If a person is getting outpatient detox they travel to the facility helping them through detox every day or at minimum 5 days per week in most cases. Outpatient detox services are either done in the daytime or evening, which makes it ideal for someone who must keep a normal work or school schedule. Certain facilities also offer ways to get detox treatment in a choice of normal outpatient or outpatient day treatment, to improve detox services and try to prevent relapse.
A standard time people participate in outpatient detox is approximately a week. A number of facilities use medically assisted detoxification approaches while others provide medication free detox treatement. At times when meds are needed to avert life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, like with alcohol and benzodiazepine medications where seizures are sometimes an issue. Alternatively, medical staff at the program help individuals manage their emotional, psychological, and physical symptoms of cravings and withdrawal until they are safely detoxed and balanced.
While outpatient detoxification in Erie is more flexible for obvious reasons, a very serious drawback is that people are at a greater risk of relapse due to the access they keep to alcohol and drugs. Ideally, people will then go into a comprehensive treatment facility to deal with the reasons for their addiction once outpatient or inpatient detox is complete.