In 2025, an estimated 47.2 million people aged 12 or older needed substance use treatment, and 84% of them did not receive any treatment at all [1].
Cost and access explain part of that gap. So does not knowing what treatment actually involves. Addiction treatment is not a single program. It is a continuum of levels, and understanding how they differ makes the first phone call for help easier.
What Types of Addiction Treatment Programs Are Available?
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) organizes treatment into four broad levels: outpatient, intensive outpatient and high-intensity outpatient, residential, and medically managed inpatient [2].
Not every level exists at every facility. Southwest Florida has programs across the range of gradations, and many people move through two or three of them in a single episode of care.
This article focuses on partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) treatments — the programs provided by Sprout Recovery in Fort Myers, FL.
How Is the Right Level of Care Decided?
Your placement in care follows an assessment across six dimensions:
- Intoxication and withdrawal — you are using or drinking daily and would face a medically risky withdrawal without supervision, or you need to start a medication such as buprenorphine.
- Biomedical conditions — you have unmanaged diabetes, are pregnant, or have not slept properly in weeks.
- Psychiatric and cognitive conditions — you have active panic attacks, untreated trauma, or a history of psychiatric hospitalization.
- Substance use-related risks — you are driving after drinking, sharing needles, or using alone.
- Recovery environment interactions — you live with someone who is still using, or your household does not know you are seeking help.
- Person-centered considerations — you cannot attend daytime programming because of a work schedule, or you are not yet convinced treatment is necessary.
The target is the setting where you can be treated safely and effectively. Admission is based on what you need now, not on prerequisites such as having failed treatment before.
You are reassessed as you go. Transition and continued service criteria decide whether you step down, step up, or stay where you are [3].
Detox Is the Starting Point, Not the Full Treatment
Withdrawal happens when the body responds to stopping a substance after prolonged use. Symptoms range from mild discomfort to life-threatening, particularly with alcohol and benzodiazepines [4].
Medically supervised detox makes stopping safe. It does not address the reasons the use first started or continued, which is why people completing detox are then evaluated for inpatient and outpatient treatment programs [4].
The Sprout Recovery team can refer you to a professional detox provider if that is the first step in your journey.
What to Expect in a Partial Hospitalization Program
A PHP provides at least 20 hours of clinical services per week, with a heavier emphasis on psychotherapy than the lower levels.
In practice, that means a high number of hours focusing on individual therapy, group therapy, psychiatric review, and medication management. With PHP, you return home in the evening.
It suits people stepping down from residential care, and people who are stable enough to live at home but require more than weekly therapy.
What to Expect in an Intensive Outpatient Program
An IOP provides 9 to 19 hours of clinical services per week, built primarily around counseling and psychoeducation [2].
The schedule is designed to leave room for work, school, and family. Several sessions a week take place, for a few hours at a time.
IOP works as a step down from PHP, or as a starting point when your home situation is stable and withdrawal is not a medical concern.
What Happens During Intake and the First Week
Expect a benefits verification call first. Coverage varies by level of care, and admissions staff will confirm what your plan pays before you commit to anything.
Then comes a clinical assessment covering your substance use history, medical history, psychiatric symptoms, and your living situation. That assessment produces both your level of care recommendation and your treatment plan.
The first week is mostly orientation and stabilization. You meet your therapist, join groups that are already running, and see a prescriber if medication is part of the plan.
Which Therapies and Medications Are Used?
Individual therapy and group therapy form the core of every outpatient level.
Medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) treat both alcohol, opioid, and benzodiazepine use disorder. Acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone are the most common for alcohol use disorder. Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone are the most common for opioid use disorder [5].
Research shows that combining medication with counseling improves outcomes increases retention in treatment and recovery services, and reduces illicit opioid use [5].
Where Sober Living and Continuing Care Fit
A recovery residence such as a sober living house, can be recommended in addition to an outpatient level of care, rather than instead of it [2].
For people whose home environment is unstable, that combination is often what makes outpatient treatment workable at all.
After a program ends, continuing care keeps you connected to treatment and support communities [6].
How Long Does Addiction Treatment Last?
There is no fixed duration. People move along the continuum based on progress and outcomes rather than arbitrary predetermined lengths of stay [2].
Typically, a person spends several weeks in PHP, then several weeks or months in IOP, then receives ongoing outpatient care and alumni support.
What Matters Most
- Addiction treatment is a continuum of four broad levels, not one program, and most people move through more than one level.
- Detox manages withdrawal safely, but by itself does not treat the disorder underneath.
- PHP provides at least 20 hours of clinical services per week. IOP provides 9 to 19.
- Medications for alcohol and opioid use disorder work best combined with counseling, and they improve retention and treatment outcomes.
- A recovery residence can be added to outpatient care. Continuing care works best when it lasts and includes active outreach.
- Length of treatment is driven by progress, not by a predetermined number of days.
Addiction Treatment in Fort Myers, FL
At Sprout Recovery, our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and day treatment program serve adults 18 and over across Southwest Florida.
We do not provide medical detox or residential care. We begin where those end, with our PHP and IOP. We can point you toward a trusted detox provider if you need one first.
Individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management form the core of care, and neurofeedback is built into our outpatient programs. Optional sober living is available for clients in substance use treatment who need help transitioning from care to everyday life.
Call our admissions team and we will verify your benefits and discuss which level of care fits you.
Sources
[1] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2026, Jul. 27. SAMHSA Releases Annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health. samhsa.gov.
[2] American Society of Addiction Medicine. 2024. The ASAM Criteria: Fourth Edition. hcpf.colorado.gov.
[3] American Society of Addiction Medicine. n.d. ASAM Criteria 4th Edition. asam.org.
[4] Regina, A. C. et al. 2024, Sep. 2. Withdrawal Syndromes. StatPearls Publishing.
[5] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. n.d. Treatment Options for Substance Use Disorder. samhsa.gov.
[6] McKay, J. R. 2021, Jan. 21. Impact of Continuing Care on Recovery From Substance Use Disorder. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 41(1), Article 01.
[7] Florida Department of Law Enforcement. 2026, May 13. Florida’s Opioid and Drug-Related Deaths Decline During First Half of 2025. fdle.state.fl.us.