Outpatient treatment for opiate addiction
Treatment you go to while living at home. Here are the three levels, what a week looks like and how people keep working.
Find treatment near youUpdated October 2026. Sources are linked on this page.
The short answer
- What it is
- Treatment you attend by appointment while living at home, from a short regular visit to a program that fills most of the day.
- How long
- Intensive programs often run for weeks to a few months. Regular visits can continue for as long as they help.
- What it costs
- Medicaid and most insurance cover it, and many clinics charge on a sliding scale if you are uninsured.
The three levels of outpatient care
Outpatient means you have an appointment and go home the same day. The levels differ mainly in how many hours a week you spend there.
Regular outpatient
This is like any other doctor’s visit. You see a prescriber, a counselor or both, weekly at first and less often as things settle. Most people on buprenorphine are treated this way. An opioid treatment program that gives methadone is also outpatient care.
Intensive outpatient, or IOP
An IOP packs more into the week: group sessions, one-to-one counseling, learning coping skills and help with medication. Medicare, for example, describes intensive outpatient care as at least 9 hours of services a week. Other insurers set their own definitions.
Partial hospitalization, or PHP
This is the most intensive level that still lets you sleep at home. Medicare describes it as at least 20 hours of services a week. It is sometimes called day treatment. People often use it as a step down from a hospital or residential stay, or as a step up when an IOP is not enough.
What a week in outpatient care looks like
In regular outpatient care, a week might hold one appointment. The visit covers how you are feeling, how the medication is working, and anything getting in the way. Some clinics ask for a urine test. Many offer visits by video or phone.
In an IOP, expect several sessions spread across the week, each lasting a few hours. Most of that time is in groups. You talk through triggers, practice ways to handle cravings and stress, and hear from people a few steps ahead of you. You also meet your own counselor, and a prescriber manages any medication.
A PHP looks similar but fills most of the day on most weekdays.
The kinds of therapy used are explained on our counseling and behavioral therapy page. The medicines are covered in medication treatment.
Who outpatient care suits
Many people with opioid addiction are treated entirely in outpatient care, with medication as part of it. It tends to fit if you have a stable place to live, a way to get to visits or a private spot for video calls, and at least one person on your side.
A more intensive level may be suggested if you have returned to use several times, you also live with depression, anxiety or another mental health condition, or home is full of reminders.
If the people you live with are using, or you have no steady housing, residential rehab may be the safer start. A clinician can assess you and recommend a level. You are allowed to say what you think you can manage.
Keeping your job while in care
For many people this is the deciding question. Outpatient care exists partly so you can keep working.
Scheduling
Ask each program when its sessions run. Some hold IOP groups in the evening or early morning. Telehealth visits can cut out travel time. With regular outpatient visits, the time away from work is often no more than for any other medical appointment.
Time off
The Family and Medical Leave Act gives eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year for a serious health condition. It can be taken in short blocks. You qualify if you have worked for your employer for at least 12 months and 1,250 hours, at a site with 50 or more employees within 75 miles. Our page on taking leave for treatment explains the steps.
Privacy and protection
Federal law, 42 CFR Part 2, restricts treatment programs from sharing your records without your written consent. The Americans with Disabilities Act protects people who are in treatment or recovery and not currently using drugs illegally. Taking prescribed medication for opioid use disorder under a clinician’s care does not count as illegal drug use. See will my job find out for more. State rules vary, and this is general information, not legal advice.
When you are ready to compare programs, find treatment in your state.
What outpatient treatment costs
With Medicaid
Every state Medicaid program must cover medications for opioid use disorder. Ask your plan which outpatient programs it covers.
See your options: With MedicaidWith private insurance
Marketplace plans must cover substance use treatment. Expect a copay for each visit or program day.
See your options: With private insuranceWith no insurance
Ask for the sliding-fee scale. Community health centers offer free or low-cost care.
See your options: With no insuranceFind outpatient care in your state
Real, licensed facilities from public records. No paid placements.
Questions people ask us
What is the difference between IOP and PHP?
Mostly hours. An intensive outpatient program runs for part of the day on several days a week. Partial hospitalization fills most of the day on most weekdays. Medicare, for example, describes IOP as at least 9 hours a week and partial hospitalization as at least 20. In both, you go home at night.
Can I work full time during an intensive outpatient program?
Many people do, mainly by choosing a program with evening or early morning sessions. Ask about schedules before you enrol. If the hours clash with work, you may be able to use intermittent leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. See taking leave for treatment.
Is outpatient treatment as good as rehab?
For many people, yes. What matters most for opioid addiction is getting on a medication and staying in care, and that can happen while living at home. Residential rehab helps more when home is not a safe place to stop or outpatient care has not held.
How long does outpatient treatment last?
It varies. Intensive programs often run for a number of weeks to a few months, then step down to fewer sessions. Regular visits for medication can go on for a year or longer. Your plan should be adjusted to how you are doing, not to a fixed calendar.
Sources
- SAMHSA: Treatment types for mental health, drugs and alcohol
- NIDA: Treatment
- Medicare.gov: Intensive outpatient program services
- Medicare.gov: Partial hospitalization
- US Department of Labor: Fact Sheet 28P, taking FMLA leave for a serious health condition
- ADA.gov: The ADA and opioid use disorder
This page is general information, not medical advice. Talk with a clinician about your own situation.