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The goals of hospital inpatient care are many.

  First, hospitals endeavor to provide a clean, safe, medically-managed facility for treatment.  Stabilizing a patient’s acute symptoms is often the foremost goal of the hospital staff, a task that can’t be accomplished at a residential facility or outpatient program, as the use of medications is often involved.

In a hospital environment, the patient can recover both physically and emotionally, a step that’s important to full recovery.  When all acute symptoms are in check, hospital inpatient programs, not unlike residential treatment programs, begin educating the patient about their disease; for example, the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse. A daily schedule will probably consist of self-help and preparatory counseling, motivational therapy on a group or individual basis, and family therapy that includes spouses, children, parents, significant others, and caregivers. 

The main goal of hospital inpatient treatment, however, is to move the patient towards a lesser level of care, such as an outpatient program or support group. The length of time spent at an inpatient program will vary with each individual.  While there may be a standard treatment duration set by a particular hospital, patients who are deemed to be in danger of relapse or those who have not fully cooperated with the program may need additional time to recover or move to the next step.