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Getting started · 6 min read

ASAM levels of care, explained without the jargon

What 3.5, 3.1, 2.1, 1.0 and 0.5 actually mean for your week, your job, and your family.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) publishes the criteria most programs and insurers use to match people to the right intensity of care. The numbers look technical, but they describe something simple: how many hours of treatment a week, and whether you sleep at home.

The levels P2H programs offer

3.5High-intensity residential. You live on site with staff around the clock and a full daily schedule of therapy and groups. For people who need to be out of their environment to get stable.
3.1Low-intensity residential. You still live on site, with structure and support, but fewer clinical hours a day. Often a step down from 3.5 while you rebuild work, school, or family routines.
2.5Partial hospitalization. About 20 or more hours of treatment a week, most days, and you go home at night.
2.1Intensive outpatient (IOP). At least 9 hours a week for adults, usually three sessions of about three hours. Day and evening tracks let people keep working.
1.0Outpatient. Fewer than 9 hours a week, usually individual therapy, a group, and medication management if you need it.
0.5Early intervention. For people whose use is risky but who may not meet the criteria for a substance use disorder. Education and counseling to change course early.

How placement is decided

An ASAM assessment looks at six areas, called dimensions: withdrawal risk, physical health, emotional and mental health, readiness to change, risk of relapse, and your living environment. The level of care follows from the answers, not from what a program happens to have open.

Levels change as you do

Placement is revisited throughout treatment. Many people start residential, step down to IOP, then to outpatient. Others start in outpatient and step up for a while if things get harder. Moving between levels is normal and is a sign the plan is working as designed, not a failure.

What about detox?

Medically managed withdrawal is its own level of care. P2H programs do not provide it. If you need it, we arrange it first and plan your admission for afterward.

General information, not medical advice. In a crisis, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.

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