Are you or someone you know and love seeking help for substance abuse? It takes a lot of courage and strength to start the addiction treatment recovery journey.
If this is you, congratulations on taking back control of your life. You are not alone; more than 31.9 million Americans have substance use disorders.
The first step is figuring out how to choose drug rehab centers that work for your needs. It is imperative that you review different centers to ensure that they are well equipped to give you the best results possible. This brief addiction treatment guide will cover what you need to look out for when choosing the right drug treatment facility.
Do I Need Treatment?
When someone initially starts to consume alcohol or drugs, they have the choice to either keep taking the substance or stop. Over time, the drugs and alcohol alter the functioning circuit of your brain, developing an addiction. Once you have an addiction, the urge to use these substances gets stronger.
There are a few warning signs that indicate that you may need to seek help. For example, you may continue to use the substance even after developing severe health issues. Another example would be if you felt that you needed to have the substance, no matter what time of the day or where you were.
Recognizing that you have an addiction takes courage, and listening to those warning signs can take a lot of strength. If you notice any of these warning signs, it may be time for you to seek help.
How to Choose Drug Rehab Centers
Finding the right rehab for drug addictions is a huge choice when you need help. Searching on the internet to find the right center for you can be an overwhelming, if not daunting, task. It is important to note that not all rehab centers are the same; you will need to determine which one is best for you.
Programs and Treatments
If you are currently at the beginning of your recovery journey, you may be wondering what is the “fastest way to get meth out of your system“. If this is the case you may need an inpatient medical detox to start the process. The detox portion of your treatment is typically the first phase, so make sure you look into rehab centers that offer medical detox.
There are rehabilitation programs that offer different services depending on your needs and the type of center you go to. Most programs include one-on-one or group therapy sessions to recognize triggers, coping skills, and other techniques that will help you manage when you go home. To ensure that you aren’t still using or abusing alcohol, you may have to go through routine and random drug testing.
Your addiction treatment program may also include exercise programs, nutritional services, yoga, and other wellness types of activities to help you manage your anxiety and stress. They also help you be more mindful of your addiction and how to be gentle and kind to yourself.
What Are Your Goals?
In rehab, almost everyone can agree that one of their biggest goals is lifelong recovery, but rehab centers are more than just curing your addiction. Instead, these centers are about treating you as a whole.
For example, in addition to treating the addiction problem itself, most people want to treat the reason for the addiction. For some, that could be wanting to fight their depression or to cure the underlying mental illness causing the addiction.
Check for Certifications and Accreditations
It is imperative that you make sure the facility you decide to partner with has the proper certifications and accreditations. The claims that a rehab center makes on their website are not enough for you to make an educated decision on where to seek treatment.
Make sure to check to see if the facility received an accreditation from the Joint Commission. When a center has an accredited from JCAHO (Joint Commission), they meet specific standards on staff, patient care, quality, and ongoing improvement standards.
Rehab Reviews
When you go to choose drug rehab centers that work best for your needs, you should look into their reviews. Again, it would be best if you did not solely base your decision on claims made by the rehab center on their website.
It is best to reach out to third-party review websites such as The Better Business Bureau or Google. There, you can check out reviews from patients to see what they did and did not like about their treatment at a specific facility.
Location of the Center
When choosing the location of your facility, you will want to pick something that works best for you and your needs. Some patients prefer to go far away from home, whereas others prefer to have a facility close to home.
If you choose to go to an outpatient facility, make sure that you check the location to ensure that it is not near a high-risk neighborhood. Will you be motivated to spend time commuting to your facility for your entire treatment? Is this location far enough from the places, things, or people that may tempt you to use or drink alcohol?
If you decide to choose an inpatient facility, you will need to think about how it will affect the access you have to your family. If you need family therapy, will your family be able to travel to your center? After you are discharged from the facility, will you still have access to alumni support or aftercare resources?
If you are unsure of which option is best for you, you may want to reach out to your sponsor or your therapist for additional help. They won’t be able to tell you which to choose. Instead, they will help you sort out your wishes and needs to help you determine which is best for you.
Review the Staff
Most treatment facilities list who they have on staff. You will want to check out the staff and their credentials and experience.
Most rehab centers have these people on staff:
- Physical health professionals
- Nurses
- Therapists and counselors
- Meditation teachers
- Psychiatrists
If you cannot find their credentials online, you can always call in to ask about their on-site staff. If you want to have the best experience in your rehab center, you will want to work with a team with the right experience and skills.
Check Out Their Amenities
Every addiction treatment center offers different amenities for its clients to enjoy. For example, if they have mediation or yoga teachers on staff, they may host weekly meet-ups for you to meet with the instructor.
Other facilities offer chef-prepared meals, pools/spas, outdoor recreational opportunities, and gyms. Make sure that you choose a treatment center that provides the amenities you know are essential to your overall well-being.
Review the Rehab Center Options
There are several different types of locations that offer different addiction treatment options. There are also specific locations that only treat one kind of drug addiction. This is because they are specialized units that focus on certain drug addictions.
Inpatient vs. Outpatient Services
Most people assume that when you seek help from an addiction treatment facility, you have to be there in person all the time, but that is not true. You have the option to either choose an outpatient service or an inpatient service.
Each of these settings provides you with different intensities of care and levels of supervision. One option may be better for you than the other. If you are unsure which is best for you and your current situation, you should research online by checking out the services offered by various rehab centers – you can Visit Website of Forrest, a center in Massachusetts, to learn more about day treatment and intensive outpatient programs, for instance – and also receive a medical evaluation from your healthcare provider.
Inpatient Programs
Inpatient programs involve a period of medically supervised detoxification and rehabilitation. Treatment may occur in a treatment facility, hospital setting, or clinic. As mentioned earlier, certain centers focus on specific drug addictions. Some facilities focus on particular populations as well, such as LGBTQ, veterans, homeless, or youth.
Specific locations may specialize in treating co-occurring mental disorders. In general, inpatient programs do cost more than outpatient treatment, but they offer higher levels of medical supervision. You will want to keep this in mind when comparing treatment costs. Inpatient programs also take you away from your drug-using environments, which may cause you to relapse and start using again.
Outpatient Treatments
Outpatient treatments allow you to live at home while visiting the facility for medication-assisted treatment and therapy. You may be an excellent candidate for this type of treatment if you currently do not have any mental health or medical conditions that warrant inpatient treatment.
If you have a reliable way to get to the facility and the clinic is close enough to access, you may benefit from an outpatient program. Many people choose this route if they have school, pets, children, or work obligations.
Check Your Insurance Coverage
Several patients depend on their medical insurance to pay for their rehab treatment. Unless you have the financial means to take care of your entire treatment plan out of pocket, you should reach out to your insurance company to see if they cover your treatment. Once you know that your insurance company covers rehab treatment, you will want to reach out to the treatment facility of choice to see if they accept your plan.
Aftercare Options
Aftercare is almost as important as recovery treatment for those recovering from addictions. If you cannot locate recovery resources, connect with your community, or find a job, your chances of relapsing increase.
Rehab centers do not have to provide you with aftercare, but they should be able to connect you with resources that can help with aftercare when you are discharged. When choosing your rehabilitation center, make sure that you look for facilities that will help you develop a recovery plan after receiving treatment.
If your facility is associated with sober living homes, they should be able to help you find substance-free and safe housing. They may also be able to help you transition from inpatient care to sober living.
Addiction rehabilitation centers with alumni and aftercare programs can also help you to connect with others in recovery who are in your community. If needed, you can also receive referrals to vocational training programs, educational institutions, and employment opportunities.
Services Offered
When looking for a rehabilitation center, you will want to make sure that they treat the type of addiction you have. As mentioned earlier, certain centers focus only on specific types of addiction. For example, if you have an alcohol addiction and a drug addiction, you may not receive the kind of care you need from a facility that only deals with alcohol addiction.
Co-occurring Disorders
Some patients with substance use disorders also experience co-occurring mental health issues. If you deal with depression, anxiety, or other mental health problems, make sure that you choose a facility that treats co-occurring disorders in addition to substance use disorders.
Family Programs
When someone has a strong support system helping them through this difficult time, they have a higher chance of staying sober well after rehab. For most people, their family is the best available support system.
For others, their families aren’t sure how to support each other. Most rehab centers offer family-based therapy that helps to teach family members how to function and communicate with their loved ones. Family therapy is beneficial for adolescents recovering from addictions.
Find the Right Treatment Center
It may seem hard to choose drug rehab centers that works best for you, but hopefully, this guide helped make the search criteria easier. The recovery journey looks different for everyone, so be patient with yourself when going through your recovery journey.
Once you find the right treatment center for you, make sure to engage in your program to get the most out of your treatment experience. If you found this article helpful and want to know more about other health tips, check out our Lifestyle & Health section today!
