When you are looking for a treatment center, you need to know they are not all alike. A few tips can help you find one that will produce the best results.
First, you can ask your own physician for a recommendation. He may know about centers in your area, and may be able to recommend one that is ideal for your situation. Second, if cost is an issue, knowing in advance how treatment will be paid for can relieve your worries and ensure treatment does not result in debt.
You can ask your insurance company if your health insurance policy covers addiction treatment, and whether any specific facilities are covered. If you do not have insurance, and cannot afford the cost yourself, ask your local Social Services department for information about free or low-cost treatment facilities.
Fortunately, success with treatment does not need to be based on the cost of the treatment program. There are treatment centers that cost nothing, yet offer excellent services in a nice environment. There are also luxury centers where beautiful settings and fun activities take priority over treatment programs. When you find a center that fits your budget, make sure it offers everything you need.
Success with a treatment program has much to do with choosing the right program. Know your options in advance, and focus on the centers that offer what you want. 12-Step, non-12-Step, holistic recovery, faith-based, dual-diagnosis, and gender-specific, are the most common types of treatment programs. You will have a better experience and better eventual results if you choose the option that suits you the best.
Location is an important factor in finding the right treatment facility. Even if you can afford to travel a long distance, your family may not be able to participate. It also limits your options for aftercare. If neither of these are issues for you, by all means choose a treatment center in any location you like. In most instances, though, centers that are closer to an addict’s home can be more beneficial.
You will also want to know about the center’s policies and rules. An otherwise excellent treatment center will result in a very negative experience if it has rules or policies that are truly unreasonable. From items you are allowed to bring from home, or the communications you can have with your family, to the penalties for for making a mistake, you should know in advance exactly what is required of you, and whether you feel it is reasonable.
If you believe a treatment center’s policies or rules violate your rights, force you to make unnecessary sacrifices, or treat you as if you are less than a person, look for a different center. Some drug and alcohol treatment centers make medication a part of their treatment programs.
You must know about their policy in advance, and whether or not you agree with it. You can consult with your
doctor if you do not have an opinion. Do not sign into a treatment facilitythat insists on giving medication if you do not want it, or withholds medication if you need it.
Choosing the right substance abuse center also includes individualized treatment programs. If you find a center that offers only one program, and has only one approach for everyone, you may not gain very much from the experience. While a treatment program is not meant to cater to a person’s whims, it should take individual needs into consideration.
The duration of your stay, the type or types of counseling you need, and special services for employment or education concerns are a few examples of topics where your individual needs must be addressed.
When you have an idea of how long you will be staying at a residential treatment facility, make arrangements for your family, job, and other responsibilities in your absence. While you are likely to find they can manage quite well, you do not need the stress of worrying about everything and everyone when you are in treatment.
Another point to consider is treatment can only be as useful as what you yourself put into it. Even if you have found the ideal center and an ideal treatment program, you must be willing to work hard, cooperate, and follow advice. A drug or alcohol treatment program is not a social setting, a vacation, or a way to escape your everyday responsibilities. If you take the approach that you are there to overcome your addiction and begin putting your life in order, you can have good results and benefit from the experience.
Although it is important to take all these points into consideration when choosing a treatment center, and select the one most appropriate for you, it is up to you to make the best of the services, help, and advice they offer. You must do your own part to recover.