Do you or a loved one need addiction treatment for alcohol or drugs? Many simply don't know how to compare treatment providers and end up settling for less.
Our comprehensive guide includes guidance on how to compare providers when shopping around.
Step 1 - Get Clear On Your Needs
Having gone through months (years?) of denial, when we're ready for treatment, it's easy to rush ahead into the first detox provider you call. But use your needs, and past experience, first and foremost, as your guide to what treatment will work best.
Detox, Rehab, Or Both?
A normal stay for alcohol or drug treatment would include the three stages of detoxification, rehabilitation, and aftercare planning. But there's no point in spending more than you have to.
- Do you need detox, or rehab? Think about this carefully.
If you've completed previous treatment and have a good understanding of self already, the full programme may not be required. But if you don't have supports in place, the detox-only option may not be enough.
Treatment Near Abergavenny
Understandably, when feeling low and needing detox, most will opt for a clinic close to where they live.
Looking farther afield can potentially mean finding a higher standard of care, for less cost.
Clinics have to pass muster with regulators re the basics of detox and rehab, but how supportive is their team? What is the staff:client numbers ratio? What happens if you struggle in future? It pays to shop around here.
See all the locations Abbeycare serve, here.
More Than One Previous Detox?
Getting the right help means being picky about the support you'll receive while in treatment.
This can be especially important where you have complex drug or alcohol detox needs.
While an admissions team or sales team can give an indication of likely detox methods, this is of course finalised and decided upon by the supervising medical professionals present.
Does the medical team at a given clinic specialise in addiction? Or do they practice in more general matters, with addiction as a second interest?
KEY QUESTIONS
- Can you easily accommodate my detox needs?
- Do you have specialist addiction medics prescribing detox?
- My case is complex- what happens in the event of complications?
Step 2 - What Happens In Rehab?
Tell me about how treatment works.
Private rehab clinics are centres where all the normal addiction treatment options like detox, therapy, and relapse prevention, are provided in a private setting, all under one roof, with specialists in the field. With your own room, and seclusion away from the addiction triggers in normal life, you have a chance to truly recover.
Before admission, you should expect to complete an initial assessment over the phone with admissions staff, whose job it is to co-ordinate the information you provide with specialists inside the clinic, and ensure their facility can meet your needs.
How Do I Monitor Progress?
Reputable clinics will try to personalise the care you receive, as far as possible.
A care plan, lays out in detail, how your stay will proceed, what targets you have for treatment, and how you'll measure them. Clinic addiction specialists (ideally assigned only to you) should help you prepare this and use it as a tool throughout your stay.
Be sure to take an active part in this, to avoid having standardised goals laid out, that don't match your preferences or personal situation. Make sure to take an active part in this stage.
KEY QUESTIONS
- To what extent is my care and management planned and mapped out?
- How do I make sure I stay on track during treatment?
- Does care planning account for my detox needs, therapy needs, or both?
- How is my treatment regimen communicated between staff members?
What Actually Happens Inside A Clinic?
What is it like being in a rehab clinic?
The structure of each day will vary of course, from one provider to the next.
Clinic operators must keep an entire group of clients on track every day. This can only be achieved when everyone works from the same daily schedule. This will give a clear indication of what activities happen when, where, and what's expected of you.
The time it takes to feel better at the initial stages of treatment is personal to each individual. Detox could last just a few days. Others may take 7 days or longer. This variation is natural.
Arranging a visit to the clinic, before committing any funding, can help reassure you of standards of care, and avoid a costly mistake. Ask about this.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Is it possible to see internal photos of the centre, before admitting?
- Give me an idea of how each day is structured, whilst in treatment?
- Do you offer the opportunity to look around the clinic before admitting?
- When do you expect me to start taking part in the therapy process?
Rehab & Covid-19
Rehab is almost always a group exercise, even at higher end clinics.
In fact, a big part of recovering in the longer term, is re-learning to interact with others, and break the old patterns of isolation.
But making headway in your recovery, at the expense of other health factors, won't help anyone.
Step 3 - Planning A Budget For Rehab
Naturally, funding private rehab treatment in Abergavenny is a concern for many.
The ability of third sector or voluntary organisations to deal with more complex detox needs is usually slim - it's worth looking into this though.
Automatically choosing the lowest price provider can lead to poor care levels inside the clinic, detrimental to your recovery progress.
Working with minimalist care, in a clinic with spartan conditions is not conducive to personal breakthroughs. Instead, look for alternative providers with smaller programmes, headcount, and overheads, to strike the right balance.
Call round a few providers, using our cheatsheet if needed - and get a feel for pricing, and whether they can meet your needs comfortably. Don't commit to anything just yet.
Other Ways To Get Help
AA/NA/GA Meetings
Even since covid-19, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups are still available, although most have now adopted online platforms to hold meetings, these can still be a rich source of support.
Whilst mutual aid plays a big part for many, later in their recovery journey, those at the start will need professional help to detox safely.
Thousands benefit from local community groups every week. But starting out - you'll need more specialist help for detox.
NHS Addiction Options
In the first instance, it's possible to present to your GP and discuss the possibility of referral to your local addictions team, in the NHS. They will usually help you monitor the effects of addiction in your life, but are unable to refer or provide funding for immediate detox, in most cases.
This is not a question of lack of intention to help, but more of resources and strain the healthcare system experiences, under heavy demand.
Where no public healthcare short term options are viable, or where the individual doesn't have enough funding in place for treatment, we often see families and friends pooling together to finance detox for a loved one.
Step 4 - Get Impartial Consumer Reports
While many providers will claim to show many positive reviews, their legitimacy is not always clear.
Arm yourself from the outset, with the *only* truly impartial consumer report available for private clinics - the Care Quality Commission (England & Wales) and/or Care Inspectorate (Scotland) inspection reports.
These regulatory bodies complete inspections to ensure a minimum level of service is met.
Treatment providers are graded against standardised performance measures like environment, care standards, and support provided to clients.
Regulatory Inspections - Keynotes
Inspections can be "announced" (the clinic is aware in advance) or "unannounced" (inspection teams arrive without warning) - so for the best insight into everyday care levels, check for unannounced reports.
Step 5 - Finalise The Details
Now is the time to come to a decision about where you're completing treatment.
The clinic team will ask you to complete a telephone questionnaire, to make sure they can meet your needs.
You can normally complete the necessary steps over the phone in 20 minutes or less, and then make an initial deposit towards treatment, that's used to hold the room in your name, until you arrive at the clinic.
If you’re paying via an insurance policy, this is the time that will get sorted out also.
Step 6 - Financing Treatment
As mentioned above, paying a deposit means the clinic can prepare for your arrival, and allocate your room booking.
Most clinics will expect a deposit of £2,000 or more.
Not many clinics remain, who offer finance payment plans, directly.
You should expect some kind of booking confirmation from the provider, usually by email, after any deposit or balance payment is made.
Remaining Balance
The provider will likely ask you to settle the remainder of the treatment balance due, after arrival at the clinic.
Pay this on time to avoid surcharges that could quickly mount up later.
Step 7 - Admission
Make note of the day and time you're due to admit to treatment.
You'll need to bring a few basic necessities with you:
Check your booking confirmation for advice about mobile phone usage, internet access, visits, leisure facilities, and any special arrangements for covid-19.
Do you have transport to the clinic organised? Making sure of this will help avoid any potential extra charges levied for late arrival.
Take a well-deserved rest, as the road to recovery opens up before you.
Asking The Right Questions
Thanks so much for reading the ultimate guide on finding rehab treatment in Abergavenny.
Thanks for reading our free guide.
Abbeycare's UK clinics are available to those in Abergavenny.
Thousands have already joined Abbeycare to overcome addiction, from every corner of the globe.
In our 15 years, we've worked with even the most complex detoxes, needs, and issues.
Our team can even get transport organised too, if needed, from your location (with an extra charge).
Check our independent inspection reports, available on our clinic pages for Scotland, and Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team are ready to help.
Detox is possible, safely and comfortably, with the help of our medical team.
The Abbeycare therapy team are specialists in helping you identify and work through the underlying triggers behind addiction.
The Abbeycare clinic team are ready to help you co-ordinate everything.
The only thing left is - are you ready?
To get your questions answered, or to get started in recovery, our team can help, on 01603 513 091.
