For most, finding the right help for alcohol or drug issues in Acton, is confusing and difficult. Many simply don't know how to compare treatment providers and end up settling for less.
Before taking the plunge, here's everything you need to know when shopping around for addiction help in Acton.
Step 1 - Detox .v. Rehab
When you or a loved one are finally ready for help, it can be tempting to pick up the phone and sign up for the first rehab clinic you can find. But considering first, what your treatment needs truly are, can help you pay for rehab just once, and not twice.
Detox-Only, Versus Full Rehabilitation Programme
Addiction treatment for alcohol or drugs usually starts with a detox, then therapy (rehab), followed by aftercare. But which of these is right for you?
- Do you need detox, or rehab? (Be honest).
Committing unnecessarily to all 3 stages of treatment may see you paying too much, but not having enough support down the line could also mean paying the cost of rehab again.
Treatment Near Acton
Understandably, when feeling low and needing detox, most will opt for a clinic close to where they live.
Make comparisons instead, against level of care, support, and independent reviews from The Care Quality Commission (England & Wales) or The Care Inspectorate (Scotland).
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.
If You Have Complex Needs
You should know: your progress in treatment can depend heavily on the strength of the clinic staff around you, and the support of your peers.
You'll want a clear idea here of what detox protocol you're getting, and what help is available during it.
Specific detoxes that may need more specialist intervention include high dose methadone transfers, multi-substance detoxes, or cases with previous hospital admission for addiction.
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?
- What addiction experience do your prescribing professionals have?
- My case is complex- what happens in the event of complications?
Step 2 - Behind The Scenes In An Addiction Treatment Clinic
What should I expect, inside an addiction clinic?
Rehab clinics are not hospitals with shared wards - you'd normally have your own room in the clinic for the length of your stay. Some clinics also offer shared rooms - although this has become less common since the advent of coronavirus.
The clinic you enquire with, have to make sure they can look after you and your needs for detox and rehab. They'll ask some standard questions about your usage, and history with addiction. This is normal, and it's important for them to rule out extreme cases where their environment may not be safe, or provide a comfortable detox experience.
Keeping Track Of Getting Better
Reputable clinics will try to personalise the care you receive, as far as possible.
If staff do not offer to help draw up a personalised care plan of action for your clinic time, and longer recovery journey, you've chosen the wrong provider.
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. This part is important and can determine your progress later, so don't skip it.
KEY QUESTIONS
- To what extent is my care and management planned and mapped out?
- How do you help clients measure goals and progress?
- Do you take account of my history of addiction when making treatment care plans?
- How is care planning done?
What Actually Happens Inside A Clinic?
What's the daily routine, inside a rehab, during treatment?
Without actually being in the clinic, the closest you can get is to ask questions about the daily experience of life in the clinic.
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 lays out the timetable of events, and what's expected.
The normal first stage of treatment is detox. Some will be ready to start therapeutic work after just a few days. Others may take 7 days or longer. This level of variance between individuals is very normal.
Call the clinic's admissions team to arrange to look around the inside of the centre before completing any paperwork. This can give you a real feel for how the day to day looks and feels.
KEY QUESTIONS
- What see inside photos do you have, of the clinic, online?
- What is the daily agenda of activities inside the clinic, and how soon after detox will I be expected to take part?
- How do I get reassurance about the look and feel of the clinic, prior to arranging admission?
- How quickly after detoxing can I get started on the remainder of the programme elements?
Addiction Treatment & Covid-19
Since rehab treatment is usually a communal environment, you should expect to have to accommodate others on the journey.
Gains achieved during treatment can be amplified by the help of the peer group around you.
Achieving recovery in a covid-19 world, however, means making some accommodations along the way.
Step 3 - Managing The Budget For Treatment
Whilst private clinics offer fast access to specialist help, financing the stay in treatment needs planning.
Third sector organisations providing full stack care (detox, therapy, aftercare) under one roof are few and far between, but worth investigating in your area.
As you can imagine, the cheapest provider is not always the best.
Instead, seeking out non-brand name providers, who spend less on business and more on care levels, can pay off.
Use this step to get a clear idea of what rough budget you can commit to treatment, ringing round a few providers for initial pricing if needed.
Alternative Options
Mutual Aid Support
Most locations hold local Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings which can assist in the mutual aid and social elements of recovery.
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 for short term help for detox, you'll need professional assistance.
Community Healthcare 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.
Hospital or clinic based detox places strain on resources and funding, and is usually only available for extreme cases.
Aggregating funds together, between friends and family, can be a good approach to securing private treatment instead, where the individual can't finance it themselves.
Step 4 - Read The Only Impartial Reports
Review platforms are widespread nowadays and some reviews are not always trustworthy.
In these situations we need an independent and impartial regulator's opinion - in this case, The Care Quality Commission (CQC) for England and Wales, and The Care Inspectorate, for Scotland.
The CQC and The Care Inspectorate are the industry regulators, and complete routine inspections of private rehabs, which are often classified under the 'Care Homes' category, in their records.
Clinics are graded across multiple areas of care, including support standards, management, and clinical environment.
How Clinic Inspections Work
On paper, a visit by regulators to a clinic can be "Announced", or "Unannounced" - the former means the clinic knew about the inspection in advance, the latter means they didn't. Hence, "Unannounced" inspection reports are more likely to provide a real-world picture of clinic conditions and service levels.
Step 5 - Finalise The Details
It's now time to decide on one of the clinics you've looked at.
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.
Any additional financial issues, such as paying via insurance policy, would normally also be sorted out at this stage.
Step 6 - Funding Your Stay
As mentioned above, paying a deposit means the clinic can prepare for your arrival, and allocate your room booking.
Expect to pay anywhere from £1,800 to £4,000 to book a place in a treatment provider's clinic.
Not many clinics remain, who offer finance payment plans, directly.
Make sure to get an email confirmation of deposit paid, and confirmation of what happens next.
Outstanding Balance
The remaining balance is normally paid for on arrival at the clinic, at the point of admission.
It’s worth making the effort to settle this on time, as some providers can levy surcharges for late payment, and this quickly adds up, on larger balances.
Step 7 - Admitting To A Clinic
If you don't already have it, contact the admissions team and confirm your date and time of arrival.
You'll usually be asked to bring certain essentials 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.
Now, enjoy your recovery!
Easy Rehab Q&A Cheatsheet
You've reached the end of our ultimate guide on finding the right rehab!
Thanks for reading our ultimate guide to finding treatment help in Acton.
Abbeycare's UK clinics have been helping those in Acton.
Thousands have already joined Abbeycare to overcome addiction, from every corner of the globe.
In these last 15 years, our experience has gone from strength to strength.
Not nearby? No problem, we can arrange transport too, in many cases.
How did we do with inspections from regulators? Check our reports, available on our clinic pages, here: Abbeycare Scotland, and Abbeycare Gloucester.
Abbeycare admissions team can advise on options that suit your needs.
Our medical team can assist you to detox, safely, and comfortably.
The Abbeycare therapy team are specialists in helping you identify and work through the underlying triggers behind addiction.
Our clinic team are ready to help you get started.
Are you ready for recovery?
Ready to get started? All calls are confidential. Ring direct on 01603 513 091.
