Private rehab treatment for alcohol or drug addiction can be expensive, and low-cost or free alternatives are seldom available. Many aren't aware of the right questions to ask, and how to compare more than one centre.
If you're considering rehab treatment in Acton, first check our guide below - this is the UK’s no 1 guide on how to find the right rehab centre for you.
Step 1 - What Do You Actually Need?
At the bottom of another binge it can feel all too easy to quickly commit to the nearest clinic offering a fast detox. But use your needs, and past experience, first and foremost, as your guide to what treatment will work best.
Detox .v. Rehab
Some providers can try to sell Rehab, and even Aftercare, upfront, before you've even started treatment, but do you really need all these?
- Unsure if you need detox, rehab, aftercare, or all 3? (Be honest).
You could go for a detox-only programme, but run greater risk of future relapse if other supports are not in place.
Rehab In The Right Place
Caught up in the need for detox, many will commit too early to a clinic as close as possible to home, without thinking ahead.
Unless you're extremely unwell, consider anything up to 100 mile radius and focus instead on quality of care.
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.
A Past History Of Addiction
The quality of support you receive from the clinic team, can make or break recovery results.
This can be especially important where you have complex drug or alcohol detox needs.
The clinic team over the phone should be able to give a rough indication of how they'll approach your treatment.
Ask around to find a clinic with professionals who have experience in detoxing your substance type specifically, e.g. a high dose methadone detox is complex, and should be undertaken only by professionals with substantial experience.

KEY QUESTIONS
- Do you foresee any complications with my detox?
- Do you have specialist addiction medics prescribing detox?
- My case is complex- what happens in the event of complications?
Step 2 - How Does Rehab Work?
What should I expect, inside an addiction clinic?
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.
Expect to complete a pre-admissions screening process over the phone - this is quite normal.
Mapping Out Needs And Treatment Goals
After admission to a clinic, staff will usually look to plan out your care in the clinic, and how that will work, for you personally.
This means a 'care plan' is drawn up, and agreed by you and your assigned care manager.
Whilst not the most exciting part of the journey, this is a necessary means to help you monitor progress toward your long term vision. It's worth making the effort here.

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 Do I Do In The Clinic, Each Day?
What Is Day To Day Life Like, In Treatment?
Short of actually admitting to treatment, we need to ask questions here that let us know what we should expect to see, hear, and feel, once admitted to a clinic.
Since residential rehab is a group environment, most clinics provide each client with a daily agenda, every night for the following day. The agenda lets you know what's happening when, and what activities you should participate in.
Factors such as previous detoxes, history of relapse, amount and duration of intake, and others, will determine how long the detox stage of treatment takes. Some will be ready to start therapeutic work after just a few days. Sometimes it will take longer than this to get a clear head again. This level of variance between individuals is very normal.
Also, make sure to ask to arrange a visit to look around the clinic, first.

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?
- Is it possible to arrange a pre-admission visit, to look around? Is there any charge attached?
- Based on my information, how quickly would you want me to start taking part in the therapy schedule, following detox?
A Word About Covid-19
Since rehab treatment is usually a communal environment, you should expect to have to accommodate others on the journey.
Only with the support of others on the journey, can we hope to make a full recovery.
Making long term recovery gains today, means being careful to check on some basics re covid-19 preparedness and preventative measures.
Step 3 - Rehab On A Budget
Getting funds together for rehab in Acton takes planning, for most families.
The differences between public and private options are vast.
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.
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.
Other Ways To Get Help
Local Mutual Aid Meetings
Most locations hold local Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings which can assist in the mutual aid and social elements of recovery.
However, specialist medical help will be required to kick start the journey with detox, which cannot be obtained via such community groups.
Mutual aid meetings have earned their place in everyone's recovery. But the first stage of help - physically detoxing - will need more specialist care.
NHS Addiction Options
Immediate help to detox from NHS services is usually not possible. It's more common to receive a referral to a local Drug/Alcohol support team, and begin weekly meetings with a keyworker.
Eligibility for short term detox is slim, and is usually restricted to only a handful of cases.
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 Independent Reviews
Reviews on websites are easy to pass off as genuine, but how do you really know they are?
The industry regulators - the Care Quality Commission in England & Wales, and the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, publish the only independent reporting on standards available, for private rehab clinics.
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.
Service providers receive a full report on the watchdog's findings.
How Clinic Inspections Work
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 - Complete The Initial Assessment
At this point, you've got enough info to decide on one of the clinics you've seen.
When you call the admissions team for the clinic you’ve chosen, expect to go through an initial telephone assessment, and pay a deposit towards treatment, as explained above.
A telephone assessment might last up to 30 minutes, after which the provider will likely request you to pay a deposit towards treatment, so that they can progress further with your admission.
Take the opportunity at this point to arrange payment via insurance policy, if applicable.
Step 6 - Arranging Payment
As mentioned, an initial deposit payment is usually expected.
Most clinics will expect a deposit of £2,000 or more.
You won't find many clinics offering payment options directly, unfortunately.
You should expect some kind of booking confirmation from the provider, usually by email, after any deposit or balance payment is made.
Remaining Balance
Clinics will normally expect payment of the remaining balance of treatment, upon arrival and admission to the clinic, so be prepared to make a payment at this time.
Interest on late payment for a significant sum like this can be significant, so it's worth getting this done on time.
Step 7 - Admit to treatment
If you don't already have it, contact the admissions team and confirm your date and time of arrival.
Pack enough essentials for your treatment duration, like:
Rules re mobile phone and device usage varies from clinic to clinic - it's worth checking before you set off - how many devices are allowed, and what the internet usage policy is. Many clinics have a restricted use policy, to keep clients on track.
Make sure to finalise transport arrangements a few days in advance, to ensure you attend the clinic on time, and avoid any surcharges on delays on treatment.
And of course, enjoy your recovery!
The Top Questions To Ask
Thanks so much for reading the ultimate guide on finding rehab treatment in Acton.
Thanks for reading our ultimate guide to finding treatment help in Acton.
Abbeycare operate UK clinics providing help for alcohol or drug addiction for those in the Acton area.
Thousands have already joined Abbeycare to overcome addiction, from every corner of the globe.
All that experience has helped us assist those with even the most complicated detox and rehab needs.
Even if you're not local, we can still help with transport into treatment (full transparency - some costs do apply).
Check our independent inspection reports, available on our clinic pages for Scotland, and Abbeycare Gloucester.
Abbeycare admissions team can advise on options that suit your needs.
Our medical team are ready to help you detox, comfortably.
Our therapeutic team can help you identify the issues behind addiction, and stop the pattern in your life.
Our clinic team are ready to help you get started.
The only question is - are you ready?
If you're ready for help, call our admissions team direct, on 01603 513 091.
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