If you're looking for drug or alcohol addiction help - you'll have already realised the myriad of options on offer. It's easy to sign up too quickly for treatment, without a proper understanding what to look for.
Our comprehensive guide will walk you through finding the right help, at the right price. In a hurry? Download our printable Q&A guide to have handy when you speak with providers.
Step 1 - What Do You Need?
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 spending just a little time getting clear on what you truly need, can save a costly mistake.
Detox & Rehab: Short Term .v. Long Term
Some providers can try to sell Rehab, and even Aftercare, upfront, before you've even started treatment, but do you really need all these?
- Do you need detox, or rehab? (Be honest).
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.
Rehab In The Right Place
Thinking of treatment nearby? It's a natural response when feeling low.
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.
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.
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.
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?
- What experience do you have in administering detox for individuals with my specific intake and frequency?
- If I have questions about my specific detox needs, who would I speak to?
Step 2 - The Day To Day Inside A Clinic
What should I expect, inside an addiction clinic?
Rehabilitation clinics operate a residential service - you stay residentially, in the clinic, 24hrs a day, usually with your own room and personal space.
The provider you're working with should ask you some questions over the phone to make sure you're a good match - it's important to give honest answers, to avoid complications later.
The Plan For Treatment
If your clinic provides strong personal attention in the programme, they should help you map out what you want from treatment, exactly.
In the best clinics, where personal attention is high, you'll work with an assigned case manager, throughout your stay, who should help you draw up a care plan, in this way.
This is your opportunity to make sure your key sticking points, triggers, and recurring issues, are factored in, and will get appropriate attention during your stay. Make sure to take an active part in this stage.
KEY QUESTIONS
- What sort of care planning takes place when I enter the clinic?
- How do I make sure I stay on track during treatment?
- Does care planning account for my detox needs, therapy needs, or both?
- Is there continuity whilst in treatment, of who I deal with, each day?
What's Rehab Treatment Like, Day To Day?
What actually happens in a clinic, every day?
Without actually being in the clinic, the closest you can get is to ask questions about the daily experience of life in the clinic.
Since residential rehab is a group environment, most clinics provide each client with a daily agenda, every night for the following day. This lays out the timetable of events, and what's expected.
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. Others may take much longer than this to progress. This is normal.
Visiting the clinic before committing to treatment will also help you gauge just what the everyday is like, inside a centre, before committing financially.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Do you have a virtual online tour I can take?
- Do you have sample daily agendas for treatment I can look at?
- How do I arrange to see inside the clinic, before admitting?
- When would I be expected to move from detox into therapy in the clinic?
How Does Covid-19 Affect Rehab Centres?
Rehab is almost always a group exercise, even at higher end clinics.
Overcoming old patterns of self-isolation is normally a big part of getting better.
But doing so safely, in the age of Covid-19, means ensuring the clinic you choose has provisions in place to guard against risk of infection.
Step 3 - Planning A Budget For Rehab
Public health services are usually free, but rarely provide detox, or speedy access to treatment. Private providers are more specialist, with a joined up approach, but come at a cost.
Public services are accountable to the tax payer, and seldom offer more specialist interventions.
Your mental health matters, and because of the costs involved, it's easy to opt for a very low end provider, with minimal support. Not always a great idea.
Instead, to keep costs reasonable but standards high, consider providers further afield, or smaller clinics with a lower headcount and rural location.
By calling and comparing a few treatment providers against each other, this step should give you a sense of what rehab will cost.
Alternative Options
Support In The Community
Most cities and towns across the world play host to mutual aid style meetings locally, like the 12 step driven groups of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
Sadly, community aids like this are unable to help with the most acute phase, needed at the start of recovery - detox.
AA, NA, and the big book groups have millions of followers and attendees, and have been very successful over the years. But starting out - you'll need more specialist help for detox.
Public Healthcare For Addiction
Whilst the NHS do have addiction keyworkers in different regions, they’re normally overrun with enquiries and demand on resources, meaning obtaining funding for a rehab stay is unlikely.
This is not a question of lack of intention to help, but more of resources and strain the healthcare system experiences, under heavy demand.
More often, where a genuine need for short term detox exists, it's more common to see loved ones and family pulling funds together to help someone get help.
Step 4 - Find Objective Reviews
While many providers will claim to show many positive reviews, their legitimacy is not always clear.
Enter The Care Quality Commission (E&W) and The Care Inspectorate (Scotland).
These two regulators ensure clinics are up to scratch, and send written reports to clinics with their findings, on how they can improve their service, and potential penalties, if they don't comply.
Treatment providers are graded against standardised performance measures like environment, care standards, and support provided to clients.
How Clinic Inspections Work
In some visits, the provider is made aware in advance, that the inspection is occuring - these are what's known as "Announced" inspections. Other times, inspection teams show up without warning - these are "Unannounced" inspections - therefore, to get the most reliable information, look for reports which state the inspection was Unannounced.
Step 5 - Arrange Admission
Now is the time to come to a decision about where you're completing treatment.
Normally, the provider will take you through a few initial questions, when you call, to make sure you're a good fit, and will work well together.
When the assessment is complete, you'll likely be asked to pay a deposit, to book a place in the clinic, and allow the provider to start preparing for your arrival.
It's a good time at this point to also sort out any payment by insurance policy, or other means.
Step 6 - Arranging Payment
Most clinics will expect payment of a deposit, toward the full balance of treatment, prior to admitting.
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.
Balance To Pay
Treatment providers will expect payment for the remainder of the balance of treatment, upon arrival the clinic.
Interest on late payment for a significant sum like this can be significant, so it's worth getting this done on time.
Step 7 - Get Started
By now, you should have an agreed time and date of arrival at a clinic.
Bring along a few supplies with you, like those below. You should be able to arrange for anything else, after arrival.
It's worth checking usage policies re internet and wifi, and devices, as you may be disappointed if the clinic you've chosen asks you to hand them in, before your stay begins, without prior warning.
It's also worth ensuring travel arrangement ahead of schedule - as some providers with have surcharges for late arrival.
Now, enjoy your recovery!
Print Our Cheatsheet To Easily Compare Providers
Thank you for reading the ultimate guide to finding the right rehab treatment for Alway.
Thanks for reading our free guide.
Abbeycare's UK clinics have been helping those in Alway.
We've helped hundreds (thousands probably) move beyond addiction, and start a new life.
All that experience has helped us assist those with even the most complicated detox and rehab needs.
We can even arrange to assist with transport to the clinic (some extra charges do apply).
Check our independent inspection reports, available on our clinic pages for Scotland, and Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team are ready to listen to your needs.
Our medical team are ready to help you detox, comfortably.
Our therapists are ready to help you get the insights you need, to stop the pattern of addiction, and reclaim your life.
Our clinic team - many of them in recovery personally - are ready to get you started.
Are you ready for recovery?
To ask a question, or to arrange admission, ring our team now on 01603 513 091.
