Private rehab treatment for alcohol or drug addiction can be expensive, and low-cost or free alternatives are seldom available. Thousands blindly walk into addiction treatment in expensive rehab centres and find that the reality doesn't meet expectations.
We've compiled this need-to-know guide, including questions to ask each clinic *before* you pay - including a printable cheatsheet.
Step 1 - Get Clear On Your Needs
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 use your needs, and past experience, first and foremost, as your guide to what treatment will work best.
Detox, Rehab, Or Both?
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 all three stages of treatment, detox > rehab > aftercare? It's important to be clear on this.
Opting for the full package will provide more support, but think about if it's necessary.
Treatment Near Barry
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).
Therapy levels vary wildly from clinic to clinic, and therapist to therapist. What feedback do you have on the clinic you plan to attend? It pays to shop around here.
See all the locations Abbeycare serve, here.
More Than One Previous Detox?
The quality of support you receive from the clinic team, can make or break recovery results.
If you've been detoxed in the past, and are looking for recovery afresh, it's a good idea to check on exactly what detox you'll get.
Most clinics have standardised approaches for routine detoxes for alcohol etc, but anything more complex will need specialist input from suitably qualified professionals.
Ask if the clinic you're dealing with has specialist professionals who've delivered your detox in the past, and with what results.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Are you a rehab clinic, or a hospital?
- Do you have specialist addiction medics prescribing detox?
- If I have questions about my specific detox needs, who would I speak to?
Step 2 - What Happens In Rehab?
Tell me about how treatment works.
Rehabilitation clinics operate a residential service - you stay residentially, in the clinic, 24hrs a day, usually with your own room and personal space.
Expect to complete a pre-admissions screening process over the phone - this is quite normal.
How Do I Monitor Progress?
Clients are normally encouraged to actively monitor their progress towards recovery treatment goals and outcomes.
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 document will be used as your yardstick to measure progress and keep track. 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 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 is it like being in a rehab clinic?
The structure of each day will vary of course, from one provider to the next.
Every day new clients enter treatment and previous ones leave. Although everyone is at different stages of treatment, providers must keep everyone on track. This means preparing and issuing a daily agenda. This lays out the timetable of events, and what's expected.
Detox from alcohol or substance misuse in a clinic can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on multiple factors. Depending on usage levels, many will be able to progress to the next stage of treatment after just a few days. Sometimes, detox will last much longer. This is normal.
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?
- Do I take part in daily activities even during detox?
- How do I get reassurance about the look and feel of the clinic, prior to arranging admission?
- 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.
Only with the support of others on the journey, can we hope to make a full recovery.
Achieving recovery in a covid-19 world, however, means making some accommodations along the way.
Step 3 - What Budget Is Available For Treatment?
Decide firstly, are you going down the public or private route?
Third sector organisations providing full stack care (detox, therapy, aftercare) under one roof are few and far between, but worth investigating in your area.
Like most things in life, it's tempting to go for simply the cheapest cost provider.
Instead, to keep costs reasonable but standards high, consider providers further afield, or smaller clinics with a lower headcount and rural location.
Get a rough indication of costs at this stage by calling a few clinics direct and make it clear your call is just an initial enquiry, to avoid over-committing to one provider too early.
Other Ways To Get Help
Community-Led Support Channels
12 step support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are usually available in most locations, although meetings have largely shifted towards online now, in the wake of covid issues.
Sadly, community aids like this are unable to help with the most acute phase, needed at the start of recovery - detox.
Thousands benefit from local community groups every week. But starting out - you'll need more specialist help for detox.
NHS/Public Funding Options
Obtaining short-term detox from NHS services is unlikely, due to demand on resources.
Usually, only the more complex cases with a long history of addiction are considered for placement into specialist detox units.
In reality, where the need for detox is urgent, we often see families and groups of friends pooling funds together, to help a loved one access treatment faster, from a private provider.
Step 4 - Read The Reviews
Assessing a provider's standard of care is important - but can be tricky for the layman.
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.
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 - Decide On A Provider
With the homework all done, it's time to get serious about arranging treatment at one of the providers you've shortlisted.
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.
Take the opportunity at this point to arrange payment via insurance policy, if applicable.
Step 6 - Financing Treatment
As mentioned, an initial deposit payment is usually expected.
Most clinics will expect a deposit of £2,000 or more.
Not many clinics remain, who offer finance payment plans, directly.
An email confirmation of your booking is usually sent to you, confirming the next steps.
Outstanding Balance
The balance to pay for treatment, if not paying via insurance or a third party, is usually due when you arrive to admit to the clinic.
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 - Admit to treatment
Make note of the day and time you're due to admit to treatment.
Pack enough essentials for your treatment duration, like:
Rehabilitation: A Path to Renewed Hope from Alcohol Abuse.
Check your booking confirmation for advice about mobile phone usage, internet access, visits, leisure facilities, and any special arrangements for covid-19.
It's also worth ensuring travel arrangement ahead of schedule - as some providers with have surcharges for late arrival.
Take a well-deserved rest, as the road to recovery opens up before you.
The Top Questions To Ask
Thanks for reading our guide.
Thanks for reading our ultimate guide to finding treatment help in Barry.
Help for addiction is available at Abbeycare's UK clinics.
We've helped thousands overcome their addiction to alcohol or drugs.
All these years we've stuck to the basics that work - structured detox, therapy, and aftercare solutions that help get folks back on track.
Even if you need transport arranged to get here, we can probably help with that too.
How did we do with inspections from regulators? Check our reports, available on our clinic pages, here: Abbeycare Scotland, and Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team are ready to help.
The Abbeycare medical team can help you detox comfortably.
Our therapy team are available, to help you identify triggers, patterns, and start truly overcoming them.
Our clinic team are ready to help you get started.
Are you ready?
If you're ready for help, call our admissions team direct, on 01603 513 091.
