For most, finding the right help for alcohol or drug issues in Canton, is confusing and difficult. Many aren't aware of the right questions to ask, and how to compare more than one centre.
Our guide includes advice on how to weigh providers against each other, and a printable Q&A for when you speak with treatment clinics direct. Let's get started.
Step 1 - Needs .v. Wants
At the bottom of another binge it can feel all too easy to quickly commit to the nearest clinic offering a fast detox. But spending just a little time getting clear on what you truly need, can save a costly mistake.
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?
- Have you been detoxed before? Think about this carefully.
You could go for a detox-only programme, but run greater risk of future relapse if other supports are not in place.
When Is Close To Home, Too Close To Home?
Understandably, when feeling low and needing detox, most will opt for a clinic close to where they live.
Unless you're extremely unwell, consider anything up to 100 mile radius and focus instead on quality of care.
Therapy levels vary wildly from clinic to clinic, and therapist to therapist. What feedback do you have on the clinic you plan to attend? Researching the most appropriate option for you personally, can yield big long term results in your sobriety, later.
See all the locations Abbeycare serve, here.
Complex Detox Requirements
Making sure you're getting the right support, can have a serious impact on long term 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.
The medical team at a given clinic have the final say of course, but the admissions team for a provider should be well-versed enough to give you an idea of how your detox will proceed.
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
- How long should detox take, for me?
- What professionals in the clinic are admininstering detox?
- Are there suitable staff in the clinic who are equipped to handle detox complications?
Step 2 - Behind The Scenes In An Addiction Treatment Clinic
What is day to day addiction treatment inside the clinic actually like?
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.
Keeping Track Of Getting Better
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.
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.
Together you'll map out key milestones, while accounting for past addictive patterns and behaviours. 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 you help clients measure goals and progress?
- What input do I have in planning my care?
- How is care planning done?
What's Rehab Treatment Like, Day To Day?
What Is Day To Day Life Like, In Treatment?
It can be tricky to discern exactly what happens each day in treatment, as the routine can vary.
Since residential rehab is a group environment, most clinics provide each client with a daily agenda, every night for the following day. This agenda is a good guide to what happens each day and what you'll be involved in.
The time it takes to feel better at the initial stages of treatment is personal to each individual. Getting clear of the physical effects of alcohol or substance misuse in detox could take 3-6 days, for lighter use cases. Other times, it takes longer for the body to process the left-over substances. This is 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
- Can I see a virtual tour of the clinic, before committing?
- Give me an idea of how each day is structured, whilst in treatment?
- 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?
Addiction Treatment & Covid-19
Recovering from addiction is a group-oriented exercise.
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
Decide firstly, are you going down the public or private route?
The differences between public and private options are vast.
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.
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.
Looking Beyond Clinic Treatment
Community-Led Support Channels
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.
If you're just starting out in recovery though, detoxing comfortably first, will undoubtedly be the priority.
Local mutual aid meetings *can* be a huge help, and can be a source of potential sponsors and sober mentors for the future. But the first stage of help - physically detoxing - will need more specialist care.
NHS Addiction Options
Requesting a referral to your local CAT (Community Addictions Team) from your GP normally means being assigned to a local keyworker who will help you keep track of intake, effects it has, etc, but obtaining short-term rehab help via public healthcare, is unlikely.
Eligibility for short term detox is slim, and is usually restricted to only a handful of 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 - Find Objective Reviews
Reviews on websites are easy to pass off as genuine, but how do you really know they are?
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 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.
This includes feedback on staffing, care and support levels, management, and environment.
Important - Regulator Inspections
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 - Finalise The Details
Now that you've read up, and compared a few clinics, it's time to arrange admission.
Expect to go through a few questions initially, when you call the provider you've chosen - this is normal.
After the assessment is complete, the clinic will start making preparations for your stay - to do this, they'll need some commitment from you, in the form of a deposit payment - this holds the room in your name, and allows the team to start making arrangements.
It's a good time at this point to also sort out any payment by insurance policy, or other means.
Step 6 - Arranging Payment
As above, expect to pay a deposit prior to admission.
The deposit could be anywhere from £500 - £3,000, depending on specifics. Most clinics accept payment over the phone by card.
You won't find many clinics offering payment options directly, unfortunately.
Be sure to get a written confirmation of receipt for your deposit, and confirm with the provider any admin fees due, in the event of admission delays, or even cancellation, due to unforeseen circumstances.
Balance To Pay
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
Did you get a booking confirmation, containing the practical details, like date and time you're due to arrive for treatment? If not, request one now.
You'll need to bring a few basic necessities with you:
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.
Treatment centres must co-ordinate their clinical and medical teams availability for your arrival - so being on time matters. Try to arrange your transport to the clinic, ahead of time, to make sure things run smoothly.
Now, enjoy your recovery!
Are You Asking The Right Questions?
Thanks so much for reading the ultimate guide on finding rehab treatment in Canton.
Thanks for reading our ultimate guide to finding treatment help in Canton.
Abbeycare operate UK clinics providing help for alcohol or drug addiction for those in the Canton area.
Since 2005, we've been helping thousands to overcome addiction, comfortably, and safely.
There's no substitute for the years of experience we've had, assisting with even the most complex cases.
Even if you're not local, we can still help with transport into treatment (full transparency - some costs do apply).
You can read our inspection reports from regulatory bodies, on our clinic pages, for: Abbeycare Scotland, and Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team will help you navigate the treatment options.
Our medical team are ready to help you detox, comfortably.
Our addiction specialist therapists can help you overcome the underlying issues of addiction.
Our clinic team - many of them in recovery personally - are ready to get you started.
Are you ready?
If you're ready for help, call our admissions team direct, on 01603 513 091.
