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.
Our comprehensive guide includes guidance on how to compare providers when shopping around.
Step 1 - What Do You Want From Rehab?
Having newly made the life changing decision to get help can feel rejuvenating....as well as more than a little vulnerable. But, choosing the wrong provider early on, might mean drawing the wrong conclusions about recovery, and what's possible for your future.
Detox Only, Or A Complete Recovery Programme?
A normal stay for alcohol or drug treatment would include the three stages of detoxification, rehabilitation, and aftercare planning. But there's no point in spending more than you have to.
- Do you need detox, or rehab? It's important to be clear on this.
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.
Finding Rehab Near Cwmbrân
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.
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? Just a few minutes work here, can pay off down the line.
See all the locations Abbeycare serve, here.
Detox Requirements
Like many things in life, the quality of your experience in a rehab clinic can come down to the breadth and depth of experience of the staff you're working with.
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 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?
- If I have questions about my specific detox needs, who would I speak to?
Step 2 - Get The Low Down On What Happens Inside The Clinic
What is day to day addiction treatment inside the clinic actually like?
You'll stay full time in a clinic, normally with a dedicated room and your own space, complete detox, and attend therapeutic sessions several times a week. Towards the end of your stay, the clinic should set up supports for the future. More about that later.
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.
Keeping Track Of Getting Better
Clients are normally encouraged to actively monitor their progress towards recovery treatment goals and outcomes.
A care plan, lays out in detail, how your stay will proceed, what targets you have for treatment, and how you'll measure them. Clinic addiction specialists (ideally assigned only to you) should help you prepare this and use it as a tool throughout your stay.
This document will be used as your yardstick to measure progress and keep track. This part is important and can determine your progress later, so don't skip it.
KEY QUESTIONS
- What sort of care planning takes place when I enter the clinic?
- How do you help clients measure goals and progress?
- Is care planning done for me, or is it collaborative?
- Is there continuity whilst in treatment, of who I deal with, each day?
Life Inside The Clinic
Tell me about the daily routine in treatment?
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 will give a clear indication of what activities happen when, where, and what's expected of you.
Detox from alcohol or substance misuse in a clinic can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on multiple factors. Detox could last just a few days. Sometimes, detox will last much longer. This variation is natural.
Also, make sure to ask to arrange a visit to look around the clinic, first.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Do you have a virtual online tour I can take?
- 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?
- When would I be expected to move from detox into therapy in the clinic?
Rehab & 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.
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
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.
Automatically choosing the lowest price provider can lead to poor care levels inside the clinic, detrimental to your recovery progress.
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.
Alternative Options
Local Mutual Aid Meetings
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.
For most at the start of the recovery journey though, detox options are a very real need, and not something that can be obtained without more specialist help.
Community support is invaluable, at the right stage in the process. But starting out - you'll need more specialist help for detox.
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.
Hospital or clinic based detox places strain on resources and funding, and is usually only available for extreme cases.
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 - Read The Reviews
While many providers will claim to show many positive reviews, their legitimacy is not always clear.
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.
These two regulatory bodies inspect rehab clinics on a regular basis (usually annually) and produce written reports on their findings.
Service providers receive a full report on the watchdog's findings.
How Clinic Inspections Work
When looking for CQC or Care Inspectorate reports, always look for those stating the visit was "Unannounced" instead of "Announced" - this means the provider was not aware the inspection was occurring, and hence is most likely to provide most insight into genuine standards of care.
Step 5 - Decide On A Provider
Now that you've read up, and compared a few clinics, it's time to arrange admission.
The clinic team will ask you to complete a telephone questionnaire, to make sure they can meet your needs.
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 - Financing Treatment
As mentioned, an initial deposit payment is usually expected.
Depending on total costs, your deposit could be anywhere from £500 - £3,000 or more.
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.
Paying For The Rest Of Treatment
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.
Pay this on time to avoid surcharges that could quickly mount up later.
Step 7 - Admit to treatment
If you don't already have it, contact the admissions team and confirm your date and time of arrival.
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.
It's also worth ensuring travel arrangement ahead of schedule - as some providers with have surcharges for late arrival.
And of course, enjoy your recovery!
Print Our Cheatsheet To Easily Compare Providers
Thanks so much for reading the ultimate guide on finding rehab treatment in Cwmbrân.
Thanks for reading our ultimate guide to finding treatment help in Cwmbrân.
Abbeycare's UK clinics are available to those in Cwmbrân.
We've worked with thousands from all over the world, and we can probably help you too.
In our 15 years, we've worked with even the most complex detoxes, needs, and issues.
Even if you need transport arranged to get here, we can probably help with that too.
Our inspection reports from the regulators, are available on our clinic pages, here: Abbeycare Scotland, Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team will help you navigate the treatment options.
The Abbeycare medical team can help you detox 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.
The only question is - are you ready?
If you're ready for help, call our admissions team direct, on 01603 513 091.
