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.
Here's everything you need to know when buying rehab - including how to ask the right questions and weed out weaker options.
Step 1 - Detox .v. Rehab
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: 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 all three stages of treatment, detox > rehab > aftercare? 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.
Treatment Near Ebbw Vale
Thinking of treatment nearby? It's a natural response when feeling low.
But there's more to consider, in your long term sobriety journey, than the clinic next door.
Detox beds can be found in hospitals, and virtually any clinic. But does their long term support match your needs in the longer term? 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.
Previous/Complex Detoxes
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.
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 if the clinic you're dealing with has specialist professionals who've delivered your detox in the past, and with what results.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Do you foresee any complications with my detox?
- Do you have specialist addiction medics prescribing detox?
- If there are unexpected issues during my detox, what happens?
Step 2 - The Rehab Need-To-Knows
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.
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.
The Plan For Treatment
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 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. It's worth making the effort here.
KEY QUESTIONS
- To what extent is my care and management planned and mapped out?
- Do you have a one size fits all approach to treatment, or do you work with each individual's needs?
- What will my care plan include?
- How is care planning done?
What's Rehab Treatment Like, Day To Day?
Tell me about the daily routine in treatment?
The structure of each day will vary of course, from one provider to the next.
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.
The normal first stage of treatment is detox. Some will be ready to start therapeutic work after just a few days. Other times, it takes longer for the body to process the left-over substances. There is no fixed timescale for each individual.
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
- Is it possible to see internal photos of the centre, before admitting?
- Do you have sample daily agendas for treatment I can look at?
- Do you offer the opportunity to look around 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?
Since rehab treatment is usually a communal environment, you should expect to have to accommodate others on the journey.
In fact, a big part of recovering in the longer term, is re-learning to interact with others, and break the old patterns of isolation.
Achieving recovery in a covid-19 world, however, means making some accommodations along the way.
Step 3 - Planning The Financials Of Rehab
Whilst private clinics offer fast access to specialist help, financing the stay in treatment needs planning.
Public services are accountable to the tax payer, and seldom offer more specialist interventions.
Automatically choosing the lowest price provider can lead to poor care levels inside the clinic, detrimental to your recovery progress.
Cheap providers often involve minimal rooms or living conditions, and poor therapy. Look instead for smaller providers, with more personal attention.
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
Support In The Community
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.
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.
Thousands benefit from local community groups every week. But initially, it's important to get professional help to detox safely, and comfortably.
Community Healthcare 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 Only Impartial Reports
Review platforms are widespread nowadays and some reviews are not always trustworthy.
Our heroes here are the industry watchdogs - The Care Commission, and The Care Inspectorate.
These regulatory bodies complete inspections to ensure a minimum level of service is met.
This includes feedback on staffing, care and support levels, management, and environment.
Regulatory Reviews - The Need To Knows
There are 2 types of clinic inspections you need to know about - "Unannounced" and "Announced". "Unannounced" means the inspection team arrived at the provider with no forewarning; "Announced" means the clinic were aware of the visit in advance; therefore, always seek out reports detailing "Unannounced" inspections, to get the clearest picture possible, of day-to-day standards, inside the clinic.
Step 5 - Arrange Admission
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.
An assessment shouldn’t normally take more than 20 minutes, after which you can pay any required financial deposit over the phone and expect some form of booking confirmation and receipt of payment.
It's a good time at this point to also sort out any payment by insurance policy, or other means.
Step 6 - Paying For Rehab
As above, expect to pay a deposit prior to admission.
Expect to pay anywhere from £1,800 to £4,000 to book a place in a treatment provider's clinic.
A few offer payment plans to help spread the cost of rehab, although nowadays this is less common.
Make sure to get an email confirmation of deposit paid, and confirmation of what happens next.
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.
It's a good idea to pay this promptly, to avoid excess charges.
Step 7 - Admission
Make note of the day and time you're due to admit to treatment.
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.
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.
Take a well-deserved rest, as the road to recovery opens up before you.
The Top Questions To Ask
Thank you for reading the ultimate guide to finding the right rehab treatment for Ebbw Vale.
You've completed our guide on finding the right rehab near Ebbw Vale!
Abbeycare operate UK clinics providing help for alcohol or drug addiction for those in the Ebbw Vale area.
We've helped hundreds (thousands probably) move beyond addiction, and start a new life.
There's no substitute for the years of experience we've had, assisting with even the most complex cases.
We can even arrange to assist with transport to the clinic (some extra charges do apply).
You can read our inspection reports from regulatory bodies, on our clinic pages, for: Abbeycare Scotland, and Abbeycare Gloucester.
Abbeycare admissions team can advise on options that suit your needs.
Detox is available, with comfort and safety, with the help of our medical team.
Our therapists are ready to help you get the insights you need, to stop the pattern of addiction, and reclaim your life.
Our clinical team are ready to help you start the journey.
Are you ready for recovery?
If you're ready for help, call our admissions team direct, on 01603 513 091.
