New to addiction treatment? Clinic programmes and options for private addiction help can be confusing. Choosing the wrong provider can mean serious consequences for future sobriety, relationships, and family life.
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 Want From Rehab?
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 spending just a little time getting clear on what you truly need, can save a costly mistake.
Detox Only, Or A Complete Recovery Programme?
A stay for alcohol or drug rehab normally follows the sequence Detox > Rehab > Aftercare, but do you need all three?
- Have you been detoxed before? Think about this carefully.
Be honest with yourself here, as going the detox-only route initially, when underlying work is truly needed, often ends in paying for treatment twice, not once.
Clinic Location
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.
Detox can be found in many places, but a strong rehabilitation programme with excellent therapy can mean much greater progress in the long term. Just a few minutes work here, can pay off down the line.
Complex Detox Requirements
Getting the right help means being picky about the support you'll receive while in treatment.
Multiple previous detoxes, or challenging liver issues, should mean you're extra careful that the clinic can accommodate your needs, both safely, and comfortably.
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?
- If I have questions about my specific detox needs, who would I speak to?
Step 2 - The Rehab Need-To-Knows
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.
Since every individual is different, and needs can vary widely, (even two people consuming the same amount of alcohol or drugs can need very different timescale and treatment) - a personal assessment is usually needed, before admission to a clinic can go ahead.
How Do I Monitor Progress?
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.
Whilst not the most exciting part of the journey, this is a necessary means to help you monitor progress toward your long term vision. This part is important and can determine your progress later, so don't skip it.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Do I get an individualised care plan that I have input into?
- How do you help clients measure goals and progress?
- Do you take account of my history of addiction when making treatment care plans?
- Am I passed from one staff member to another, as shifts change?
What Do I Do In The Clinic, Each Day?
Tell me about the daily routine in treatment?
The structure of each day will vary of course, from one provider to the next.
Clinic operators must keep an entire group of clients on track every day. This can only be achieved when everyone works from the same daily schedule. 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. Getting clear of the physical effects of alcohol or substance misuse in detox could take 3-6 days, for lighter use cases. Others may take 7 days or longer. This variation is natural.
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?
- Give me an idea of how each day is structured, whilst in treatment?
- Do you offer the opportunity to look around the clinic before admitting?
- Based on my information, how quickly would you want me to start taking part in the therapy schedule, following detox?
Addiction Treatment & Covid-19
They say, that rehab and recovery are team sports.
Those in long term recovery achieved it, only by accepting help from others, and helping them, in return.
But recovery gains can only be made safely, with consideration to other health factors, in the bigger picture.
Step 3 - Set A Budget
Whilst private clinics offer fast access to specialist help, financing the stay in treatment needs planning.
There are few half way house providers that exist generally, between public providers, and private treatment, so get clear from the start on which you need.
If you're tempted to opt for the cheapest clinic straight away, think twice.
Instead, to keep costs reasonable but standards high, consider providers further afield, or smaller clinics with a lower headcount and rural location.
Without committing yet, get in touch with at least 3 potential treatment centres and ask about costs and your needs. You'll also get some insight here as to how much attention each provider pays and their levels of care.
Options Beyond Rehab
Local Mutual Aid Meetings
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.
Mutual aid meetings have earned their place in everyone's recovery. But initially, it's important to get professional help to detox safely, and comfortably.
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.
Where no public healthcare short term options are viable, or where the individual doesn't have enough funding in place for treatment, we often see families and friends pooling together to finance detox for a loved one.
Step 4 - Get Independent 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).
Inspectors from these organisations visit private clinics nationwide, and check they comply with minimum standards of care, producing reports which they publish on the world wide web.
Clinics are reviewed on quality and expertise of their service, staff, and care levels provided.
Clinic Inspections - What You Need to Know
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 - Choose A Clinic
With the homework all done, it's time to get serious about arranging treatment at one of the providers you've shortlisted.
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.
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.
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 mentioned, an initial deposit payment is usually expected.
The deposit could be anywhere from £500 - £3,000, depending on specifics. Most clinics accept payment over the phone by card.
It's less common nowadays to see treatment clinics themselves offering payment plan options.
Ask for an email confirmation of booking, and get clarity on when the admission details will be finalised, and your date of admission confirmed.
The Remaining Funding
The remaining balance is normally paid for on arrival at the clinic, at the point of admission.
Interest on late payment for a significant sum like this can be significant, so it's worth getting this done on time.
Step 7 - Admitting To A Clinic
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.
Pack enough essentials for your treatment duration, like:
Check your booking confirmation for advice about mobile phone usage, internet access, visits, leisure facilities, and any special arrangements for covid-19.
Make sure to finalise transport arrangements a few days in advance, to ensure you attend the clinic on time, and avoid any surcharges on delays on treatment.
From this point on, your recovery journey has begun!
Easy Rehab Q&A Cheatsheet
Thanks so much for reading the ultimate guide on finding rehab treatment in Ely.
We put together a list of all the right questions to ask a clinic, in a fill-in-the-blanks cheatsheet format.
Get direct download access here.
Thanks for reading our ultimate guide to finding treatment help in Ely.
Abbeycare have central UK locations, and serve the Ely area.
We've helped thousands overcome their addiction to alcohol or drugs.
In these last 15 years, our experience has gone from strength to strength.
Not nearby? No problem, we can arrange transport too, in many cases.
You can read our inspection reports from regulatory bodies, on our clinic pages, here: Abbeycare Scotland, and The Hygrove.
Abbeycare admissions team can advise on options that suit your needs.
Detox is possible, safely and comfortably, with the help of our medical team.
Our therapeutic team can help you identify the issues behind addiction, and stop the pattern in your life.
The Abbeycare clinic team are ready to help you co-ordinate everything.
Now....are you ready?
We'll help get things moving. Ring us direct, on 01603 513 091.
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