Do you or a loved one need addiction treatment for alcohol or drugs? Many aren't aware of the right questions to ask, and how to compare more than one centre.
If you're considering expensive rehab treatment - read our need-to-knows before taking the plunge.
Step 1 - Is It Time For Professional Help?
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?
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.
Location, Location, Location?
Caught up in the need for detox, many will commit too early to a clinic as close as possible to home, without thinking ahead.
Looking farther afield can potentially mean finding a higher standard of care, for less cost.
Most clinics provide standard detox protocols and some form of therapy. But will they still be supporting you after you leave the clinic? It pays to shop around here.
See all the locations Abbeycare serve, here.
More Than One Previous Detox?
You should know: your progress in treatment can depend heavily on the strength of the clinic staff around you, and the support of your peers.
This can be especially important where you have complex drug or alcohol detox needs.
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?
- Is dealing with someone with my intake level and addiction history, a normal everyday client for your clinic?
- If there are unexpected issues during my detox, what happens?
Step 2 - The Rehab Need-To-Knows
What is the typical admission process?
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.
The Plan For Treatment
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.
Most providers, at the start of your stay, will help you visualise personal goals and progress targets, in a specifically designed care plan.
Whilst not the most exciting part of the journey, this is a necessary means to help you monitor progress toward your long term vision. It's worth making the effort here.
KEY QUESTIONS
- What sort of care planning takes place when I enter the clinic?
- 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?
- Is there continuity whilst in treatment, of who I deal with, each day?
A Day In The Life
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 agenda is a good guide to what happens each day and what you'll be involved in.
The normal first stage of treatment is detox. The pace of your treatment can vary. For example, for those with lighter intake levels, progression beyond the detox phase of clinic work can happen in just a few days. Others may take 7 days or longer. This variation is natural.
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?
- Do you offer the opportunity to look around the clinic before admitting?
- When do you expect me to start taking part in the therapy process?
How Does Covid-19 Affect Rehab Centres?
They say, that rehab and recovery are team sports.
Only with the support of others on the journey, can we hope to make a full recovery.
But recovery gains can only be made safely, with consideration to other health factors, in the bigger picture.
Step 3 - Set A Budget
Getting funds together for rehab in Llanelli takes planning, for most families.
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.
Automatically choosing the lowest price provider can lead to poor care levels inside the clinic, detrimental to your recovery progress.
Working with minimalist care, in a clinic with spartan conditions is not conducive to personal breakthroughs. Instead, look for alternative providers with smaller programmes, headcount, and overheads, to strike the right balance.
Call round a few providers, using our cheatsheet if needed - and get a feel for pricing, and whether they can meet your needs comfortably. Don't commit to anything just yet.
Options Beyond Rehab
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.
Sadly, community aids like this are unable to help with the most acute phase, needed at the start of recovery - detox.
AA, NA, and the big book groups have millions of followers and attendees, and have been very successful over the years. But at the early stages, it's important to get safe and comfortable professional help to detox.
NHS/Public Funding 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.
At best, only the most extreme or chronic cases are normally considered for hospital detox or residential clinics.
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 - Read The Reviews
Opinions on different clinics' standards of care are ten a penny on the internet, but how do you know who to trust?
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.
Clinics are graded across multiple areas of care, including support standards, management, and clinical environment.
How Clinic Inspections Work
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 - Decide On A Provider
Now is the time to come to a decision about where you're completing treatment.
Expect to go through a few questions initially, when you call the provider you've chosen - this is normal.
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.
Any additional financial issues, such as paying via insurance policy, would normally also be sorted out at this stage.
Step 6 - Deposits & Paying For Treatment
As above, expect to pay a deposit prior to admission.
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.
Ask for an email confirmation of booking, and get clarity on when the admission details will be finalised, and your date of admission confirmed.
Remaining 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.
Pay this on time to avoid surcharges that could quickly mount up later.
Step 7 - Admitting To A Clinic
Make note of the day and time you're due to admit to treatment.
Most clinics will expect you to pack these basics:
Make sure to check paperwork for any restrictions on device usage (not all clinics allow this), internet access, and visits from family.
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.
At this point, congratulations! Your recovery journey has already begun.
The Top Questions To Ask
Thank you for reading the ultimate guide to finding the right rehab treatment for Llanelli.
You've completed our guide on finding the right rehab near Llanelli!
Help for addiction is available at Abbeycare's UK clinics.
We've helped thousands overcome their addiction to alcohol or drugs.
In these last 15 years, our experience has gone from strength to strength.
We can even arrange to assist with transport to the clinic (some extra charges do apply).
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.
Our medical team can assist you to detox, safely, and 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.
Are you ready for recovery?
Ready to get started? All calls are confidential. Ring direct on 01603 513 091.
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