Private rehab treatment for alcohol or drug addiction can be expensive, and low-cost or free alternatives are seldom available. It's easy to end up paying too much for a treatment clinic that underdelivers.
Before taking the plunge, here's everything you need to know when shopping around for addiction help in Llantwit Major.
Step 1 - Get Clear On Your Needs
Having newly made the life changing decision to get help can feel rejuvenating....as well as more than a little vulnerable. But spending just a little time getting clear on what you truly need, can save a costly mistake.
Detox, Rehab, Or Both?
A stay for alcohol or drug rehab normally follows the sequence Detox > Rehab > Aftercare, but do you need all three?
- Do you need detox, or rehab?
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.
Location, Location, Location?
Amongst the concerns we hear each day, the location of the clinic is one of the most common. But sometimes, you can be too close to home.
But there's more to consider, in your long term sobriety journey, than the clinic next door.
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? Asking a few basics like these upfront can save a lot of headache later.
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.
If you've had detoxes in the past, or complications like liver or other issues, you'll want to be extra careful here.
Most clinics have standardised approaches for routine detoxes for alcohol etc, but anything more complex will need specialist input from suitably qualified professionals.
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 addiction experience do your prescribing professionals have?
- If there are unexpected issues during my detox, what happens?
Step 2 - The Day To Day Inside A 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.
The clinic you enquire with, have to make sure they can look after you and your needs for detox and rehab. They'll ask some standard questions about your usage, and history with addiction. This is normal, and it's important for them to rule out extreme cases where their environment may not be safe, or provide a comfortable detox experience.
How Do I Monitor Progress?
Reputable clinics will try to personalise the care you receive, as far as possible.
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. Don't miss this bit out.
KEY QUESTIONS
- What sort of care planning takes place when I enter the clinic?
- How do clinic staff know they're doing a good job at helping clients achieve recovery?
- Do you take account of my history of addiction when making treatment care plans?
- How is my treatment regimen communicated between staff members?
What's Rehab Treatment Like, Day To Day?
What actually happens in a clinic, every day?
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 schedule will be your guide for day to day life in the clinic, as you move through the stages of treatment in your care plan.
Factors such as previous detoxes, history of relapse, amount and duration of intake, and others, will determine how long the detox stage of treatment takes. 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. There is no fixed timescale for each individual.
Also, make sure to ask to arrange a visit to look around the clinic, first.
KEY QUESTIONS
- What see inside photos do you have, of the clinic, online?
- Do you have sample daily agendas for treatment I can look at?
- How do I arrange to see inside the clinic, before admitting?
- When do I get to start taking part in the therapeutic help inside the clinic?
Addiction Treatment & Covid-19
Since rehab treatment is usually a communal environment, you should expect to have to accommodate others on the journey.
Only with the support of others on the journey, can we hope to make a full recovery.
But making headway in your recovery, at the expense of other health factors, won't help anyone.
Step 3 - Set A Budget
Public health services are usually free, but rarely provide detox, or speedy access to treatment. Private providers are more specialist, with a joined up approach, but come at a cost.
The differences between public and private options are vast.
As you can imagine, the cheapest provider is not always the best.
Cheap providers often involve minimal rooms or living conditions, and poor therapy. Look instead for smaller providers, with more personal attention.
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
Big Book, or 12 step meetings, are available via groups such as AA and NA, across most towns and cities.
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 initially, it's important to get professional help to detox safely, and comfortably.
NHS Assistance
Obtaining short-term detox from NHS services is unlikely, due to demand on resources.
This is not a question of lack of intention to help, but more of resources and strain the healthcare system experiences, under heavy demand.
Families and friends often agree to jointly finance private treatment, in cases where no publicly funded options are available.
Step 4 - Find Objective Reviews
Review platforms are widespread nowadays and some reviews are not always trustworthy.
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.
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.
Treatment providers are graded against standardised performance measures like environment, care standards, and support provided to clients.
Important - Regulator Inspections
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
At this point, you've got enough info to decide on one of the clinics you've seen.
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 - Financing Treatment
As mentioned, an initial deposit payment is usually expected.
Most clinics will expect a deposit of £2,000 or more.
It's less common nowadays to see treatment clinics themselves offering payment plan options.
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.
Remaining Balance
The remaining balance is normally paid for on arrival at the clinic, at the point of admission.
It’s worth making the effort to settle this on time, as some providers can levy surcharges for late payment, and this quickly adds up, on larger balances.
Step 7 - Get Started
Now it's time for the practical stuff of admitting. Double check you have a note of your confirmed date and time your due to admit to the clinic.
Most clinics will expect you to pack these basics:
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.
It's also worth ensuring travel arrangement ahead of schedule - as some providers with have surcharges for late arrival.
Take a well-deserved rest, as the road to recovery opens up before you.
Are You Asking The Right Questions?
You've reached the end of our ultimate guide on finding the right rehab!
Abbeycare have provided this guide free of charge, to help you make the right decision when considering addiction rehab treatment options.
Help for addiction is available at Abbeycare's UK clinics.
Since 2005, we've been helping thousands to overcome addiction, comfortably, and safely.
All that experience has helped us assist those with even the most complicated detox and rehab needs.
Even if you're not local, we can still help with transport into treatment (full transparency - some costs do apply).
Our clinic inspection reports are available on the relevent service pages: Abbeycare Scotland, Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team will help you navigate the treatment options.
The Abbeycare medical team can help you detox comfortably.
Our therapy team are available, to help you identify triggers, patterns, and start truly overcoming them.
The Abbeycare clinic team are ready to help you co-ordinate everything.
Are you ready?
Ready to get started? All calls are confidential. Ring direct on 01603 513 091.
