Private rehab treatment for alcohol or drug addiction can be expensive, and low-cost or free alternatives are seldom available. Many simply don't know how to compare treatment providers and end up settling for less.
If you're considering rehab treatment in Morriston, first check our guide below - this is the UK’s no 1 guide on how to find the right rehab centre for you.
Step 1 - Detox .v. 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, 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.
- Have you tried treatment previously, without success? Or even, tried going it alone without professional help? Think about this carefully.
If you've completed previous treatment and have a good understanding of self already, the full programme may not be required. But if you don't have supports in place, the detox-only option may not be enough.
Rehab In The Right Place
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. We're getting to the real questions here about standard of care delivered, instead of just the bare minimum.
Multi-Substance Detox, Or Previous Attempts At Rehab
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.
You'll want a clear idea here of what detox protocol you're getting, and what help is available during it.
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.
Getting reassurance that the provider is not only ready to detox you based on your needs, but has done so many times for others in the past, is important.
KEY QUESTIONS
- How long should detox take, for me?
- Is dealing with someone with my intake level and addiction history, a normal everyday client for your clinic?
- If I have questions about my specific detox needs, who would I speak to?
Step 2 - The Rehab Need-To-Knows
What should I expect, inside an addiction clinic?
Rehab clinics are not hospitals with shared wards - you'd normally have your own room in the clinic for the length of your stay. Some clinics also offer shared rooms - although this has become less common since the advent of coronavirus.
Expect to complete a pre-admissions screening process over the phone - this is quite normal.
What Is A Care Plan?
Whilst all clinics operate a group environment generally, most should look to help you keep track of your progress, and monitor treatment goals reached.
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.
Be sure to take an active part in this, to avoid having standardised goals laid out, that don't match your preferences or personal situation. Make sure to take an active part in this stage.
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?
- Is care planning done for me, or is it collaborative?
- Is there a member of staff assigned to me personally?
What Actually Happens Inside A Clinic?
Tell me about the daily routine in treatment?
Asking some key questions before admitting to a clinic can help you get a sense for what life is like in treatment, before committing.
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.
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. Detox could last just a few days. Sometimes, detox will last much longer. This level of variance between individuals is very normal.
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 I take part in daily activities even during detox?
- Can I arrange a visit to the clinic, to look around, without obligation, before committing?
- How quickly after detoxing can I get started on the remainder of the programme elements?
Does Covid-19 Affect My Rehab Treatment?
Rehab is almost always a group exercise, even at higher end clinics.
Overcoming old patterns of self-isolation is normally a big part of getting better.
But recovery gains can only be made safely, with consideration to other health factors, in the bigger picture.
Step 3 - Managing The Budget For Treatment
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.
As you can imagine, the cheapest provider is not always the best.
Instead, seeking out non-brand name providers, who spend less on business and more on care levels, can pay off.
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
Mutual Aid Support
Big Book, or 12 step meetings, are available via groups such as AA and NA, across most towns and cities.
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 for short term help for detox, you'll need professional assistance.
Public Healthcare For Addiction
Obtaining short-term detox from NHS services is unlikely, due to demand on resources.
Hospital or clinic based detox places strain on resources and funding, and is usually only available for extreme cases.
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 - Get Independent 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.
The CQC and The Care Inspectorate are the industry regulators, and complete routine inspections of private rehabs, which are often classified under the 'Care Homes' category, in their records.
Service providers receive a full report on the watchdog's findings.
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 - 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.
Expect to go through a few questions initially, when you call the provider you've chosen - this is normal.
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.
Any additional financial issues, such as paying via insurance policy, would normally also be sorted out at this stage.
Step 6 - Financing 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.
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.
Balance To Pay
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 - Admission Into Treatment
Make note of the day and time you're due to admit to treatment.
Bring along a few supplies with you, like those below. You should be able to arrange for anything else, after arrival.
Check your booking confirmation for advice about mobile phone usage, internet access, visits, leisure facilities, and any special arrangements for covid-19.
Most clinics have a busy schedule and making sure you arrive on time is important. Getting your means of transport to the clinic organised ahead of time, will ensure things are effortless, on the day.
From this point on, your recovery journey has begun!
Asking The Right Questions
You've reached the end of our ultimate guide on finding the right rehab!
You'll find all the right questions to ask a treatment provider in our printable checklist.
You can download the cheatsheet, here.
Thanks for reading our ultimate guide to finding treatment help in Morriston.
Abbeycare's UK clinics have been helping those in Morriston.
We've helped hundreds (thousands probably) move beyond addiction, and start a new life.
In our 15 years, we've worked with even the most complex detoxes, needs, and issues.
Even if you're not local, we can still help with transport into treatment (full transparency - some costs do apply).
Check our independent inspection reports, available on our clinic pages for Scotland, and The Hygrove.
Our admissions team are ready to help.
The Abbeycare medical team can help you detox comfortably.
Our therapists are ready to help you get the insights you need, to stop the pattern of addiction, and reclaim your life.
Our clinic team - many of them in recovery personally - are ready to get you started.
The only question is - are you ready?
If you're ready for help, call our admissions team direct, on 01603 513 091.
Nearby: