For most, finding the right help for alcohol or drug issues in Morriston, is confusing and difficult. Many simply don't know how to compare treatment providers and end up settling for less.
Before taking the plunge, here's everything you need to know when shopping around for addiction help in Morriston.
Step 1 - Get Clear On Your Needs
Having gone through months (years?) of denial, when we're ready for treatment, it's easy to rush ahead into the first detox provider you call. But spending just a little time getting clear on what you truly need, can save a costly mistake.
Detox-Only, Versus Full Rehabilitation 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?
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
The convenience of a nearby clinic can seem appealing when feeling in need of detox.
Make comparisons instead, against level of care, support, and independent reviews from The Care Quality Commission (England & Wales) or The Care Inspectorate (Scotland).
Therapy levels vary wildly from clinic to clinic, and therapist to therapist. What feedback do you have on the clinic you plan to attend? We're getting to the real questions here about standard of care delivered, instead of just the bare minimum.
See all the locations Abbeycare serve, here.
Complex Detox Requirements
Getting the right help means being picky about the support you'll receive while in treatment.
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.
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.
Likewise for therapeutic help, what specialist qualifications in addiction do the team have? Ask here about issues that have been sticking points for you in the past, and their suitability to help.
KEY QUESTIONS
- How long should detox take, for me?
- What addiction experience do your prescribing professionals have?
- Will I be able to speak with someone who decides about my detox regimen, once admitted to the clinic?
Step 2 - How Does Rehab Work?
How does admitting to rehab work?
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 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.
What Is A Care Plan?
If your clinic provides strong personal attention in the programme, they should help you map out what you want from treatment, exactly.
This means a 'care plan' is drawn up, and agreed by you and your assigned care manager.
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
- Do you provide a written plan for me to follow, during treatment?
- How do I make sure I stay on track during treatment?
- Do you take account of my history of addiction when making treatment care plans?
- Is there continuity whilst in treatment, of who I deal with, each day?
What Actually Happens Inside A Clinic?
Tell me about the daily routine in treatment?
It can be tricky to discern exactly what happens each day in treatment, as the routine can vary.
In treatment, you should receive some form of agenda for each day of the week. 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.
The normal first stage of treatment is detox. Detox could last just a few days. Others may take 7 days or longer. This is normal.
Always enquire about having a look around the clinic, by visiting first, before committing. Most clinics don't have an open-door policy, but will happily let you see inside, by arrangement.
KEY QUESTIONS
- What see inside photos do you have, of the clinic, online?
- Do I take part in daily activities even during detox?
- How do I get reassurance about the look and feel of the clinic, prior to arranging admission?
- When do you expect me to start taking part in the therapy process?
A Word About Covid-19
Recovering from addiction is a group-oriented exercise.
Only with the support of others on the journey, can we hope to make a full recovery.
But doing so safely, in the age of Covid-19, means ensuring the clinic you choose has provisions in place to guard against risk of infection.
Step 3 - Set A Budget
Decide firstly, are you going down the public or private route?
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.
Your mental health matters, and because of the costs involved, it's easy to opt for a very low end provider, with minimal support. Not always a great idea.
Cheap providers often involve minimal rooms or living conditions, and poor therapy. Look instead for smaller providers, with more personal attention.
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.
Looking Beyond Clinic Treatment
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 at the early stages, it's important to get safe and comfortable professional help to detox.
NHS Addiction Options
Requesting a referral to your local CAT (Community Addictions Team) from your GP normally means being assigned to a local keyworker who will help you keep track of intake, effects it has, etc, but obtaining short-term rehab help via public healthcare, is unlikely.
At best, only the most extreme or chronic cases are normally considered for hospital detox or residential clinics.
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 - Get Impartial Consumer Reports
Review platforms are widespread nowadays and some reviews are not always trustworthy.
Enter The Care Quality Commission (E&W) and The Care Inspectorate (Scotland).
These two regulators ensure clinics are up to scratch, and send written reports to clinics with their findings, on how they can improve their service, and potential penalties, if they don't comply.
Service providers receive a full report on the watchdog's findings.
Regulatory Reviews - The Need To Knows
On paper, a visit by regulators to a clinic can be "Announced", or "Unannounced" - the former means the clinic knew about the inspection in advance, the latter means they didn't. Hence, "Unannounced" inspection reports are more likely to provide a real-world picture of clinic conditions and service levels.
Step 5 - Finalise The Details
Now that you've read up, and compared a few clinics, it's time to arrange admission.
When you call the admissions team for the clinic you’ve chosen, expect to go through an initial telephone assessment, and pay a deposit towards treatment, as explained above.
After the assessment is complete, the clinic will start making preparations for your stay - to do this, they'll need some commitment from you, in the form of a deposit payment - this holds the room in your name, and allows the team to start making arrangements.
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 above, paying a deposit means the clinic can prepare for your arrival, and allocate your room booking.
Expect to pay anywhere from £1,800 to £4,000 to book a place in a treatment provider's clinic.
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.
Remaining Balance
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.
To avoid excess charges later, it's best to settle this on time.
Step 7 - Admitting To A Clinic
By now, you should have an agreed time and date of arrival at a clinic.
Bring along a few supplies with you, like those below. You should be able to arrange for anything else, after arrival.
Your booking confirmation or documentation received should note guidance on extras such as internet usage, family visits, and precautions or special measures in place as a result of covid-19.
Do you have transport to the clinic organised? Making sure of this will help avoid any potential extra charges levied for late arrival.
Take a well-deserved rest, as the road to recovery opens up before you.
The Top Questions To Ask
Thanks for reading our guide.
Thanks so much for reading our buyer's guide.
Abbeycare's UK clinics are available to those in Morriston.
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.
Our clinic inspection reports are available on the relevent service pages: Abbeycare Scotland, Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team can advise on what options are available.
The Abbeycare medical team can help you detox comfortably.
Our addiction specialist therapists can help you overcome the underlying issues of addiction.
Our clinic team are ready to help you make the progress you need.
Are you ready?
If you're ready for help, call our admissions team direct, on 01603 513 091.
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