Finding the right alcohol or drug rehab options for you or a loved one can be overwhelming - at a time of greatest need. Choosing the wrong provider can mean serious consequences for future sobriety, relationships, and family life.
Before taking the plunge, here's everything you need to know when shopping around for addiction help in Rhondda.
Step 1 - Needs .v. Wants
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, choosing the wrong provider early on, might mean drawing the wrong conclusions about recovery, and what's possible for your future.
Detox & Rehab: Short Term .v. Long Term
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? It's important to be clear on this.
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.
Location, Location, 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.
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.
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.
Specific detoxes that may need more specialist intervention include high dose methadone transfers, multi-substance detoxes, or cases with previous hospital admission for addiction.
Does the medical team at a given clinic specialise in addiction? Or do they practice in more general matters, with addiction as a second interest?
KEY QUESTIONS
- Are you a rehab clinic, or a hospital?
- What professionals in the clinic are admininstering detox?
- Are there suitable staff in the clinic who are equipped to handle detox complications?
Step 2 - What Happens In Rehab?
Tell me about how treatment works.
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.
Before admission, you should expect to complete an initial assessment over the phone with admissions staff, whose job it is to co-ordinate the information you provide with specialists inside the clinic, and ensure their facility can meet your needs.
The Plan For Treatment
Clients are normally encouraged to actively monitor their progress towards recovery treatment goals and outcomes.
A care plan, lays out in detail, how your stay will proceed, what targets you have for treatment, and how you'll measure them. Clinic addiction specialists (ideally assigned only to you) should help you prepare this and use it as a tool throughout your stay.
Together you'll map out key milestones, while accounting for past addictive patterns and behaviours. Any input at this stage will likely pay dividends later.
KEY QUESTIONS
- To what extent is my care and management planned and mapped out?
- How do I know if I'm on the right track, during treatment?
- What will my care plan include?
- Am I passed from one staff member to another, as shifts change?
What's Rehab Treatment Like, Day To Day?
Tell me about the daily routine in treatment?
The structure of each day will vary of course, from one provider to the next.
In treatment, you should receive some form of agenda for each day of the week. This lays out the timetable of events, and what's expected.
The duration of detox each individual needs, will vary, based on multiple factors, including frequency and recency of usage, history of addiction, previous detoxes, etc. Getting clear of the physical effects of alcohol or substance misuse in detox could take 3-6 days, for lighter use cases. Sometimes it will take longer than this to get a clear head again. There is no fixed timescale for each individual.
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
- Can I see a virtual tour of the clinic, before committing?
- Give me an idea of how each day is structured, whilst in treatment?
- How do I get reassurance about the look and feel of the clinic, prior to arranging admission?
- Based on my information, how quickly would you want me to start taking part in the therapy schedule, following detox?
How Does Covid-19 Affect Rehab Centres?
Recovering from addiction is a group-oriented exercise.
Those in long term recovery achieved it, only by accepting help from others, and helping them, in return.
But making headway in your recovery, at the expense of other health factors, won't help anyone.
Step 3 - What Budget Is Available 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.
If you're tempted to opt for the cheapest clinic straight away, think twice.
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.
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
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.
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 Assistance
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.
Usually, only the more complex cases with a long history of addiction are considered for placement into specialist detox units.
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 - Find Objective Reviews
Reviews on websites are easy to pass off as genuine, but how do you really know they are?
Enter The Care Quality Commission (E&W) and The Care Inspectorate (Scotland).
These two regulatory bodies inspect rehab clinics on a regular basis (usually annually) and produce written reports on their findings.
This includes feedback on staffing, care and support levels, management, and environment.
Clinic Inspections - What You Need to Know
When looking for CQC or Care Inspectorate reports, always look for those stating the visit was "Unannounced" instead of "Announced" - this means the provider was not aware the inspection was occurring, and hence is most likely to provide most insight into genuine standards of care.
Step 5 - Choose A Clinic
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.
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.
Now is also the time to finalise any other arrangements re payment, like paying via insurance policy.
Step 6 - Financing Treatment
As mentioned above, paying a deposit means the clinic can prepare for your arrival, and allocate your room booking.
Most clinics will expect a deposit of £2,000 or more.
You won't find many clinics offering payment options directly, unfortunately.
Make sure to get an email confirmation of deposit paid, and confirmation of what happens next.
Remaining Balance
Treatment providers will expect payment for the remainder of the balance of treatment, upon arrival the clinic.
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
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:
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.
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.
And of course, enjoy your recovery!
Asking The Right Questions
Thanks for reading our guide.
You've completed our guide on finding the right rehab near Rhondda!
Abbeycare operate UK clinics providing help for alcohol or drug addiction for those in the Rhondda area.
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 need transport arranged to get here, we can probably help with that too.
Our clinic inspection reports are available on the relevent service pages: Abbeycare Scotland, Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team are ready to listen to your needs.
Our medical team can assist you to detox, safely, and 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.
Are you ready?
To get your questions answered, or to get started in recovery, our team can help, on 01603 513 091.
