Do you or a loved one need addiction treatment for alcohol or drugs? Thousands blindly walk into addiction treatment in expensive rehab centres and find that the reality doesn't meet expectations.
Our guide includes advice on how to weigh providers against each other, and a printable Q&A for when you speak with treatment clinics direct. Let's get started.
Step 1 - Recognising Help Is Possible
There are a wealth of treatment options available for those fresh to the journey of recovery. 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
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?
- Unsure if you need detox, rehab, aftercare, or all 3? 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.
Finding Rehab Near Rhosllannerchrugog
Caught up in the need for detox, many will commit too early to a clinic as close as possible to home, without thinking ahead.
But there's more to consider, in your long term sobriety journey, than the clinic next door.
Most clinics provide standard detox protocols and some form of therapy. But will they still be supporting you after you leave the clinic? 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.
Multi-Substance Detox, Or Previous Attempts At Rehab
Making sure you're getting the right support, can have a serious impact on long term results.
Multiple previous detoxes, or challenging liver issues, should mean you're extra careful that the clinic can accommodate your needs, both safely, and comfortably.
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
- Do you foresee any complications with my detox?
- Do you have specialist addiction medics prescribing detox?
- Will I be able to speak with someone who decides about my detox regimen, once admitted to the clinic?
Step 2 - What Happens In Rehab?
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.
Expect to complete a pre-admissions screening process over the phone - this is quite normal.
How Do I Monitor Progress?
If your clinic provides strong personal attention in the programme, they should help you map out what you want from treatment, exactly.
Most providers, at the start of your stay, will help you visualise personal goals and progress targets, in a specifically designed care plan.
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
- Do you provide a written plan for me to follow, during treatment?
- How do I know if I'm on the right track, during treatment?
- What input do I have in planning my care?
- Is there continuity whilst in treatment, of who I deal with, each day?
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 agenda is a good guide to what happens each day and what you'll be involved in.
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. Some will be ready to start therapeutic work after just a few days. Sometimes, detox will last much longer. This variation is natural.
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?
- Is it possible to arrange a pre-admission visit, to look around? Is there any charge attached?
- When do you expect me to start taking part in the therapy process?
Does Covid-19 Affect My Rehab Treatment?
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 recovery gains can only be made safely, with consideration to other health factors, in the bigger picture.
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.
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.
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.
Looking Beyond Clinic Treatment
Community-Led Support Channels
Most locations hold local Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings which can assist in the mutual aid and social elements of recovery.
If you're just starting out in recovery though, detoxing comfortably first, will undoubtedly be the priority.
Community support is invaluable, at the right stage in the process. But at the early stages, it's important to get safe and comfortable professional help to detox.
NHS Addiction Options
Whilst the NHS do have addiction keyworkers in different regions, they’re normally overrun with enquiries and demand on resources, meaning obtaining funding for a rehab stay is unlikely.
Hospital or clinic based detox places strain on resources and funding, and is usually only available for extreme cases.
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
While many providers will claim to show many positive reviews, their legitimacy is not always clear.
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.
Treatment providers are graded against standardised performance measures like environment, care standards, and support provided to clients.
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 - Choose A Clinic
Now that you've read up, and compared a few clinics, it's time to arrange admission.
Normally, the provider will take you through a few initial questions, when you call, to make sure you're a good fit, and will work well together.
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 - Arranging Payment
Most clinics will expect payment of a deposit, toward the full balance of treatment, prior to admitting.
Most clinics will expect a deposit of £2,000 or more.
The days of clinics offering finance facilities directly, are mostly gone, although a few do still offer in-house plans to pay for treatment.
Ask for an email confirmation of booking, and get clarity on when the admission details will be finalised, and your date of admission confirmed.
Outstanding Balance
The provider will likely ask you to settle the remainder of the treatment balance due, after arrival at the clinic.
It's a good idea to pay this promptly, to avoid excess charges.
Step 7 - Admission Into Treatment
Make note of the day and time you're due to admit to treatment.
Most clinics will expect you to pack these basics:
It's worth checking usage policies re internet and wifi, and devices, as you may be disappointed if the clinic you've chosen asks you to hand them in, before your stay begins, without prior warning.
It's also worth ensuring travel arrangement ahead of schedule - as some providers with have surcharges for late arrival.
At this point, congratulations! Your recovery journey has already begun.
Asking The Right Questions
Thanks for reading our guide.
Thanks so much for reading our buyer's guide.
Abbeycare's UK clinics have been helping those in Rhosllannerchrugog.
We've helped hundreds (thousands probably) move beyond addiction, and start a new life.
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).
How did we do with inspections from regulators? Check our reports, available on our clinic pages, here: Abbeycare Scotland, and Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team can advise on what options are available.
Our medical team can assist you to detox, safely, and comfortably.
Our therapy team are available, to help you identify triggers, patterns, and start truly overcoming them.
Our clinic team are ready to help you get started.
Now....are you ready?
To get your questions answered, or to get started in recovery, our team can help, on 01603 513 091.
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