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.
Here's everything you need to know when buying rehab - including how to ask the right questions and weed out weaker options.
Step 1 - Needs .v. Wants
Having newly made the life changing decision to get help can feel rejuvenating....as well as more than a little vulnerable. But considering first, what your treatment needs truly are, can help you pay for rehab just once, and not twice.
Detox-Only, Versus Full Rehabilitation Programme
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? Think about this carefully.
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.
Finding Rehab Near Rhyl
Understandably, when feeling low and needing detox, most will opt for a clinic close to where they live.
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? Asking a few basics like these upfront can save a lot of headache later.
See all the locations Abbeycare serve, here.
Complex Detox Requirements
The quality of support you receive from the clinic team, can make or break recovery results.
You'll want a clear idea here of what detox protocol you're getting, and what help is available during it.
Most clinics have standardised approaches for routine detoxes for alcohol etc, but anything more complex will need specialist input from suitably qualified professionals.
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
- Can you easily accommodate my detox needs?
- 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?
Help available in Allt-Yr-Yn.
Step 2 - The Rehab Need-To-Knows
Tell me about how treatment works.
For in-patient treatment stays, you'll have your own room in the clinic, where you stay, live and sleep, for anywhere from 7-84 days or more (28 days is the average stay).
Since every individual is different, and needs can vary widely, (even two people consuming the same amount of alcohol or drugs can need very different timescale and treatment) - a personal assessment is usually needed, before admission to a clinic can go ahead.
What Is A Care Plan?
Clients are normally encouraged to actively monitor their progress towards recovery treatment goals and outcomes.
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.
This document will be used as your yardstick to measure progress and keep track. 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 clinic staff know they're doing a good job at helping clients achieve recovery?
- Does care planning account for my detox needs, therapy needs, or both?
- Is there a member of staff assigned to me personally?
What's Rehab Treatment Like, Day To Day?
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.
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 will give a clear indication of what activities happen when, where, and what's expected of you.
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. The pace of your treatment can vary. For example, for those with lighter intake levels, progression beyond the detox phase of clinic work can happen in just a few days. Sometimes, detox will last much longer. There is no fixed timescale for each individual.
Arranging a visit to the clinic, before committing any funding, can help reassure you of standards of care, and avoid a costly mistake. Ask about this.
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 arrange to see inside the clinic, before admitting?
- When do I get to start taking part in the therapeutic help inside the clinic?
A Word About Covid-19
Few people successfully make it into long term recovery without the help of the bigger group around them.
Only with the support of others on the journey, can we hope to make a full recovery.
Making long term recovery gains today, means being careful to check on some basics re covid-19 preparedness and preventative measures.
Step 3 - Planning A Budget For Rehab
Whilst private clinics offer fast access to specialist help, financing the stay in treatment needs planning.
Third sector organisations providing full stack care (detox, therapy, aftercare) under one roof are few and far between, but worth investigating in your area.
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.
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 Avenues For Help
Local Mutual Aid Meetings
Most cities and towns across the world play host to mutual aid style meetings locally, like the 12 step driven groups of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
Whilst mutual aid plays a big part for many, later in their recovery journey, those at the start will need professional help to detox safely.
Mutual aid meetings have earned their place in everyone's recovery. But at the early stages, it's important to get safe and comfortable professional help to detox.
Public Healthcare For Addiction
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.
This is not a question of lack of intention to help, but more of resources and strain the healthcare system experiences, under heavy demand.
More often, where a genuine need for short term detox exists, it's more common to see loved ones and family pulling funds together to help someone get help.
Step 4 - Read The Only Impartial Reports
Reviews of your chosen provider are easy to find on the net, but are they real?
Enter The Care Quality Commission (E&W) and The Care Inspectorate (Scotland).
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.
This includes feedback on staffing, care and support levels, management, and environment.
How Clinic Inspections Work
In some visits, the provider is made aware in advance, that the inspection is occuring - these are what's known as "Announced" inspections. Other times, inspection teams show up without warning - these are "Unannounced" inspections - therefore, to get the most reliable information, look for reports which state the inspection was Unannounced.
Step 5 - Finalise The Details
With the homework all done, it's time to get serious about arranging treatment at one of the providers you've shortlisted.
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.
You can normally complete the necessary steps over the phone in 20 minutes or less, and then make an initial deposit towards treatment, that's used to hold the room in your name, until you arrive at the clinic.
Any additional financial issues, such as paying via insurance policy, would normally also be sorted out at this stage.
Step 6 - Funding Your Stay
As mentioned, paying a deposit secures your room in the clinic, prior to arrival.
Because the total booking value is high, even a small percentage deposit could work out anywhere from £2,000 - £4,000 for the higher end providers.
A few offer payment plans to help spread the cost of rehab, although nowadays this is less common.
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.
The Remaining Funding
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.
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
By now, you should have an agreed time and date of arrival at a clinic.
Pack enough essentials for your treatment duration, like:
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.
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.
At this point, congratulations! Your recovery journey has already begun.
Asking The Right Questions
Thank you for reading the ultimate guide to finding the right rehab treatment for Rhyl.
Thanks for reading our free guide.
Abbeycare have central UK locations, and serve the Rhyl area.
We've helped hundreds (thousands probably) move beyond addiction, and start a new life.
There's no substitute for the years of experience we've had, assisting with even the most complex cases.
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 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 clinical team are ready to help you start the journey.
Are you ready?
If you're ready for help, call our admissions team direct, on 01603 513 091.
