Rehab Sketty

New to addiction treatment? Clinic programmes and options for private addiction help can be confusing. It's easy to end up paying too much for a treatment clinic that underdelivers.

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 use your needs, and past experience, first and foremost, as your guide to what treatment will work best.

Detox-Only, Versus Full Rehabilitation Programme

- Unsure if you need detox, rehab, aftercare, or all 3? (Be honest).

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.

Rehab In The Right Place

Understandably, when feeling low and needing detox, most will opt for a clinic close to where they live.

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.

If you've had detoxes in the past, or complications like liver or other issues, you'll want to be extra careful here.

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.

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.

Step 2 - Understand How Rehab Works

Tell me about how treatment works.

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.

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.

How Do I Monitor Progress?

Reputable clinics will try to personalise the care you receive, as far as possible.

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 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. Don't miss this bit out.

What Do I Do In The Clinic, Each Day?

What's the daily routine, inside a rehab, during treatment?

Short of actually admitting to treatment, we need to ask questions here that let us know what we should expect to see, hear, and feel, once admitted to a clinic.

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. Some will be ready to start therapeutic work after just a few days. Others may take 7 days or 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.

Addiction Treatment & Covid-19

Few people successfully make it into long term recovery without the help of the bigger group around them.

Those in long term recovery achieved it, only by accepting help from others, and helping them, in return.

But recovery gains can only be made safely, with consideration to other health factors, in the bigger picture.

Step 3 - Rehab On A Budget

Decide firstly, are you going down the public or private route?

The ability of third sector or voluntary organisations to deal with more complex detox needs is usually slim - it's worth looking into this though.

Like most things in life, it's tempting to go for simply the cheapest cost provider.

Instead, to keep costs reasonable but standards high, consider providers further afield, or smaller clinics with a lower headcount and rural location.

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.

Options Beyond Rehab

Community-Led Support Channels

Big Book, or 12 step meetings, are available via groups such as AA and NA, across most towns and cities.

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.

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.

NHS Addiction Options

In the first instance, it's possible to present to your GP and discuss the possibility of referral to your local addictions team, in the NHS. They will usually help you monitor the effects of addiction in your life, but are unable to refer or provide funding for immediate detox, in most cases.

Usually, only the more complex cases with a long history of addiction are considered for placement into specialist detox units.

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

Opinions on different clinics' standards of care are ten a penny on the internet, but how do you know who to trust?

Arm yourself from the outset, with the *only* truly impartial consumer report available for private clinics - the Care Quality Commission (England & Wales) and/or Care Inspectorate (Scotland) inspection reports.

Important - Regulator Inspections

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

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.

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.

Now is also the time to finalise any other arrangements re payment, like paying via insurance policy.

Step 6 - Arranging Payment

As mentioned, an initial deposit payment is usually expected.

The deposit could be anywhere from £500 - £3,000, depending on specifics. Most clinics accept payment over the phone by card.

The days of clinics offering finance facilities directly, are mostly gone, although a few do still offer in-house plans to pay for treatment.

An email confirmation of your booking is usually sent to you, confirming the next steps.

Balance To Pay

Treatment providers will expect payment for the remainder of the balance of treatment, upon arrival the clinic.

It's a good idea to pay this promptly, to avoid excess charges.

Step 7 - Admission Into Treatment

By now, you should have an agreed time and date of arrival at a clinic.

You'll usually be asked to bring certain essentials with you:

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.

Treatment centres must co-ordinate their clinical and medical teams availability for your arrival - so being on time matters. Try to arrange your transport to the clinic, ahead of time, to make sure things run smoothly.

Now, enjoy your recovery!

Asking The Right Questions

Thanks for reading our guide.

You'll find all the right questions to ask a treatment provider in our printable checklist.

Thanks so much for reading our buyer's guide.

Help for addiction is available at Abbeycare's UK clinics.

We've helped hundreds (thousands probably) move beyond addiction, and start a new life.

All that experience has helped us assist those with even the most complicated detox and rehab needs.

We can even arrange to assist with transport to the clinic (some extra charges do apply).

Abbeycare admissions team can advise on options that suit your needs.

Detox is available, with comfort and safety, with the help of our medical team.

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.

Now....are you ready?