If you're looking for drug or alcohol addiction help - you'll have already realised the myriad of options on offer. It's easy to sign up too quickly for treatment, without a proper understanding what to look for.
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 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. Get off to the right start by deciding first what you need - detox, rehab, or both?
Detox Only, Or A Complete Recovery Programme?
Whilst most follow the conventional programme of detox, then rehab, then aftercare, it's possible to do only one of these. But is it right for you?
- Unsure if you need detox, rehab, aftercare, or all 3? Think about this carefully.
Opting for the full package will provide more support, but think about if it's necessary.
Finding Rehab Near St Julians
Amongst the concerns we hear each day, the location of the clinic is one of the most common. But sometimes, you can be too close to home.
But the provider on your doorstep doesn't necessarily provide the best overall value, in the context of your entire recovery journey.
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? It pays to shop around here.
See all the locations Abbeycare serve, here.
A Past History Of Addiction
Getting the right help means being picky about the support you'll receive while in treatment.
This can be especially important where you have complex drug or alcohol detox needs.
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.
Ask around to find a clinic with professionals who have experience in detoxing your substance type specifically, e.g. a high dose methadone detox is complex, and should be undertaken only by professionals with substantial experience.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Are you a rehab clinic, or a hospital?
- Do you have specialist addiction medics prescribing detox?
- If I have questions about my specific detox needs, who would I speak to?
Step 2 - The Day To Day Inside A Clinic
What is day to day addiction treatment inside the clinic actually like?
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.
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.
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. Make sure to take an active part in this stage.
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?
- Does care planning account for my detox needs, therapy needs, or both?
- Am I passed from one staff member to another, as shifts change?
What's Rehab Treatment Like, Day To Day?
What actually happens in a clinic, every day?
Asking some key questions before admitting to a clinic can help you get a sense for what life is like in treatment, before committing.
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 time it takes to feel better at the initial stages of treatment is personal to each individual. Getting clear of the physical effects of alcohol or substance misuse in detox could take 3-6 days, for lighter use cases. Other times, it takes longer for the body to process the left-over substances. This is normal.
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
- Can I see a virtual tour of the clinic, before committing?
- Do you have sample daily agendas for treatment I can look at?
- Can I arrange a visit to the clinic, to look around, without obligation, before committing?
- When do I get to start taking part in the therapeutic help inside the clinic?
How Does Covid-19 Affect Rehab Centres?
Few people successfully make it into long term recovery without the help of the bigger group around them.
In fact, a big part of recovering in the longer term, is re-learning to interact with others, and break the old patterns of isolation.
Making long term recovery gains today, means being careful to check on some basics re covid-19 preparedness and preventative measures.
Step 3 - Rehab On 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.
Third sector organisations providing full stack care (detox, therapy, aftercare) under one roof are few and far between, but worth investigating in your area.
If you're tempted to opt for the cheapest clinic straight away, think twice.
Instead, to keep costs reasonable but standards high, consider providers further afield, or smaller clinics with a lower headcount and rural location.
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.
Other Avenues For Help
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.
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.
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.
Community Healthcare Options
Immediate help to detox from NHS services is usually not possible. It's more common to receive a referral to a local Drug/Alcohol support team, and begin weekly meetings with a keyworker.
Usually, only the more complex cases with a long history of addiction are considered for placement into specialist detox units.
Families and friends often agree to jointly finance private treatment, in cases where no publicly funded options are available.
Step 4 - Get Impartial Consumer Reports
Reviews on websites are easy to pass off as genuine, but how do you really know they are?
Our heroes here are the industry watchdogs - The Care Commission, and The Care Inspectorate.
These regulatory bodies complete inspections to ensure a minimum level of service is met.
Clinics are graded across multiple areas of care, including support standards, management, and clinical environment.
Important - Regulator Inspections
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 - Decide On A Provider
Now is the time to come to a decision about where you're completing treatment.
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.
When the assessment is complete, you'll likely be asked to pay a deposit, to book a place in the clinic, and allow the provider to start preparing for your arrival.
Take the opportunity at this point to arrange payment via insurance policy, if applicable.
Step 6 - Financing Treatment
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.
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
The provider will likely ask you to settle the remainder of the treatment balance due, after arrival at the clinic.
Pay this on time to avoid surcharges that could quickly mount up later.
Step 7 - Admission
If you don't already have it, contact the admissions team and confirm your date and time of arrival.
You'll usually be asked to bring certain essentials with you:
Rules re mobile phone and device usage varies from clinic to clinic - it's worth checking before you set off - how many devices are allowed, and what the internet usage policy is. Many clinics have a restricted use policy, to keep clients on track.
Do you have transport to the clinic organised? Making sure of this will help avoid any potential extra charges levied for late arrival.
From this point on, your recovery journey has begun!
The Top Questions To Ask
You've reached the end of our ultimate guide on finding the right rehab!
Thanks for reading our free guide.
Abbeycare have central UK locations, and serve the St Julians area.
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 inspection reports from the regulators, are available on our clinic pages, here: Abbeycare Scotland, Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team can advise on what options are available.
Our medical team are ready to help you detox, comfortably.
Our addiction specialist therapists can help you overcome the underlying issues of addiction.
Our clinical team are ready to help you start the journey.
The only thing left is - are you ready?
To ask a question, or to arrange admission, ring our team now on 01603 513 091.
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