If you're looking for drug or alcohol addiction help - you'll have already realised the myriad of options on offer. Many aren't aware of the right questions to ask, and how to compare more than one centre.
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 - Detox .v. Rehab
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 .v. Rehab
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 been detoxed before? (Be honest).
You could go for a detox-only programme, but run greater risk of future relapse if other supports are not in place.
Finding Rehab Near Ystrad Mynach
Caught up in the need for detox, many will commit too early to a clinic as close as possible to home, without thinking ahead.
Looking farther afield can potentially mean finding a higher standard of care, for less cost.
Detox can be found in many places, but a strong rehabilitation programme with excellent therapy can mean much greater progress in the long term. It pays to shop around here.
More Than One Previous Detox?
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.
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?
- Do you have specialist addiction medics prescribing detox?
- My case is complex- what happens in the event of complications?
Step 2 - What Does A Stay In Rehab Actually Involve?
How does admitting to rehab work?
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).
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
If your clinic provides strong personal attention in the programme, they should help you map out what you want from treatment, exactly.
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.
Together you'll map out key milestones, while accounting for past addictive patterns and behaviours. This part is important and can determine your progress later, so don't skip it.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Do I get an individualised care plan that I have input into?
- Do you have a one size fits all approach to treatment, or do you work with each individual's needs?
- Do you take account of my history of addiction when making treatment care plans?
- How is care planning done?
What Do I Do In The Clinic, Each Day?
Tell me about the daily routine in treatment?
Asking some key questions before admitting to a clinic can help you get a sense for what life is like in treatment, before committing.
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 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 normal first stage of treatment is detox. Some will be ready to start therapeutic work after just a few days. Other times, it takes longer for the body to process the left-over substances. Clinic staff understand this.
Call the clinic's admissions team to arrange to look around the inside of the centre before completing any paperwork. This can give you a real feel for how the day to day looks and feels.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Do you have a virtual online tour I can take?
- 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 would I be expected to move from detox into therapy in the clinic?
How Does Covid-19 Affect Rehab Centres?
Recovering from addiction is a group-oriented exercise.
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 - Managing The Budget For Treatment
Naturally, funding private rehab treatment in Ystrad Mynach is a concern for many.
Public services are accountable to the tax payer, and seldom offer more specialist interventions.
Your mental health matters, and because of the costs involved, it's easy to opt for a very low end provider, with minimal support. Not always a great idea.
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.
By calling and comparing a few treatment providers against each other, this step should give you a sense of what rehab will cost.
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.
However, specialist medical help will be required to kick start the journey with detox, which cannot be obtained via such community groups.
Thousands benefit from local community groups every week. But starting out - you'll need more specialist help for detox.
NHS Assistance
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.
This is not a question of lack of intention to help, but more of resources and strain the healthcare system experiences, under heavy demand.
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 - Get Independent Reviews
Reviews on websites are easy to pass off as genuine, but how do you really know they are?
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.
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.
Clinics are reviewed on quality and expertise of their service, staff, and care levels provided.
Important - Regulator Inspections
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 - Complete The Initial Assessment
Now that you've read up, and compared a few clinics, it's time to arrange admission.
The clinic team will ask you to complete a telephone questionnaire, to make sure they can meet your needs.
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.
Take the opportunity at this point to arrange payment via insurance policy, if applicable.
Step 6 - Arranging Payment
As above, expect to pay a deposit prior to admission.
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.
The days of clinics offering finance facilities directly, are mostly gone, although a few do still offer in-house plans to pay for treatment.
Make sure to get an email confirmation of deposit paid, and confirmation of what happens next.
Balance To Pay
The provider will likely ask you to settle the remainder of the treatment balance due, after arrival at the clinic.
To avoid excess charges later, it's best to settle this 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:
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.
Take a well-deserved rest, as the road to recovery opens up before you.
Print Our Cheatsheet To Easily Compare Providers
You've reached the end of our ultimate guide on finding the right rehab!
Get access to our master list of questions to ask each provider, in an easy side-by-side checklist.
You can download the cheatsheet, here.
Thanks for reading our free guide.
Abbeycare operate UK clinics providing help for alcohol or drug addiction for those in the Ystrad Mynach area.
Thousands have already joined Abbeycare to overcome addiction, from every corner of the globe.
There's no substitute for the years of experience we've had, assisting with even the most complex cases.
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 Hygrove.
Our admissions team can advise on what options are available.
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 are ready to help you make the progress you need.
Now....are you ready?
To ask a question, or to arrange admission, ring our team now on 01603 513 091.
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