What Do I Need to Consider when Looking into Treatment Centers?
What Do I Need to Know About Treatment Centers?
If you have realized that you are an alcoholic or an addict and are ready for help, you have made a difficult but life-changing decision. This is the first step into recovery and you likely have many questions about your next steps. Many alcoholics going into a sober life for the first time go into a treatment facility. There are many types of treatment facilities with varying programs. The important thing while looking into treatment facilities, and determining whether you should go or not, is to find what works for you.
What follows are key factors to consider when deciding whether or not to go to a treatment facility. Let’s explore these and see if you can find answers to your questions.
Level of alcohol and drug use, and treatment history
Your first consideration should be the details of your past use of alcohol and/or drugs, as well as any related treatment that you have had previously. It is often a good idea to see a medical professional when considering going to treatment. Not everyone needs medical assistance when they stop drinking or using and if that’s the case, you may still choose to sit with a medical professional, whether that be a doctor or therapist, to help you decide if you need to go to treatment. Some things a doctor or therapist may look at are your specific drinking patterns or behaviors, other drug use, and the severity of your use. Assessing these aspects of your alcohol and drug history will help a doctor determine what type of treatment you need. Additionally, they may ask if you had any previous treatment and how that worked for you. If, for example, you had tried
Additional health issues
If you have any other health issues in addition to substance use disorder, they are important to consider when determining what type of treatment facility is best for you. Some people with substance use disorder also have other mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety. If this is the case, it might be helpful to find a treatment facility that has specialists who treat substance use disorder as well as mental health disorders.
Any physical ailments that you have should also be evaluated when determining the type of treatment that is best for you. If you have any chronic ailment(s) such as diabetes, heart disease or other serious physical maladies, withdrawal from drugs and alcohol may affect your disease and you may need to go to a treatment facility with a medical doctor who can continue to monitor your health and adjust medications for you.
Living situation
Another factor to consider while looking into treatment centers is what your current living situation, including your social environment. Do you live alone or with family? Do you have roommates? Is your current living situation conducive to recovery? It might benefit you to be removed from your current situation for a period of time in order to help you focus on your recovery without having “triggers” near you that could compel you to relapse. If your environment is not supportive of recovery, an inpatient treatment facility for 1 to 6 months may be advantageous for you.
A strong, positive social network is very important. Will your family and/or friends with whom you live to support your efforts toward recovery? If needed, do you have contacts who can help you get to your outpatient commitments? Support at home and access to recovery are necessities for the person new to recovery.
Health insurance and employment situation
Something else to consider is your job situation and whether or not you can afford to take time off, as well as whether or not you have insurance that will help cover your treatment. There are some people who can be absent from work, take a sabbatical or quit their job in order to go to treatment for 1 to 3 months. Others, however, may have a family to care and provide for and thus not be able to be away from work. A number of treatment centers can accommodate work schedule needs for inpatient, outpatient, part-time or full-time treatment.
Health insurance is another key factor. Depending on your work, you may have health insurance that will cover an entire treatment stay for you; or you may have state or federally funded health care through which you are eligible for r some assistance. Your health insurance coverage will be a major determining factor in your choice of a treatment center, so be sure to familiarize yourself with what is covered and what’s not.
Legal problems
Any active or pending legal actions in which you are involved could also determine what type of treatment program you will enter. Every single legal case is unique so there is no way to determine what exactly would factor into your treatment center options, however, your situation may be affected if you are on probation or house arrest or have been assigned other court-ordered obligations such as mandatory treatment, AA meetings, drug testing and the like.
Additional special needs
The last area to consider when looking at treatment centers is what other kinds of special needs you might have. There are plenty of treatment centers that are for women only, men only, friendly for women and children, accessible to those with disabilities or English as a second language, veterans, and so on.
If you have any special needs there might be very specific treatment centers available to you and, potentially, scholarships or grants to help to defray the cost t of your stay. This is worth the time it takes to look into it.
Ask for help!
Researching treatment facilities can be overwhelming, especially if you are new in recovery and trying to focus on staying clean and sober one day at a time. Make sure to ask for professional help. If you have visited a doctor or detox facility, they will likely be able to recommend treatment options. You may also have a therapist or other medical professional who might be able to help. Remember, also, that we at Heartland House welcome your questions and stand ready to assist you in any way that we can.
References:
https://alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov/what-to-know/different-people-different-options
https://www.addictioncenter.com/rehab-questions/is-my-addiction-bad-enough/
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
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