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Drug and alcohol addiction treatment is very important to the long-term recovery of an addict. In general, the longer one can stay in residential treatment, the better the outcome. Many treatment programs are based upon insurance guidelines and the length of a treatment stay may be based upon insurance approval. Generally, residential treatment can range from a few days to 28 days especially if it based solely upon insurance allowances. However, in quality addiction rehabs, based upon a medical model, the treating physicians can speak to the insurance company and help extend the patient’s stay by several weeks.
Long term residential treatment is exclusively for those with several disorders and a history of unsuccessful treatment attempts that require extended treatment for a minimum of 3 months to a year.
Studies indicate that addiction treatment increases the chances of maintaining sobriety for longer periods of time. The success rate is dependent upon the gender, the drug of choice, the age, and finally the type of treatment received. Medically based treatment programs that combine 12 Step programs tend to have greater success rates than other types of treatment.
If you are seeking treatment for alcohol or drug abuse, or a dual diagnosis, you want to make sure to choose a treatment program that has a medical based, best practices, program. Such treatment programs will provide patients with individualized treatment plans. Not all facilities are medically based, nor do they have multidisciplinary teams of certified addiction physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, therapist and other clinicians.
When an individual has a mental health disorder such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder, or suffers from a drug or alcohol addiction, the person is considered to be dually diagnosed. Accurate diagnosis of the mental health disorder is of the utmost importance, as both the addiction and the mental health disorder must be treated simultaneously. Recovery is less likely if only one condition is treated. A quality treatment program will have a credible dual diagnosis program staffed by addiction physicians, nurses and therapists who have expertise and experience with dual diagnosis treatment.
Depending upon the individual needs at the time of treatment completion, a patient may be given an aftercare plan. Part of that plan may include moving into a half way house before returning home, or it may call for attending outpatient treatment. To continue to build upon the work done in treatment, the addict or alcoholic will need to continue therapy while attending NA or AA meetings to build a support network of other recovering addicts and alcoholics.
No. All treatment facilities are not able to offer a medically supervised detox unit. A medically monitored detox requires medical personnel as well as an onsite pharmacy. Special licenses must be obtained to incorporate the pharmacy and the detox within the treatment facility.
There are many different types of addiction rehabs. Some treatment programs are run by the local, state or federal government. These treatment facilities are free of charge but have waiting lists. There are also privately owned addiction rehab facilities. The cost varies for each treatment program and depends upon the services offered, the quality of the program (award winning, research based, medically supervised), the quality of the staff (certified addiction physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, Master’s level therapist, nutritionists, etc) and finally, the ratio between patient and therapists. Some programs also have private pay options (the patient can use his or her resources to supplement treatment not covered by insurance).
Treatment is an all encompassing process. To help maintain focus, patient safety and stability at a vulnerable time in life, visitations must be approved in advance by the treating therapist. Only significant family members or close friends will be given permission to visit a patient. Generally visitations will occur at specific times during weekends.
Laundry facilities are on site necessitating only a small amount of clothes. There is limited space and little storage available so a few loose fitting pants, shirts, and shorts, enough clothes for 7 days are all that is needed. Pajamas and personal hygiene items such as a toothbrush and a shaver are also needed. Short shorts, tank tops, shirts cut at the mid section and other provocative clothes are not allowed, nor are clothes with pictures of drug paraphernalia, drug expressions, or inappropriate language (sexist, racists for example). Specific treatment programs will have a list of items that are allowed and disallowed. The rules must be followed. Inappropriate clothing for treatment will be confiscated and held until the patient is ready to leave. All confiscated items will be returned.
Not all addiction rehabs offer a family program but keep in mind that addiction is considered a family disease. Addiction alters everyone’s life. To address that reality, a quality addiction treatment program should have a formal family program. A quality family program is designed to explore the unhealthy dynamics within the family structure, issues of codependency, abuse, power struggles and other addictions that poison the family unit. Issues of resentment, anger, fear and control need to be addressed early in recovery. Everyone in the family must learn about addiction and how to respond to the disease for themselves and for the person in treatment.
The benefit of treatment away from home is the ability to limit communication with and distractions from the outside world. The absence of cell phones and other electronics provides patients with safety from dealers, bill collectors, friends and other potential distractions. Recovery from addiction takes effort and focus. Cell phones serve no positive value in the treatment environment.
Phone calls are generally limited to family members or close friends who are your within your support system. Because your time is limited in treatment, focus and concentration are necessary to achieve sobriety and work on difficult personal issues. Treatment programs have specific days and times during which phone calls may be made by patients to significant people. Family members may call in to speak with administration or a nurse about their loved one’s progress and to leave the patient a message. Messages left by family members are given to patients. The goal is not to shut off communication with family and close friends, but to limit the time patients are on the phone and distracted from the work of recovery.
Not all drug or alcohol rehabs allow smoking. However, if it is permissible to smoke cigarettes at a facility, smoking can occur only in designated areas during breaks between groups and during free time. You cannot leave group to smoke a cigarette during any scheduled sessions.
Free standing detox facilities do exist and you can choose to go to a detox facility without going to treatment after. However, detox is different than treatment. Detox is the process through which the body is cleansed of toxins created by drugs and alcohol. That is it. A detox facility will not provide you with individual counseling, addiction education, relapse prevention, dual diagnosis education, medication management, strategies to handle cravings or any of the components found in a treatment program. Studies have demonstrated that for the majority of people detox alone will not help you stay clean and sober.
For a treatment facility to legitimately operate it should have state and local licenses. That would be the minimum. The Joint Commission is an independent, non-profit organization that accredits and certifies health care organizations across the nation. Health care providers move through an extensive review of the facility grounds, structure of the organization, delivery of services, quality of staff, program philosophy as well as a providers ability to provide services across the continuum of care ensuring that the highest, safest, best quality of care is offered to all who seek help.
Treatment programs have progressed over the last three decades. A medically based treatment program should be able to provide you with ongoing onsite evaluations conducted by a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses and therapists trained in addiction medicine.
Things to ask:
An individualized aftercare plan should be developed before each patient leaves the treatment facility and should also include input from the patient. Each individual comes to treatment with a unique set of issues that must be addressed both during treatment and during aftercare. An individualized aftercare plan is a must.
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