An unfortunate reality of the world today is that millions of people suffer from substance abuse challenges, with the numbers increasing every year. This necessitates thousands of people requiring some sort of substance abuse treatment, and thankfully, these facilities can rebuild and save lives. In an ideal world, someone who is in need of this assistance would have the opportunity to investigate a potential treatment facility, meet with their clinicians, tour their grounds and get a feel for what their facility was like in person. These visits can be vitally important in developing a level of comfort and rapport with people that work at a substance abuse treatment facility.
The good news is that the majority of treatment facilities available are able to assist people in overcoming their substance abuse addictions. However, the lack of an ability to drive can unquestionably present a problem for people who are seeking addiction assistance and want to be able to evaluate their treatment. Sometimes, the lack of transportation is related to a lack of logistics. Sometimes, it comes down to not being able to have someone drive you to a facility. Unfortunately, in many cases, an individual has lost their license as a result of a DUI charge, rendering them unable to legally operate a car. Any of these circumstances can make it impossible for you to get to a substance abuse treatment facility and evaluate whether or not it is capable of meeting your needs. This begs the question: What alternatives exist if you want to evaluate a treatment facility, but can’t drive there?
Evaluating A Treatment Facility If You Can’t Drive
You not being able to drive does not have to stop you from being able to give a treatment facility the throughout evaluation you deserve. As such, ask yourself: What transportation alternatives exist for you to use? For example, are there friends or family members who can give you a ride to and from the facility in question, even if you have to get there early or stay after your tour would have concluded? Can the substance abuse treatment facility dispatch someone to drive you there? Is mass transit an option? What about Uber or Lyft? While these options can be expensive, visiting a facility and giving it an in-person tour is important. Furthermore, if the facility is able to arrange for your transportation, it speaks volumes about their potential dedication to you and their patient-centered model. It also speaks highly of their ability to recognize that addiction requires treatment and services at multiple levels and that they may be able to provide wrap-around services to you and your loved one in your moment of need.
However, sometimes, for whatever reason, in-person evaluation of a substance abuse treatment facility simply isn’t possible. If that is the case, there are many potential alternatives to an in-person visit. These include:
- Extensive internet research, including researching customer reviews and evaluations on relevant websites. Thankfully, a quick Google search will often give you a great amount of information. Remember to keep your searches listed to reputable websites, and keep in mind that every facility has almost certainly had people who were less than satisfied with their services.
- A review of local and state licensing boards to determine if any successful complaints were ever lodged against the facility in question and if those complaints ever resulted in any corrective action.
- Reviewing the website of the facility in question and comparing their services to those of similarly situated clinics. Sometimes, this may not be an “apples to apples” comparison, but it can give you a good idea of what a facility is like. After all, if they can’t convince you that they are a good facility on their own website, they almost certainly are not worth spending time at.
- Virtual tours. Many facilities, recognizing transportation difficulties, have set up virtual tours. They may even be able to use Skype or Zoom and literally walk you around a facility, live, so that you could watch the tour on your phone or computer.
If you are suffering from a substance abuse problem, please remember that help is available. The pain you are suffering through does not have to be forever. Call us today at (440) 253-9915.
