Choosing a suitable alcohol and drug rehabilitation center for you or your loved one can be a daunting task and a very complicated process. This is unfortunate considering that there has been a tremendous rise in opioid and alcohol addiction rates, and the fact that there has also been a tremendous increase in misleading marketing and unethical practices by insincere providers of addiction rehabilitation services whose main motivation is monetary gain. The result of this has been confusion and distrust regarding where and how you can find effective options for treating alcohol and drug addiction given that there are over 14000 drug and alcohol treatment centers as per NIDA’s reports.
In this age of information, consumers of rehabilitation services, like any other have an ever growing need of having sufficient knowledge on what to look for in a rehabilitation center. It is therefore crucial to dedicate adequate time to research on the various rehabilitation centers to find one that best suits your needs as an individual. There are general factors to consider, which include but are not limited to:
Accreditation, Licensing & Certifications
For a rehabilitation center to achieve accreditation, it must undergo rigorous scrutiny and evaluation by an accreditation body such as The Joint Commission among others. These organizations conduct accreditation on the basis of the required standards of performance in the industry and demonstrated results, value and quality. While doing this you should also consider that state licensing and accreditation are not the same owing to the fact that different states have different requirements for their licensing.
Furthermore, rehabilitation centers have to get certification so that they can be able to advertise their programs on in the internet and in social media platforms, purposefully to protect consumers by ensuring that only legitimate centers and those that provide quality services advertise. It is important to have a keen look into the accreditation status of the rehabilitation options available to be sure that you receive the best service.
Duration of the program
Addiction treatment requires that sufficient time is committed to the endeavor since rehabilitation encompasses overcoming physical and emotional dependence while looking into the root cause of the addiction and striving to turn your habits and life around from addiction to sobriety. Most people prefer the 28-day rehabilitation program but it may not be enough to facilitate recovery to full sobriety, given the complex nature of addiction. It is for this reason that NIDA Reports recommend that rehabilitation should take at least 90 days in order for the treatment to be more effective, given that the efficacy of treatment is higher the treatment period is longer. You could opt for outpatient or inpatient treatment subject to your rehabilitation needs. However, given the relatively longer length and focus of inpatient treatment, the program has a higher success rate but is more expensive and more disruptive to your daily life.
Location of facility
A change of scene is usually helpful in the fight against addiction. When looking for a rehabilitation center, you should consider a facility that places some distance between you and the destructive patterns or negative influences. Also, some find the rehabilitation process more productive when they are in a familiar place around their friends and family members who give them moral support. The choice of attending a rehab center close to your home or at a center far away from home will be greatly influenced by your individual needs and preferences.
Dual Diagnosis
There is usually a high correlation between addiction and other undiagnosed mental health conditions. Mental illness and addiction could fuel each other resulting in condition called dual diagnosis. When looking for a rehabilitation center to enroll to, you should consider one that provides treatment for the underlying mental illness alongside the addiction to increase the chances of success in the long run. Dual diagnosis treatment is not available in all rehabilitation facilities therefore it is important to enquire before enrolling to one.
Treatment costs
Rehabilitation service costs could be high especially for a reputed facility that provides quality services. The costs will also vary depending on the type of program, the location, the type of treatment and other amenities available. Many reputed treatment centers also tend to accept insurance besides facilitating flexible payment plans that could be essential in financing the treatment. You should check if the desired rehab center incorporates these modalities in treatment costs for an even better experience in during treatment.
Clinical Staff Credentials and Licenses
When making a decision between various treatment options in is worth considering the quantity and quality of staff members of the treatment facility. The staff should be caring, loving and supportive. These attributes could serve as a differentiating factor which is as important as the center’s accreditation. This is also an important consideration when you prefer a treatment center that caters for specific needs such as age, gender, veteran or any other need. Every substance abuse disorder is different in its treatment requirements subject to an individual, making it imperative to have sufficient knowledge and trust that the treatment staff attends to you or your beloved one as frequently as possible to meet your rehabilitation needs. Knowing that you are in the hands of a reliable doctor could be helpful in breaking barriers and by facilitating the forging of real connections that ease the treatment process by building trust.
An ideal treatment facility should also have a multidisciplinary care team that is capable of addressing all aspects of the addiction disorder which are the mind, body and spirit. This implies that the treatment center and program should incorporate the services of a mix of professionals who collaborate to develop a patient based treatment plan that address all of you individual needs. The team could include a:
- medical doctor
- Nutritionist
- Nurse
- Spiritual care counselor
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Wellness specialist
Evidence-Based Approaches
Effective treatment programs have a heavy reliance on the use of evidence based approaches to addiction treatment. These include 12-Step facilitation, medical-assisted therapy and other models of treatment.
