Finding A good drug abuse treatment program.
1) Accreditation and Licensing – while there are personal and private peer support groups out there composed of former addicts who simply wish to help others get rid of their addictions, it’s still a good idea to look for a licensed and accredited drug rehab program because the people in it will have more training and better equipment.
2) Success Rate and History – experience counts for much. Look for a rehab group that has a reputation for success, one that has helped a lot of people. Look for ones that helped their members kick the habit permanently, as some groups help drug addicts to kick the habit for the program’s duration, but afterwards they find themselves backsliding.
3) Anonymity Policies -Â There is nothing wrong with asking for help from a rehab group, but it’s up to you to decide how much privacy you want and how much you feel comfortable letting other people know.
4) Treatment Methodology – there are a lot of different approaches to drug rehab, ranging from purely mental conditioning to ones involving detox medication. Ask what methods the rehab group uses, then do your own research to find out it’s success rate. If the program seems right for you, go for it.
5) Staff Training – accredited rehab groups will often have trained personnel, but the question is, what kind of training have they received? Ask the rehab program for more specific details as to what qualifications they have for their personnel. Backgrounds in psychology and medical training specializing in drug rehab are things to look out for. Volunteer personnel, on the other hand, are well meaning but may not always be as competent unless the rehab program only accepts highly qualified volunteers.
6) Medical Support – anything can happen in a drug rehab program, so of course medical facilities in or near the place is a must. But aside from emergency contingencies and first aid measures, medical support also means that some rehab centers actually use detox medicines to help their members in dealing with withdrawal and to wean them away from addiction. Check if the rehab program you’re entering uses these, and ask yourself if you’d prefer a purely mental approach to detox or if these medications will help.
7) Aftercare Programs - some rehab centers focus purely on getting rid of the addiction of their members. The best ones, on the other hand, include programs that help their members deal with life after kicking the addiction – literally helping them pu their lives back together and avoid the triggers that caused them to turn to addiction in the first place.
Relapse Treatment – in the event that people who went through their program suffer a relapse of addiction, some good rehab programs offer second and third chances for their members to get their acts together. If you feel that you WILL kick your habit, then there is no need to look at this option. Still, it’s a useful thing to know that the group you ask for help won’t reject you if you fail to kick the habit the first time.
9) Family and Associate Assistance – some good rehab programs don’t simply involve their members, but also include training for their families and friends who want to help. If you’d prefer to do things on your own and battle your demon your own way, then there’s no need to look for this option. However, remember that no one stands alone, and it’s a good idea to get the people who love you to help you through your troubles.
10) Patient Follow Up and Alumni Support - finally, good rehab programs continuing care options that don’t immediately assume that once you go through the program it’s over. The best rehabs will do follow ups on their members after the program to check on their welfare and to make sure that they don’t backslide. This monitoring is not only useful, but also shows that the rehab truly cares about it’s members.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree with your list, and from the perspective of someone who’s spent decades loving /living with alcohol abuse and alcoholism because I did not understand the nature of the disease nor the coping skills I’d adopted to “survive,” I fully support the importance of number 9. Addiction is a family disease, and if the individual plans to have a relationship with their family at sometime in the future, having this component in a drug treatment program will be critical for all concerned.
This list is incredibly valuable to anyone seeking the services of a rehab center. My thoughts are number 1 is absolutely essential. People who are licensed often have to take courses for continuing education, so you would expect them to know the latest advances in addiction recovery.
Privacy is also important. Odds are that a patient may not run into someone they know at the center but in the event that happens, you want to know that nothing will be mentioned about your visit.
Some very well thought out tips! Perhaps some sort of rehab guarantee or relapse commitment is the most important treatment facility quality in my opinion. You want a treatment center that is with you for the long haul. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for the great tips
Brian,
Your list is a great start, but after 15 years on both sides of treatment I think even more is needed. As corporations continue to buy up (or simply put out of business) the single owner/operator facilities that were based on helping a fellow addict first and then making a few bucks, what is needed badly is transparency.
I’ve been inpatient several times, and I’ve also done everything from intake to creating (at the time) the biggest recovery site on the net. Trust me when I say that the directors of these corporations currently on a buying spree are not in recovery themselves, and they view rehabs as a very lucrative, consistent cash flow business.
As it is usually a spouse or parents who make the initial contact with a TX center, they have no idea that an “intake specialist” is in actuality a “closer”- a salesperson whose job it is to close the deal. And as far as methodology, years ago when a Judge first sentenced someone to AA, it began a cycle in which AA became the governments defacto (and free) treatment provider. As a person who originally got sober in AA, it pains me to see parents putting out 10, 20, 30,000 for what is often a 12 step program with a few counselors. No aftercare, here’s your Big Book, go to meetings…that’s the discharge plan.
There are still a few great programs out there, but it has come down to buyer beware-if a client leaves a facility early, many programs (it’s in the fine print) have a no refund policy. Should a client not agree with the treatment provided and leave, even after just a few days, the financial effects and the relationship issues could be devastating.
Like an earlier post, I believe there should be some form of guarantee-not that a person would stay sober, as that’s just not possible to guarantee. But programs advertising 80%+ success rates is also impossible. When we’re talking the price of a new car, there should at least be some care after discharge.
More transparency, more options, and an acceptance that science has in fact finally caught up with addiction treatment. There are many. many more options today for someone seeking help-from medications to therapy to brain scans and behavior modification, as well as non-12 step support groups.
In closing, the number one way that the majority of people stop using or drinking? Most never enter the rooms of AA or a Treatment Center. They experience some type of event that causes a serious change in lifestyle-and they simply stop. A former junkie like me used to have a hard time with that one-but the vast majority of studies done on the subject backs it up.
My apologizes for the ramble Brian-and keep up the good work.
Respectfully,
JJH
Most of the items and comments above are good but there are a couple of crucial points missing. Treatment programs should conduct extensive lab tests, appropriate detox and then replenish the brain with the proper nutrients.
If you do not heal the brain first, “talk therapy” is virtually worthless. And it is possible to obtain 80% success rate. There are only a handful of treatment facilities in the country that have a complete program to truly heal.
Good incentive to get help.
Drug Rehab solutions can be difficult find, yet taking the time to look in order to get the proper help is very important. When you find the information and it makes sense to you, contact the facility right away. The trained and professional staff will be able to help you every step of the way.
What a bout the price of rehab? Cna this indicate a good or bad center?
.-= Eden@Drug Rehab´s last blog ..Vicodin Drug Treatment =-.