What To Look For In An Addiction Treatment Facility
It’s no secret that many Americans suffer from drug addiction and it’s been getting worse during the current opioid crisis. In fact, an estimated 19.7 million people aged 12 and older battled a substance abuse problem in 2017 alone. Opiate and heroin addiction can happen to anybody, negatively affecting not only them but their friends and families too. If you or a loved one struggle with a substance abuse problem, it is disorienting and you may not know where to turn. Remember: addiction is a disease and choosing the right addiction treatment facility is crucial to getting better. Here are some key elements to consider when choosing a drug rehab facility.
Addiction Treatment Regimens and Therapy Types
There are hundreds of treatment methods when it comes to opioid addiction treatment. Oftentimes, the processes of detox, medication, therapy, and treatment vary depending on the substance(s) to which the patient is addicted. Some facilities specialize in treating certain substances, while some offer an alternative or experimental therapies, etc. It’s not uncommon for patients to suffer from multiple addictions — which may also require behavioral therapy — so it is imperative to know first what you wish to gain from treatment and what types of treatment the doctors at prospective facilities offer. Somebody with a severe heroin addiction might require months-long, monitored inpatient detox while somebody else may only require outpatient therapy programs.
Consult with an addiction specialist while you research treatment facilities to receive a proper diagnosis. This will help you weed out incompatible treatment methods, plus your doctor can recommend opiate treatment centers near you that match your needs and goals.
Inpatient vs Outpatient: Length Of Stay
There are two ways of treating addiction patients: inpatient and outpatient. Choosing one or the other depends on the severity of addiction, the substances involved, the treatment that will be administered, and the patient’s desired goals.
Benefits of Inpatient Rehab
Inpatient rehab is probably what you first think of when you imagine ‘going to rehab’. The patient checks in and lives at the treatment center, surrounded by 24-hour support networks, doctors/staff, and medicine. Often, this is for addictions that require a 28-day stay or longer (sometimes months or even a year). This allows the patient to completely detox under professional medical supervision and get the help they need without distractions from the outside world, all in an environment that won’t trigger a relapse.
Benefits of Outpatient Rehab
Outpatient rehabilitation is for addictions with long-term treatment programs with minimal disruption to everyday life. It often focuses on medication-assisted treatment (MAT), addiction education, individual or group therapy sessions, with up to 10-12 hours attendance per week. The main benefit of outpatient rehab is that the patient is able to remain home while receiving treatment and can visit the clinic each week or month while continuing school or work.
Location, Location, Location
An important step to addiction recovery is finding the optimal environment to best facilitate your detox and therapy. Getting out of their everyday environment and away from people who enable are key to avoid triggering a relapse and allow the patient to reflect and make progress in peace and solitude.
When choosing a location, it’s also important to figure out if you’ll need inpatient or outpatient treatment. Obviously, if you choose outpatient therapy, you won’t want to make long trips every day, especially since it offers an excuse (albeit a poor one, but nonetheless an excuse) to skip out on treatment due to time constraints, inability to travel, etc. However, if you and your healthcare provider decide that inpatient care is necessary, and you’ll be staying for a few weeks or more, that hours-long drive certainly plays much less of a factor.
Questions to Ask a Prospective Rehab Facility
These questions will help you determine which facility is right for you or your loved one:
⦁ What types of treatments and therapies are offered?
⦁ Do you offer inpatient or outpatient recovery?
⦁ Which medications do you prescribe?
⦁ How much one-on-one therapy do you offer? Do you offer holistic and trauma based services such as EMDR Therapy?
⦁ What accreditations do you have?
⦁ (If considering inpatient rehab) How many staff members are there and what type of support will they provide?
Ultimately, the best treatment facility is dependent on the individual and all decisions should reflect that. Many facilities specialize in treating particular substance addictions to provide top-notch, individual care. For instance, Brightside Clinic specializes in heroin and opioid addiction therapies throughout suburban Chicago. We offer treatment options that combine Suboxone treatment with counseling, and we constantly stay ahead of cutting edge medications and treatments.
If you or a loved one suffer from substance abuse problems, it’s never too late to get help. Call the National Drug Helpline at 1-888-633-3239 to take the first step on the road to recovery.
Contributed by Phil Atteberry
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer of BRIGHTSIDE Clinic
BRIGHTSIDE treats addiction to heroin, opiates & suboxone with rehabilitation clinics in Northbrook, Tinley Park and North Aurora, Illinois.