When you have a substance use disorder or alcohol addiction, it can feel like you are not in the driver’s seat of your own life.
Need drug rehab treatment help? The pull of alcohol and other substances can dictate the choices you make, even when you would like to make different decisions. If tired of the hold that alcohol and other substances have on your life, you are not alone.
According to recent data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 21.7 million people in the United States age 12 and older needed treatment for substance abuse in the past year.
However, only a fraction of the people who need treatment for substance use disorders receive the drug rehab treatment they need at a specialty addiction treatment center. This may be because they do not recognize that they need help, or they cannot find the particular substance abuse treatment that can help them over the long term.
It takes a lot of courage to acknowledge that you need help with a substance use disorder. Knowing the vital things you should look for when selecting a drug rehab treatment center can make a difference in your addiction recovery process. Here’s what you need to know and how to find the rehab facility that can best meet your needs.
Drug Rehab: Decipher the Difference Between Inpatient and Outpatient Health Care
When it comes to addiction medicine, there are two different categories of treatment that can help you recover from an addiction to drugs and alcohol and then stay sober. The first classification is called “outpatient care,” and it describes a visit within a healthcare setting that is of a fixed length.
An example of outpatient drug rehab treatment is a one-hour appointment with a mental health counselor or a weekly check-in with a psychiatrist for medication monitoring. During these outpatient visits, people are expected to walk into the encounter, receive an intervention, and then walk out.
Conversely, in “inpatient care,” a person temporarily lives in the setting in which they are receiving their care.
Inpatient treatment plans can occur within the confines of a hospital or in a residential treatment program.
Either way, a person with a substance use disorder or alcohol addiction intends to stay on the premises around the clock, with 24/7 access to care and formalized supervision and support. In the inpatient setting, a person has set goals to achieve that will determine when they get discharged. Lengths of stay can vary from a few days to more than a month, depending on the particular situation.
Choose Between Drug Rehab Treatment Types, Including Dual Diagnosis Management
When you have a substance use disorder, it is often highly personal. The type of treatment that may work for one person may not be effective for another. Different substances can account for this variation. For example, if struggling with alcohol addiction, the care that you will require to achieve sobriety is different from the care that you would need to recover from opioid addiction.
However, other variables—such as trauma history, medical history, and other mental health diagnoses—can also influence the trajectory of your recovery.
When selecting a drug rehab treatment center, it’s critical to consider the specific strengths and focuses of the program to ensure that it’s the right fit and that its practitioners are well-suited to help you through your nuanced recovery process. This is especially true in the case of people dealing with a dual diagnosis, meaning a substance use disorder and a mental health condition.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 9.2 million people in the U.S. suffer from a substance use disorder in addition to one or more behavioral health conditions, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many treatment centers are highly equipped to treat both conditions together through formal dual diagnosis programs.
Make sure to ask about specific areas of clinical focus at any prospective treatment center, because the more customized treatment plans can be, the more likely they are to succeed. This is particularly important when it comes to highly specific behavioral concerns, such as gambling addiction or sexual addiction. By choosing a program that correlates with your personal needs, you can maximize your chance of success.
Ask About Core Structure and Levels of Care
When researching a treatment center, you will want to understand the basic offerings available, such as drug or alcohol detoxification, medical stabilization, and periodic monitoring. These services are typically broken up into different levels of care, such as residential treatment, partial hospitalization programs, intensive outpatient programs, outpatient programs, and transitional living. Make sure to ask about the structure of each level of service, as it varies greatly, and one method of treatment may be more complementary to your current lifestyle than another.
For example, many standard outpatient programs offer one or two sessions a week. These are designed to help you stay sober after you have completed a more intensive recovery program. In contrast, residential programs are usually one of the first stops along the line when it comes to recovery, as many people enter a residential program directly after completing detox.
These are a much higher level of care, where people can ensure that they are in a safe environment 24/7 and can dedicate all their focus to getting better.
Ask About Counseling and Any Additional Programming Available
Beyond the building blocks of detoxification, stabilization, and monitoring in any given treatment program, you will want to understand more about what goes into treatment plans. Behavioral therapy is an essential part of addiction recovery, so it will be important for you to determine the types of therapy that are offered by a treatment center, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR).
Each form has its advantages and may be useful in your recovery. Some treatment facilities will offer additional specialized counseling programs, such as family therapy. This can engage family members who may feel lost or overwhelmed by a loved one’s recovery, and it can help begin the healing process. Other forms of treatment, such as massage therapy or yoga therapy, can also teach you new skills and coping mechanisms that you can take with you forward into your new life of sobriety.
Understand Drug Rehab Treatment Center Amenities
When you’re undergoing a recovery process for alcohol or drug addiction, there are times when you may feel uncomfortable. You may feel stretched to your mental, physical, or emotional limit while you are doing the work of self-discovery and rewriting a new path with the support of highly-trained professionals. For this reason, many treatment centers strive to make their facilities as comfortable as possible, with many amenities.
Premier treatment programs will include many special touches to make you feel at ease and to support your journey rather than make you feel like you are institutionalized. These special touches can include an in-house gourmet chef, daily housekeeping, and spacious living quarters. Additionally, because physical movement and physical activity can be a very important part of the recovery process, it’s important to look for a facility that has access to amenities like a swimming pool, volleyball court, or outdoor space.
Learn About the Support Available After Treatment
Receiving treatment at a premier treatment facility can be an integral way to start your recovery journey and launch your newly sober life. However, once a treatment program has ended, you must invariably return to your own life and own circumstances—many of which may have fueled or enabled your substance use disorder in the first place.
The period directly after rehab is a highly vulnerable time for many people. For this reason, it’s essential to have a relapse prevention program in mind. This may include the help of support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
Alternatively, some treatment centers offer aftercare planning assistance, including help with returning to the workforce.
When selecting a treatment center, you may want to ask whether your prospective facility has an alumni program that will continue to provide guidance and support after you have officially graduated from the program. This can be a helpful way to stay the course and find solidarity with others who know exactly what you have been through.
Find Support for Alcohol Addiction and Substance Use Disorders
Alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder can have devastating consequences on your short-term and long-term health and wellbeing. At The Recovery Team, our experienced addiction medicine specialists help our clients tackle addiction head-on while staying as safe and as comfortable as possible.
