When someone you care about is caught up in substance abuse the first thing you want to do is help. Treatment of drug and alcohol addiction is a complex subject. It is not a domain that people will likely talk about with others like they would on the subject of the weather or a planned vacation. The majority of people will need professional consultation and guidance in order to seek help when faced with problems related to substance abuse.
Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation
Drug addiction affects many different aspects of a person’s life such as their family, work and community. Because of its multidimensional nature, rehabilitation must address many different facets of the individuals life to be successful. It must address the reasons behind the addiction such as past traumas that are unhandled, self-esteem issues or problems coping with stress and environmental pressures. it also must provide life skills and tools to avoid relapse and enable the individual to appreciate life without the need for mind altering substances. A person who is generally happy and doing well in life does not feel the urge to abuse drugs and alcohol.
Types of Rehabilitation Programs
Drug rehabilitation is offered in many different settings and delivered with a variety of treatment methods. There are behavioral, pharmaceutical, and holistic approaches. There are close to 15,000 specialized drug treatment centers in the U.S. providing help such as counseling (group or individual based), behavioral therapy, medication, holistic rehabilitation and a number of other types of treatment approaches and therapies for people with drug and alcohol problems. For example, one dealing with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) should undergo PTSD treatment while another person with anger issues could undergo anger management. Finding a facility that handles the specific underlying issues behind the drug and alcohol abuse is very important. Often there are many underlying issues.
Drug treatment programs can be delivered in an outpatient or inpatient type setting. With outpatient rehabilitation programs a person would go to individual counselling sessions and/or support groups and meetings several times throughout the week. Residential or inpatient programs is where that individual lives and stays at a facility usually for a minimum duration of 30 days. Longer term residential programs can last several months to a year for hardcore users or chronic relapasers.
Other outlets for treatment exist such as physicians, social workers, psychologists and independent counselors. The approach method varies with the drug treatment centers and the degree of addiction should be taken into consideration when looking for alcohol or drug rehabilitation services. Usually if you’re at this point looking for help, inpatient rehabilitation is the most effective route at handling the problem.
The ultimate goal of drug and alcohol addiction treatment is to revert the addict to who they were before substance abuse became an issue. The real them.
Subsidized or Private Drug Rehab
In The United States a large portion of drug treatments are funded by local, state, and federal governments. The downside of managed care is that the average stay has been shortened and an insufficient amount of funds has placed restriction on the availability of drug rehabilitation centers throughout the country. Government subsidized programs tend to offer less treatment solutions than their private counterparts.
There are also many private health plans or employer-subsidized plans that do cover drug treatment care and rehabilitation expenses. You may want to call your insurance company or talk to your employer. Private drug rehabilitation centers offer long term quality programs and have immediate admissions. National Addiction Resources can also help with locating a treatment program that may take your insurance. Common insurance options include:
- Aetna
- AmeriHealth
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- Cigna
- Free or Sliding Scale
- Humana
- Medicaid/Medicare
- Military
- Tricare
- United Behavioural Health
- United Healthcare
- Value Options
Inpatient and Residential Treatment
Hospital-type inpatient treatment services will have around the clock medical and psychiatric care and will cater to more severe cases while residential treatment services will not dispense the same 24-hour medical care and in general will provide treatment to less severe cases.
For people seeking help determining which level of care is most appropriate is sometimes challenging. The reason for this is that “inpatient” and “residential” treatments are defined and licensed differently from state to state.
Outpatient Addiction Treatment
Outpatient treatment programs are similar to most residential treatment programs but provide more freedom allowing the person to continue living at home and go to work or go to school. Because they can go home after a day or evening program, individuals can assume responsibilities that they would not be able to sustain if they were in residential or inpatient treatment programs. Outpatient drug treatment programs are for those who do not have a heavy or long term addiction. For those who find that outpatient programs are not working they should consider a residential treatment program.
Choosing a Rehab Center
Choosing a treatment center for alcohol addiction and drug abuse or dependency is one of the most important decisions you will have to make. It is a matter of succeeding or failing and having to start all over again.
Most people do not know what encompasses good quality drug rehabilitation. Not all treatment centers are the same. There are differences in program options, staff qualifications, credentials, cost, and effectiveness. These should be looked at before making a decision as they are all very important criteria for success.