Choosing an addiction treatment program for a loved one is an overwhelming experience. You spend hours online, on the phone, and up at night worrying if you’re making the right choice — or if it all will be worth it in the end. Meanwhile, it’s all complicated by the fact that your loved one’s addiction continues to rage on day in and day out, making their life and yours a living nightmare. But, it doesn’t have to be that hard. How can you choose the right rehab for a loved one? This is what you need to know.
Signs of Addiction
First, before you begin researching drug and alcohol rehabs for a loved one, you need to be certain: Do they even need rehab in the first place? It’s important to understand that the severity of addiction is not characterized solely by how much or how often someone drinks or uses. Instead, it’s the impact on their lives that matters.
If your loved one’s drinking or using is having a negative effect on their body, mind, career, finances, or relationships — and they still continue to drink or use — then they could have a problem that rehab could solve.
Drug & Alcohol Detox
Where the quantity of your loved one’s consumption does come into play is detox. If they have been drinking or using large quantities of drugs and alcohol for a period of time, then it may not be safe for them to go directly to residential addiction treatment or an outpatient program. People who abuse alcohol and benzos in particular need medically supervised care during detox. If attempted alone, detoxing from those substances can cause heart attack, coma, or even death. Medical detoxes can monitor your loved one 24/7 and make sure that they make it through the withdrawal period safely. At the same time, detoxing from opiates — while less dangerous than alcohol — may be more uncomfortable. A medical detox can prescribe medication to make the withdrawal process as comfortable as possible, making it more likely that your loved one will complete the detox without having to pick up again and start all over.
Types of Addiction Treatment
After detox, your loved one will be ready to enter addiction treatment. There are a variety of types of addiction treatment plans depending on your loved one’s needs. Residential addiction treatment is the most comprehensive. There, your loved one will live at the treatment facility and benefit from 24/7 monitoring, support, and accountability. They’ll be separated from the stresses of daily life and will be able to focus entirely on their recovery.
People with a less intense substance abuse issue might start with an outpatient program. Popular with people stepping down from residential treatment, outpatient programs allow clients to attend treatment sessions during the day or evening while living at home. It allows for more autonomy while also supplying a partial safety net.
Choosing an Addiction Treatment Facility
Choosing the right addiction treatment facility for your loved one will take some research. Start by reviewing the websites of facilities near you. Do they show photos of their staff and campus? Is there information about the programming that they provide? The more information provided by a facility, the better. Look for badges or logos showing that the facility has been certified by governing boards like The Joint Commission, or that they’ve been certified by Legitscript. All of these items will give you an idea if a program can be trusted — and if it’s a fit for your loved one.
Sometimes, it can be helpful to prevent 3-5 options to your loved one, to make them feel like they have more agency in the decision. You also may want to restrict those options to facilities that are in-network with your insurance provider.
What else do you need to know? Some sites allow you to use the chat functionality to reach an admissions team member right away, or you can call the facility to ask any questions or verify your insurance. Give us a call and plant a new seed of hope for your family.