If you or someone you love has suffered from a crippling addiction, the pain can feel overwhelming in many different ways.
The financial, professional, and health losses due to abuse are seemingly insurmountable. Addiction even negatively affects human relationships.
The moment you or someone you love decides to seek out rehabilitation, a major obstacle has already been overcome.
That first step is significant, but where you go from there, is almost equally as important.
What are the most critical things you should consider when looking at rehab facilities?
We’ve put together a guide to help you find answers to the most important questions you may have.
Do I need Help?
First thing is first.
Whether you’re the one who needs help or if it’s a friend or family member, this question is probably at the forefront of your mind.
Asking this question at all is a great step to take. Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction has a hotline to call, which can also provide a significant initial step.
While the organization does not provide treatment, they are a great resource for questions or concerns you may have.
They have toll-free telephone numbers for whichever province you live.
Outpatient or Residential?
This is another fundamental question that can take you on one of two paths when going into addiction treatment center.
Do you need outpatient, inpatient (residential) or virtual treatment?
This isn’t a decision to take lightly, either.
Basically, outpatient treatment means you receive treatment while still living in your own home. You don’t need to be admitted to a 24-hour facility, and you can even continue working and going home at night to sleep.
With virtual addiction treatment, you don’t have to leave your house for a therapy or group sessions. Every tool needed for a successful recovery is provided through a secure, online platform.
Inpatient (or residential) treatment means that you are admitted to an establishment that is designed specifically for addiction treatment.
A lot of people may not like the idea of inpatient treatment. Sometimes, there’s a negative feeling or stigma associated with it, but it may be a necessary step to take.
Some people’s addiction is so severe they need constant, 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week access to the treatment or resources available at a drug and alcohol rehab centre.
Temporarily living at the facility also allows you to have the security and peace of mind knowing that fully trained staff are always there for what you need.
Still, if you or your loved one don’t think inpatient rehabilitation is necessary, outpatient is a viable option.
Outpatients will still take part in a lot of the same treatments. They can vary from 1- to 2-hour sessions or upwards of 8-hour sessions.
Ultimately, the type and severity of the addiction will determine whether outpatient or inpatient treatment is necessary.
Where Should the Facility Be Located?
We’ve established it’s important to know whether or not you will be an outpatient or an inpatient.
The next obvious step is to figure out where you want your treatment to be. If you’re someone living in Toronto, rehab facilities in Tokyo aren’t really going to do you much good.
Even if you find a facility located near where you live, is it important that facility be as close to where you are as possible?
In some cases, you may want to find a facility that’s close to you, especially if you’re planning on outpatient treatment. If you’re still sleeping in your own bed or going to work the next morning, a short drive to where you will get your treatment is probably necessary.
If you’re planning on residential treatment, you may want to consider whether the facility should be close to where you live or not.
For example, if some of the challenges you face in recovery are connected to where you live or who you may live near, then a facility that’s far away could actually be a good thing.
No matter what addiction you’re facing, location is key.
What is the Cost of Treatment?
Price is another crucial aspect to consider.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH), substance abuse treatment costs over $600 billion annually.
Rehab centers cost a lot of money; it’s no secret. It takes a lot to keep a facility running.
Here are some of the factors that go into the cost of treatment:
- Room and board
- Medications
- Counseling
- Interventions
- Sober escorts
- Supervised detox
- Sober living homes
Some programs are covered by insurance policies while others aren’t. You will need to check with your provider to see if certain treatments are covered or not. If they are not, you will have to pay out of pocket.
There are other payment options other than insurance and simply footing the bill yourself, though, such as loans.
That’s why it’s important just to ask.
One thing is for sure, though: not treating addiction will only cost you and your loved ones more and more if it goes untreated.
Is An Intervention Necessary?
Before someone can even be admitted to a facility for drug and alcohol rehab, they have first to acknowledge that they need it in the first place.
Interventions can come in many forms with different models based on the person who is being intervened for.
This could happen in the home or rehab facilities themselves. In fact, some rehab facilities will even have certified interventionists that can help the family or loved ones with the process of intervention.
You may want to consider if this is an option with the center you choose to go with.
Is it Effective?
You’re probably wondering what the rehab success rate is like.
If you’re going to take this jump, it’s important to know if it’s even successful in the first place.
It’s difficult to really determine success when you’re talking about rehabilitation, though.
Again, according to NIH, it’s important to view addiction as any other chronic disease. Even if there are relapses, it is not an indication of failure.
Much like how the treatment of another chronic disease, such as diabetes, may initially prove successful it doesn’t mean symptoms can’t happen again later on.
The point is that treatment must continue even after initially staying at rehab centers.
A successful treatment is one that continues to adjust and grow with the recovering person.
Is My Addiction Acknowledged?
Rehab centers should recognize that there are more types of addiction than drug and alcohol.
It may seem at times like substance abuse is the only kind of addiction that is acknowledged and treated, but you may be suffering from behavioural addiction.
Video games addiction, for example, is a very real addiction. Even though video games may be a perfectly legal and acceptable type of recreation, an addiction to them can lead to serious problems.
Sex addiction and gambling addiction are the same way. They may not necessarily be illegal, but your addiction to them can cripple your life in some ways.
Beyond behaviours, mental health issues should also be acknowledged, such as:
You want to find a rehab facility that will acknowledge what you’re struggling with, or at least be able to identify other problems that extend from addiction.
What Treatments Do I Need?
When picking rehab facilities, you need to make sure they offer the treatments you need.
One of the most common forms of treatment is therapy, and includes the following:
Each offers their own benefit, and you may even need to partake in multiple types of therapy.
Individual Therapy
In individual therapy, it’s all about you and your road to recovery.
Quality rehab centers are non-judgmental, and their therapists and counsellors are there to work with you.
In therapy, it’s important to uncover the source of problems. Only by identifying these causes can a therapist help you put together objectives and goals for you to reach.
These goals may change and evolve with you, but they’re there to give you the tools you need to face difficult challenges.
Group Therapy
While group therapy also (of course) helps you, it’s also about interacting with a group of other people also struggling with addiction.
You need to look at rehab facilities that allow you this opportunity as it will help remove any feeling that you are alone in your addiction. That feeling of isolation can sometimes keep you from overcoming your challenges.
There are different types of group therapies as well, and it’s important to find facilities that use multiple kinds.
Some group therapies are designed to help you identify problematic relationships in your life or practice dealing with the anxiety or other challenges you may face going out into the “real world.”
Constructive feedback only helps to make a person grow, whether you take the feedback or not, and group therapy lets you give and receive feedback from others.
The interaction here is important to build relationships that will help you in the future.
Couples and Family Therapy
In addition to individual and group therapies, it’s important to consider that your addiction (or the addiction of a loved one) affects others.
Whether you’re a couple or part of a family at large, there may be other people being negatively affected by addiction.
Couples and family therapy allow others to take part in the therapy process, which can help both the person with the addiction and the family.
Families play a complex role in the life of an addict. Their perspective can help an addict on the road to recovery, and they may have their own issues that they need to work through too.
Other Forms of Treatment
While different forms of therapy are common treatments, you may want to look at rehab facilities that offer other, newer kinds of treatment.
Cue-Exposure Therapy, for example, is a type of treatment that utilizes virtual reality (VR).
With the immersion of technology like VR, an addict can experience temptations and triggers in a safe and controlled environment. It’s this kind of process that allows someone to overcome challenging obstacles while staying safe.
There are other kinds of treatments that use modern technology, too. It’s important to take a look at facilities that are willing to experiment with new types of treatments.
What are the Amenities?
Now, it’s important to understand that you are not booking a weekend vacation at a five-star hotel for the fun of it.
That being said, rehab facilities’ amenities are still important to consider.
If you’re choosing to be a residential patient, you need to know that you will be taken care of. After all, you don’t always know exactly how long you will be a patient.
Also, medical detox may be a step in the recovery process if you’re facing substance abuse. It’s not comfortable as you transition into sobriety. Therefore, you want to know that the facilities you’re choosing are well equipped to handle this and that you’ll be as comfortable as possible.
What Will Happen Afterward?
There are plenty of things to consider leading up to the treatments and during the treatments themselves, but you may be wondering what happens afterward.
It’s a fair question.
As we established earlier, relapsing is not a sign of failed treatment, but the best drug and alcohol rehab centers will stay with you long after the initial phase of your treatment.
This is called aftercare, and a quality facility will set you up with goals that you can continue to meet long after your stay.
Groups similar to the group therapy you may receive during treatment should be available afterward, as well. You should be able to interact in group sessions with other addicts who have also undergone treatment.
It’s a lifelong process and aftercare is just as important as the treatment itself.
Get Help Picking Rehab Facilities in Canada
Addiction of any kind–whether substance abuse or behavioural–can take a huge toll on those suffering and the ones they love.
Choosing rehab facilities is an important decision to make on the road to recovery, and there are a lot of critical things to consider.
Hopefully, this guide gave you an idea of where to begin and maybe helped you think of something you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
At Trafalgar Addiction Treatment Centers we want to help you, whether if it’s for you or someone you love.
Feel free to look at our admissions so you can get in touch with us if you have any more questions.
