How to Find The Right Rehab
Medically Reviewed By: Dr. Patricia Sullivan, MD MPH
Addiction treatment is a scary process to undergo alone, so finding a good rehab facility is vital to a proper recovery. With all the information available online, there are some steps you can follow on how to find a good rehab facility.
It is also crucial to remember that not every program is perfect. That is why many treatment centers will combine different programs into one, often for your personal needs. A good treatment facility will create a personalized program for your needs, and it will also change as your needs do.
To get started, call us at (385) 327-7418 today. We want to help you begin on the journey to sobriety.
Finding a Good Rehab Facility
Finding a good rehab facility can be overwhelming when you see how many there are. Understanding what to look for in a rehab treatment facility will take time but is worth it once the right one is selected.
Working with a medical professional will lessen the load of finding the correct facility for you. They should have unbiased recommendations for your addiction.
Some facilities are designed for alcohol recovery more so than opiate and vice versa. While finding a good drug rehabilitation center, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommends asking the following questions to make the best decision.
- What kind of treatment does the program or provider offer? – Fully understating the offered programs will allow you to determine if they will provide what you need. Knowing if they offer medications, mental health assistance, or even group therapy are only a few of many treatment options you must ask about when speaking to a specialist.
- Is treatment tailored to the individual? – There is no such thing as a “one size fits all” recovery program. Treatment must be personalized to the individual and willing to change with the patient.
- What does this treatment center expect of the patient? – Before committing to a rehab center, knowing what the rehab expects of the patient is important.
- Is treatment success measured? – Treatment centers compare more effectively based on how they measure success.
- How does the program or provider handle relapse? – Relapsing during treatment can feel like a step backward, but it is more common than you expect. To overcome relapsing, investigate how a program handles relapse.
These questions will help you find the best possible treatment center. While investigating, though, it will become overwhelming with the number of programs offered.
A good rehab center will personalize a program to the patient’s needs. Often, a treatment center will use a combination of methods to best help patients.
Treatment Options to Look At
Several kinds of treatment options are available, but not all of them will apply to your needs. Talking with your medical professional is the best way to determine what programs are best and find a good rehab facility.
Before you get put into a specific program that involves counseling or therapy, you will have to undergo medically supervised detox and withdrawal. For treatment to best succeed, patients must not have any substance in their system.
The withdrawal stage will help individuals build a tolerance to drugs and undergo their treatment in the most efficient way possible.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that withdrawal can be overwhelming for many individuals, so they implement medication at the beginning of treatment. This medication helps reduce the effects of withdrawal.
The NIDA calls this stage of treatment “medically managed withdrawal.” Once the detoxification has been completed, other forms of treatment can begin.
Treatment
- Long-term Residential Treatment – This form of treatment is designed for individuals of varying addiction severity to stay within a medically supervised location for 24 hours. This treatment lasts between six to 12 months, depending on the individual. This kind of treatment aims to help individuals become socialized with others like them and medical staff. With a support group nearby, there’s no need to feel alone.
- Short-term Residential Treatment – Short-term treatment is aimed to assist individuals using a modified 12-step program. Short-term treatment is effective in preparing and transitioning patients from inpatient programs to outpatient programs. These programs typically last three to six weeks within a medically supervised location. The most important aspect of this treatment is staying involved. It can be hard to stay engaged, so individuals will be enrolled in outpatient treatment to keep them on pace for recovery.
- Outpatient Treatment Program – This form of treatment is designed for less severe individuals or people with a positive support group. People going through this treatment can continue living their lives and working but work through group counseling or therapy. This program varies on time length but tends to require patients to attend daily or weekly.
- Individual Drug Counseling – Individual counseling’s design educates individuals on drug addiction and addresses other life problems. The NIDA says that discussions about employment, illegal activities, and relationships often happen in these settings. Individual counseling focuses on altering behaviors and emotions while working through a 12-step program.
- Group Counseling – Group counseling is great for creating positive relationships that hold individuals to their treatment goals. NIDA research has found that when the group and individual counseling pair together, addiction recovery is positive.
It is important to follow along and stay engaged with treatment, no matter which program you are a part of in your recovery journey. By staying involved, you have a lower chance of relapse and beginning a new chapter of life without substance addiction.
Understanding Your Addiction
Beating an addiction to any substance is challenging. It takes more than willpower to overcome addiction, starting with finding a good rehab facility. Entering treatment is not a sign of weakness; on the contrary, it is a sign of strength.
Overcoming substance addiction is so challenging because the alterations to the brain make it that way. Addictive substances change the way your brain sends and receives signals. When attempting to beat addiction, your brain will not want to change from its new way of processing.
Fortunately, research has evolved a great amount, making treatment more effective than it used to be. It is important to understand that addiction treatment is not a cure. The NIDA emphasizes that substance addiction is like other chronic diseases – diabetes, asthma, heart disease – there is no cure, only a way to manage it.
When trying to understand addiction, knowing the long-term effects is crucial. Becoming educated on the damage makes the desire to enter treatment more important.
If you can overcome addiction now, before long-term damage takes hold, you can live a longer, more productive life. A NIDA created a list of major effects include:
- Slower learning
- Impaired judgment
- Impaired decision-making
- Increase in stresses
- A decreased ability to form memories
- Changes in behavior and actions
Cause of Addiction
Becoming addicted to drugs is not your fault. There are several reasons for addiction taking hold of your life. The NIDA found that there are three major causes of addiction in an individual.
- Biology – An individual’s genes will influence if they have an addictive personality. Their gender and ethnicity will also play a role in addiction risk. Mental illness is also looked for when determining addiction risk.
- Environment – The environment is crucial in an individual’s growth and the chances of becoming addicted. Family, friends, and peers can influence your addiction and acceptance of it. If family members use addictive substances around young people, they will likely begin using them as well.
- Development – When an individual begins using substances also plays a crucial role in addiction. The earlier someone uses substances, the more likely they are to continue using and not seek treatment.
No one is the same, so that addiction will happen differently to everyone. There might be similarities between individuals, but their personal history and growth will determine the severity of the addiction. It is important to remember that finding a good rehab facility should be at the top of the list to overcome addiction. It is not feasible to try to overcome addiction alone. It should be done with a supportive community and professional supervision.
Reading the Signs of Addiction
Understanding addiction is a long process. There are so many little nooks and crannies of information to know to understand why addiction happens properly. Once you have a general understanding of addiction, it is time to address your situation.
Every drug will react differently and cause different symptoms, but some general symptoms determine if seeing a medical professional is the right step. Not every symptom will be present, but if you or a loved one are using addictive substances, some of these will be noticeable.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the following symptoms are signs that medical help should be sought out.
- Craving a specific drug regularly.
- Thinking about drugs to the point other you do not have any other thoughts.
- Using increased amounts of drugs to feel the same effects.
- Ensuring you always have a supply of a specific drug.
- Using money on drugs instead of other necessities.
- Not engaging with obligation or work responsibilities.
- Continuing drug use even though negative effects are present.
- Getting drugs through action, you would not usually do.
- Driving while under the influence.
- Spending a large portion of time obtaining, using, and recovering from a drug.
- Failing to give up drugs.
- Experiencing extreme withdrawal symptoms from drugs.
Other’s Signs of Addiction
Being addicted to drugs also impacts those around you. It is not exclusive to personal health, but the mental and emotional health of family and friends. Additionally, knowing the signs that a family member is struggling with drugs can be seen from several outside indicators.
- Struggling at work or school – Individuals struggling with addiction will often stop attending work or school, leading to a decrease in performance.
- Physical health is suffering – Individuals will lack motivation and energy to maintain their health. Individuals will experience extreme weight loss or weight gain.
- Neglected appearance – Clothing, grooming, and overall appearance will no longer be an interest.
- Extreme behavior changes – Behaviors towards family and friends will change drastically. Individuals will often become easily agitated and angry with the environment around them.
- Struggling financially – Money becomes a source of negative actions. Individuals may resort to stealing money or asking for large sums of money to pay for drugs.
Addiction is a disease that takes time to overcome. Becoming educated on addiction can help with the process of treatment and understanding when to seek help. No single person is the same, so that behaviors symptoms will vary in severity. Simply understanding the signs can help lead to entering treatment.
The Next Step
Taking that lead from addiction to recovery takes a lot of courage. Entering the right treatment can sound like a lot of work, but do not let it detour you from getting the help you deserve.
Knowing your addiction is only one part of getting through it. Working with a supportive community and engaging with individuals also suffering from addiction will make the process easier.
It is also crucial to find the right center for your needs to reduce the chance of relapsing. You have the strength to overcome addiction, and it starts with calling us today.
Call us at (385) 327-7418 to start looking for a personalized program built around you and your changes. A good program will not be a “one size fits all” but rather a personalized way to overcome addiction best. Get started today so you can live a bright and productive future without addiction.
To speak with someone about your situation and get a free consultation, call Addiction Care Treatment Program at (385) 327-7418 today!
