Choosing an Addiction Treatment Center
11/04/20: Addiction Recovery
Addiction disturbs your entire brain. From the part of the brain that controls motivation a.k.a. the neurotransmitter dopamine to one that’s responsible for your memory i.e., the amygdala, substance abuse affects most of the important sections of your mind. When that happens, it becomes necessary for you to participate in a holistic treatment program that takes care of all the aspects of your brain while helping you recover from drug abuse. Since it can be tricky to pick one, here’s what you need to do when choosing an addiction treatment center for yourself.Meet the people
As an addict in rehab, you spend most of your time interacting with people who are helping you get healthier. Naturally, you have the highest engagement with them. So, when you’re planning to choose an addiction center, you must prioritize their staff more than the facilities. Because if you aren’t comfortable with the people, the amenities won’t help you in any way, irrespective of how many there are. See how welcoming the staff is and how quickly you’re warming up to them. Most importantly, if there are enough professionals to pay attention to everyone. In other words, ask for the addiction treatment center’s staff-to-patient ratio. Once you’re happy with the staff, learn about their reputation in the industry. Do people know them? Are they a crowd favorite? What do their peers think about them? Apart from that, when you visit the website or the actual facility, make sure to check out the credentials of the people who’ll be helping you. Because addiction is a mental disease, the addiction treatment center ought to have mental health professionals on board. And since addiction can affect your appetite and induce eating disorders, the facility must also house a nutritionist. Finally, don’t forget to meet with your primary accountability partner. They’ll be interacting with you more than anyone else, so if you don’t like them, you probably won’t be comfortable during your treatment.Check for their certifications and success rate
Every addiction treatment center needs to be government certified and licensed to operate in the country. This allows them to abide by the laws and regulations while ensuring they’re giving you tried and tested treatment. Above all, seeking help from a licensed addiction center ensure that you’re getting standardized medical attention authorized by the government - one that you deserve. Besides, you should also look at the success and relapse rate of the treatment center. Bear in mind, the relapse rate is more important than the success rate. It doesn’t matter if an addiction center has a 100% success rate if their patients keep rolling back into their facility after a while. That might happen for two reasons - first, the facility doesn’t equip you mentally enough for you to survive in the real world and second, they deliberately want you to keep coming back to the program, so they can earn more from you. In any case, be wary of such addiction centers.Look for the availability of specialized programs
Are you looking for a specialized treatment plan or just some regular detox? You need to figure out what you want in a program to ensure you get what you need. Nowadays, there are treatment facilities that offer separate single-sex treatment programs for men and women, so you can feel comfortable throughout your recovery process. To cater to different needs, some also offer a specialized program specifically designed for young adults and adolescents.Find out their philosophy
What does your addiction treatment center believe in? If their thoughts don’t align with yours, you may not feel comfortable participating in the program. Ask what’s the core philosophy of the treatment center. Are they too spiritual or religious like The Salvation Army? Are they too strict or too patient with their participants? Do they believe in an evidence-based approach and are scientifically-backed? Is their treatment method supported by psychology? Needless to say, the NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) favors evidence-based treatment but it eventually comes down to what you prefer.Check for payment options
Addiction treatment can be expensive. So, it’s always wise to choose an addiction treatment center that offers you the flexibility you need to have a stress-free recovery process, especially if you’re going for inpatient treatment. See if you can break down your payments into installments. It’s even better if your recovery center accepts insurance as it can significantly bring down your treatment cost. Additionally, you can also check if they offer scholarships or partner up with private sponsors to help people who can’t afford the treatment.Look for accessibility
This usually applies to inpatient treatment but accessibility can also be a bonus for outpatient treatment wherein you’re required to frequently visit the facility to complete the program. Now, let’s consider inpatient treatment here. An inpatient program requires you to detach from your routine and reside within the facility to get better. You’re closely monitored by the staff and are even allowed to retreat into nature from time to time. Since you can’t do that in the middle of the city, recovery centers are usually built away from the noise of the prime locations. But if the recovery center is too far, your close ones won’t be able to visit you in case of emergencies. So, you ought to make sure that the treatment facility has good connectivity no matter what kind of treatment you opt for.When is it time to look for an addiction center?
The first and most common sign that you need help is the fact that you can’t control your urges. You engage in an uncontrollable use of drugs and experience withdrawal symptoms when you don’t use. Having multiple failed attempts at quitting also isn’t a good sign. If your drug abuse is costing you important relationships, inducing memory loss, and creating a lack of focus, it may be time to seek help from professionals to get better.If you or someone you know needs help with addiction, contact 602-737-1619 or email [email protected] to get the help you need. Our acclaimed recovery environment merges upscale, luxury accommodations with affordability, clinical expertise and an unwavering commitment to patient care and aftercare.
