How to Choose a Rehab Facility That Is the Best Fit
Johanna, a recovering alcoholic, needed some extra support to regain stability and sobriety after a relapse triggered by a big holiday party. Meanwhile, Karl had spiraled deep into cocaine addiction. After a nearly fatal overdose, he finally decided to seek out help in the form of safe detox and addiction treatment.
Karl and Johanna both chose the same rehab facility, but they chose it for different reasons. Johanna did thorough research and chose a facility that matched the level of support she felt she needed. Karl—afraid to ask others for help—simply chose the facility because it was the closest one to his home with decent reviews.
Johanna was stable within weeks. Karl saw some improvements but soon fell back into old, unhealthy patterns and dropped out of treatment. Why? One major contributing factor was that the facility offered only outpatient treatment. This was enough to get Johanna safely back on her feet, but for Karl, this fell short of what he needed to truly heal from his experiences with addiction. Additionally, the facility’s programming was not designed to offer support for other issues Karl needed to address, including panic disorder.
This is the difference knowing how to choose a rehab facility can make. Finding the right facility with the right treatment options means more than simply checking which one is closest or which one has the best online reviews. It means finding the one that will give you, or your loved one, the best possible chance at achieving lasting recovery.
How to Choose a Rehab Facility for Yourself
So how do you make that choice? How do you choose a rehab facility and know that it’s the right fit? While there is no guarantee that your first choice will be the best choice, you can maximize those odds by doing the following:
- Know your goals. What do you hope to achieve by seeking treatment? If, for example, your primary goal is to live a healthier lifestyle, you may want to narrow your search to programs that include nutritional support and/or therapies that involve physical movement.
- Know your needs. Do you have accessibility needs, such as wheelchair-friendly accommodations? Do you have any co-occurring conditions that require concurrent treatment? It may be necessary to consult with a medical professional to identify needs you may not be aware of and discuss what to look for in order to ensure these needs are met.
- Check the cost. Often, treatment can be partially or fully covered by insurance. If this is not the case, be sure to explore your options. Federal- or state-funded programs may alleviate the cost of treatment, as can other financial aid options. Many facilities also offer alternative payment options for low-income households.
- Understand what level of support they offer. Look for facilities that provide 24/7 access to medical support. Additionally, check their program offerings—as Karl found out, it is often advisable to begin the recovery journey with more intensive residential treatment before moving into an outpatient or even partial hospitalization program. Even if you are looking for outpatient options alone, check to make sure that therapy sessions are conducted regularly—ideally, at least once a week or more.
- Evaluate available amenities. Any facility worth your time will, at least, be clean and moderately comfortable. However, be sure to also look for a facility that provides a healthy balance between privacy and security; it’s important to know that you will have some space and time to yourself to reflect and recharge during the treatment process. Also take into account extra considerations, such as certain dietary options or access to outdoor spaces.
- Identify what treatment options they offer. You may already have an idea—based on past experience or an expert’s guidance—what therapies are likely to work for you and which are not. If this is the case, you can use this information to narrow down your search considerably. If not, a good rule of thumb is to look for facilities with a variety of options and flexible programming that can adapt to your needs, rather than a “one size fits all” approach.
- Understand what support, if any, they offer beyond treatment. Will they help you find housing or employment opportunities following your completion of the program? Do they offer any aftercare services, such as an alumni program? While these considerations may not seem as vital as the treatment process itself, aftercare support can be critical in maintaining long-term sobriety.
It will take some time and effort to sift through a long list of treatment options to find the best one, but the results will be worth it. This careful evaluation will, ultimately, lead you to a facility that feels comfortable and that puts you on a path to true healing and lasting recovery.
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Choosing a Rehab Facility for an Addicted Loved One
If you are seeking help for a loved one, rather than yourself, the factors above are still important, but how you consider them may change. Ideally, you will be able to discuss all of the above with the person you are trying to help; involving them in this decision as much as possible can greatly influence how open they are to the treatment process itself.
However, if they absolutely refuse to participate or are unable to do so, don’t force the issue. Do, however, try your best to put yourself in their shoes when making your evaluations. Remember that, while your opinion matters, the facility must match your loved one’s needs.
The Benefits of Finding the Right Rehab Program
You’ll know when you choose the rehab facility that is right for you because it will be the one you feel most comfortable with, staffed by experts you feel you can trust.
The benefits of seeking out the best rehab option, rather than the most convenient one, include not only a more positive experience overall, but also more positive treatment outcomes. There are many roads to recovery; while none of them are easy, the smoothest path is always the one you begin on the right foot—in the right rehab facility.