As you come to realize you, or someone close to you has a problem with drugs or alcohol, you will need to know how to choose the best drug rehab center. This is a difficult time, but the bright spot in this is that there are many options.

How to choose the best drug rehab center involves weighing your specific needs against other factors like costs and insurance. The amount of time you need to properly recover and the amount of time you are able to take also need to be evaluated.

You will also need to seriously consider the type of treatment you require. Since the science of addiction treatment has advanced so much in recent years, how to choose the best drug rehab center will involve an understanding of the kinds of treatment methods available.

Often, learning to ask the right questions will be the best tool in learning how to choose the best drug rehab center.

Rehab Facility Options

The first issue in choosing the best drug rehab center is to understand the various types of rehab. This comes down to evaluating your specific needs and making decisions about what level of care you may require.

Levels of care can be determined with the help of your physician or an addiction treatment professional. There are five basic types of drug and alcohol rehab.

Medical Detox

This is generally considered the first order of care for many people. If you are wrestling with substances like alcohol or opioids, you are likely facing a painful and potentially dangerous detox and withdrawal period. In order to manage withdrawal symptoms and extreme cravings, medical detox provides medical monitoring and pharmaceutical interventions.

Medical detox breaks down into four categories:

• Ambulatory medical detox without onsite monitoring. You will receive regular medical monitoring and medication, but you will follow regularly schedules appointments with staff.
• Ambulatory medical detox with onsite monitoring. This takes place in a hospital or similar facility in which you are monitored onsite by medical staff.
• Medically monitored inpatient detox. This provides acute care in a medical or mental health facility. There are doctors and trained addiction treatment staff onsite to assist with detox.
• Medically managed intensive inpatient detox. This includes full medical and mental health staff to treat any and all issues associated with detox and addiction.

The type of detox and the level of care you require can be determined with the help of addiction treatment professionals. You do not need to figure this out on your own. However, you know the extent of your own addiction. It is important to be forthright and honest in order to get the care you need.

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

PHPs provide intensive care over the course of a scheduled day. People going through a PHP will go undergo medical supervision, group and individual therapy, and other aspects of treatment during the course of the day. They will be able to go home or to a sober living facility at night and work on their recovery on their own.

Obviously, PHPs are best for people who are able to manage their lives in the absence of round the clock monitoring. If your addiction is particularly advanced, you may require a more intensive and structured environment.

Inpatient Rehab

Inpatient rehab is generally equipped to handle any co-occurring mental health issues that may come with addiction. This type of rehab involves a stay in a hospital or treatment facility for an extended period of time.

All treatment takes place on-site. Counseling, therapy, support groups, and medical assistance take place at the treatment center.

Inpatient rehab is best for people dealing with a particularly entrenched pattern of addiction. People who have had a long pattern of addiction are often best suited for inpatient treatment.

Intensive Outpatient rehab (IOP)

For people who have a healthy home complete with a supportive network of friends and loved ones, IOP can be a great option.

IOP provides the same level of intensive treatment offered in inpatient treatment, but you are able to stay in your home as you go through rehab. IOP means full days of treatment, therapy, and counseling. There may be medical treatments in some cases.

IOP combines the intensive treatment of inpatient rehab with the freedom and comfort of being able to go home each day.

Outpatient rehab

In outpatient rehab, treatment takes place during regularly scheduled appointments. You will have frequent visits with counselors and therapy groups. The advantage of outpatient treatment is that you are able to maintain your job, home, and family life while you undergo addiction treatment.

Outpatient works best for people whose addiction has not progressed to a level at which life has become completely unmanageable. People who recognize that they have a substance abuse problem early on seem to respond well to outpatient treatment.

Questions to Ask when looking for a Rehab Center

Choosing the right rehab and treatment options necessarily involves being informed. Learning to ask the right questions is essential as you make such life-changing decisions.

These are general questions. Each treatment option will come with its own details. But as you try to navigate the many options for drug rehab, these questions will help you arrive at a focused plan.

• How long are your programs, and which program length is right for me?
• How much will it cost to attend your drug rehabilitation center?
• What are my payment options?
• What happens during detox?
• What treatment approach do you use?
• What is a dual diagnosis, and what happens if I have one?
• Will my friends and family members be able to visit?
• What sets your drug rehabilitation center apart?

The answers to these questions set against your won specific needs should lead you to an informed decision. Consult with addiction treatment professionals and your own doctor to best evaluate these things.

Duration of Program

The realities of life do not go away as you head into drug and alcohol treatment. You obviously still have a family, work, and other obligations. You will need to get a sense of how much time you need to commit to rehab and treatment.

Rehab generally breaks down into 30, 60, and 90 days, depending on the level of treatment you require.

A 30-day treatment is obviously easiest to commit to. It also has the lowest cost. These programs will consist of one-on-one and group therapy. You will be introduced to support groups. Any medical treatments will also be administered. A 30-day program also offers a plan for long-term aftercare.

The 60-day programs have the advantage of allowing you more time to adjust to a life without drugs and alcohol. These programs often provide detox treatments. The more intensive therapies of a 60-day program offer an added benefit.

A 90-day treatment can be a serious commitment. If you are dealing with a serious and entrenched addiction problem, this may be your best choice. These programs are more expensive, and insurance coverage may vary. But the long-term benefit of a 90-day program can be indispensable.

Cost Breakdown: What does it cost? 

Paying for rehab can be the real breaking point for many people. Like anything else, rehab can range from the affordable to the exorbitant. This is really a matter of a cost/benefit analysis.

The average cost of a supervised medical detox is $500-650 a day. Inpatient care at a rehab facility is the same price. For intensive outpatient care, the average cost is $250-350 per day. These are average costs from around the nation, and these are based on private payment without insurance.

Remember, these are averages, and that means the most expensive rehab facilities are figured into these numbers.

Many insurance companies pay for addiction and mental health treatment. In addition, some employers offer benefits for drug rehab.

There are public assistance funds available to help pay for rehab. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a full list of state and federal assistance for drug rehab on their website.

How to pay for Rehab based in your current financial situation

The best way to pay for rehab is with your own health insurance. Most insurance companies now have some form of drug rehab included in the overall healthcare provisions. Addiction is recognized as a legitimate health care problem and treatment for addiction is covered by most insurance.

The SAMHSA website provides a comprehensive list of payment options for people who do not have insurance or are underinsured.

Paying for rehab will be part of your overall evaluation as you choose a rehab. With the help of a doctor or an addiction treatment professional, you can look at your available options, balance this against your own financial realities, and arrive at a plan. With the help of insurance and the SAMSHA resource, you will find the treatment facility that will work for you.

Insurance Coverage: What to expect?

The best way to approach this question is to simply to contact your insurance provider. This is often a complicated and daunting process, and probably one of the last things you want to think about as you contemplate drug rehab. However, taking the extra steps can save you money and heartache down the line.

As the questions for evaluating a rehab, you are in the best shape if you have a list of questions prepared for your insurance company. Here is a list of things to cover:

• Am I covered for all phases of treatment (detox, inpatient, and aftercare)?
• Does my policy cover medications specific to drug and alcohol treatment?
• Am I covered for the various forms of counseling included in rehab?
• Do I have a co-pay or deductible with rehab?
• Which specific rehab programs are covered by my policy (30, 60, 90-days, for example)?
• Am I required to seek a rehab within my provider network?

By exploring these questions with your insurance company beforehand, you can cover the cost of treatment without any unnecessary financial surprises. Being armed with information is the best way to approach this process.

Extended Care and Long-Term Addiction Rehab

For some people, a long-term care option or extended addiction rehab may be necessary. If you have a history of addiction, you may require extended care and long-term addiction rehab. People with co-occurring mental health problems also benefit from longer treatment options.

Extended addiction care provides continuity between the intensive programs of rehab and life beyond treatment. It offers you the tools to integrate the lessons learned in treatment and rehab into your daily life. Extended care may only consist of continued therapy sessions with a counselor. It may combine these meetings with support groups. In either case, you will be able to maintain contact with the programs form rehab as you move on to a life without drugs and alcohol.

Long-term care can be 90 days or even longer. In some cases, people stay in rehab for up to 6 months. Unlike shorter rehab programs, long term care offers people struggling with extreme addiction problems the time to undergo multi-faceted treatments. Long term care can also allow people to address any underlying problems which may fuel their addiction. People with dual-diagnosis often benefit from long-term addiction treatment programs.

Finding the Best Recovery Center

As you can see, finding the best recovery center requires some research. However, there are a great many options, and the process of finding a treatment center that works best for your needs is not mysterious.

Riverwalk Ranch provides any level of care you may need for drug rehab. From outpatient programs to intensive inpatient programs, Riverwalk Ranch can provide the finest, scientifically based treatments available.

On-site medical professionals and physicians are available for a full medical detox. The range of the most scientifically evaluated and proven treatment modalities make up the programs at Riverwalk Ranch.

Riverwalk Ranch can provide medically and clinically-supported inpatient care, behavioral therapies, and post-treatment aftercare support. The full range of treatment options and programs detailed above are available.