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What to Look For in A Drug Addiction Treatment Center

What to Look For in A Drug Addiction Treatment Center

Choosing a drug addiction treatment center in Houston can feel so overwhelming. In 2018, the U.S. had nearly 15,000 rehab facilities in operation, all of them offering hope in one form or another. It’s no wonder it can be a challenge to determine the best place for you or your loved one to get the help they need! Luckily, there are some key indicators to look for in a drug addiction treatment center. You will want your rehab to check all of these boxes if you want lasting results.

 

What kind of programs do these drug addiction treatment centers offer?

As you look into addiction treatment, you will likely find that treatment programs and approaches vary from rehab center to rehab center, and even within the same facility. The reason for that is no two addiction issues are exactly alike, so treatment centers need to adapt and offer diverse options to help each patient wherever they may be in their recovery. So what are these programs, and how do you know which approach is right for you?

 

Inpatient Program

As a multidisciplinary program, an inpatient program at an addiction treatment center is designed to give patients a safe environment away from drugs and alcohol to learn new thought patterns and coping skills. It offers patients an opportunity to hit the reset button on their lives by providing care 24 hours a day, giving them the time and space they need to focus on their healing and recovery. 

 

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

Some patients need a structured setting, but don’t need the same 24/7 care that others might require for recovery. IOP can be a program unto itself or a step down from a more rigorous treatment schedule and allows patients to attend treatment sessions several days a week as they live at home. Patients also regularly maintain contact with their doctors and therapists throughout the week, giving them the support they need to continue their recovery through everyday life. 

 

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

Somewhere between an inpatient program and IOP, partial hospitalization allows patients to receive more structured drug care without living at the treatment center. Also called a ‘day-treatment program,’ patients can work or take care of their home life while receiving a high level of recovery support. 

 

In your search, it’s a great sign if an addiction treatment center has several treatment levels and programs within the same organization. It shows that they are committed to you as you progress in your recovery, and to your benefit, you can continue working with the familiar, trusted experts who have been with you throughout your journey. 

 

What types of therapy are part of their programs?

Fundamentally, addiction treatment centers have programs addressing the whole person. Rarely do addiction issues come without one or more mental health issues; this is called a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. No matter if you are in an inpatient or outpatient program, it’s important that your treatment center offers multidisciplinary and evidence-based therapy programs.

 

Simply put, your rehab should be using treatments that address your entire well-being, including your physical, mental, and emotional health. They should also implement therapies that have clinically proven outcomes.

 

As noted by the National Association of Treatment Providers (NAATP), some examples of evidence-based practices include the following therapy types: 

 

Individual Therapy

Helpful in sorting out one’s own unique struggles with addiction; it’s here where patients can dig into the underlying emotional causes that factor into it. Through one-on-one therapy sessions, patients can better understand and become aware of their addiction, helping them recognize triggers and make a plan for when they occur. 

 

Group Therapy 

Giving power to the adage of strength in numbers, group counseling, or therapy allows individuals to share their stories and experiences with others, learn from each other, and decrease the feeling of loneliness and isolation that those suffering with addiction often feel. 

 

Comprehensive Therapies

These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and experiential therapy.

  • CBT – With a goal of reshaping negative thinking so that individuals can take on life’s inevitable challenges, CBT is a form of one-on-one talk therapy.
  • DBT – By teaching mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, DBT helps patients learn behavioral skill development.
  • MI – Through Motivational Interviewing, patients are presented with an incentive that inspires them to change the behaviors that affect their health.
  • Experiential therapy – Some examples include art therapy and music therapy. These kinds of experiential therapies can unlock the patient’s subconscious emotions and help them engage with their feelings on a deeper level, which can be a challenge for those who regularly use substances to numb complicated feelings. 

 

To be sure, there are other types of evidence-based therapies, but these listed here are foundational to addiction treatment programs. Any rehab worth its salt will have evidence-based therapy involved in every level of care they offer and it will be administered by a caring and professional staff.

 

What does a caring staff look like at a drug addiction treatment center? 

It’s one thing to know that the treatment center you are looking in to has several great evidence-based programs, but who are the people running those programs? How do you know if the staff is caring and passionate about helping you? 

 

One of the first and best indicators that you are in good hands is your experience with the admissions team. You may not realize it, but the individuals who answer your call are not just people who got hired to man a phone bank and transfer calls. Admissions staff connect hundreds of people in situations similar to yours to the help they need. They are there to hear your story and figure out how to help you get on the path to recovery. 

 

They are also focused on getting you on that path quickly. The admissions team knows that getting you into a facility when you are ready is paramount. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), studies ranging from 1990-2001 suggest that up to 50% of those seeking treatment will drop off a waiting list between assessment and treatment entry, with longer wait times resulting in the heavier end of that drop-off. Thus, making treatment available as soon as a substance-abusing person expresses readiness no trivial matter. 

 

Individuals on admissions teams wear many hats and have listened to countless people share their stories with them. They genuinely have heard it all and have nothing but compassion for those who are calling in. They have a birds-eye view on your insurance, drug addiction treatment center programs, facility staff and walk you through the entire admissions process, so you don’t have to go it alone.

 

Using the admissions team as a barometer for the kind of caring, compassionate, and individualized treatment the staff at the facility will give you is an excellent way to understand the culture and values you can expect as you go through your program. 

 

What happens after drug addiction treatment?

Perhaps it’s not the first thing one thinks of when looking for addiction treatment, but alumni programs are an essential part of recovery and should not be overlooked. They help you maintain relationships with others who have been through a treatment program and provide invaluable support by helping them not only stay sober but stay connected to their recovery journey. Rooted is the Alumni Program at The Right Step Houston, and provides virtual recovery meetings so that you can connect with others in recovery at a safe distance. 

 

Finding a treatment center can feel a bit mind-boggling when you don’t know what to look for. Still, the best indicators will be their programs, evidence-based therapy, a dedicated and caring staff, and alumni programs. If you’re unsure, remember that there are helpers along the way to help you sort it out. Give our admissions team a call at The Right Step Houston, and let us help you get on the path to recovery. 

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