How to Choose a Rehab Facility for Your Loved One

Watching someone you love suffering from an addiction can be painful, especially if you feel helpless. Addiction can have catastrophic consequences for an individual’s life without effective treatment. Fortunately, with the right treatment at the right rehab centers, your loved one can recover from their alcohol or drug use and continue a happy and healthy life.

What are Rehabilitation Facilities?

Alcohol and drug addiction treatment centers are facilities that provide treatment in a variety of therapies and treatment programs. These rehab facilities can provide an addiction treatment program that requires the patient to stay at the facility, where they might need medication-assisted treatment, known as inpatient rehab. Other times, the rehabilitation center may provide a rehab program in which the patient can continue to reside in their own home – known as an outpatient program.

Understanding Substance Use Disorder

The first step to choosing the right treatment center for your loved one is understanding what they are going through and the symptoms of their condition so you know what to look for when choosing the addiction treatment center.

Risk Factors for Addiction

Family History and Genetics – If a family member suffered or presently suffers from an addiction, then close family members are at higher risk of developing a substance use disorder themselves.

Age of First Use – The regular use of a substance will more likely present a risk of developing an addiction. This means the sooner someone starts using a substance, the sooner they will make it a habit leading to a greater chance of having a substance use disorder.

Trauma and Stress – Traumatic experiences can expose someone to an addiction, in the sense they might use a certain substance to self-medicate to avoid dealing with their feelings or memories about their trauma. This also goes for stressful situations in which one feels one needs “a break” from all the strains and stresses.

Diagnosis of Another Mental Health Disorder – Other diagnosed mental health issues, such as depression or eating disorders, may influence individuals to use substances such as alcohol or drugs to cope with their mental problems. On the flip side, addictions can also increase the risk of developing other mental disorders – these are known as co-occurring disorders and needs dual diagnosis treatment.

Lack of Family Involvement – Family involvement, or the lack of it, can play a major role in directing one’s behaviors toward substance abuse. This might be because they don’t have a close relationship and might use alcohol and drugs to cope with the situation. But also, if the individual has an addiction from a young age, they don’t have anyone to help guide them and encourage and support them to stop and recover from their addiction.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction

According to the criteria presented by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), signs of addiction are the following:

Using the substance in higher quantities and/or more often than anticipated
Having a strong desire and craving to use it
Spending an unusual amount of time purchasing, consuming, and recovering from the effects of the alcohol and drug consumption
Despite a desire to stop consuming the substance, being unable to do so
Consuming alcohol and other drugs in non-appropriate situations
Continuing to misuse the substance, even in the presence of mental or health issues caused by it
Continuing to use the substance despite its negative interpersonal and social consequences
Not being able to accomplish obligations either at home, school, or the workplace because of alcohol or drug use
Giving up previously enjoyed social activities and personal hobbies and isolating themselves
The need to always have the substance close for consumption
The need to have larger quantities of the substance and more frequently to achieve its desired effects.
Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when attempting to stop using it

Symptoms of Alcohol Addiction

If your loved one has a substance misuse with alcohol, the most common symptoms he or she is experiencing are:

Impaired coordination
Dizziness
Feelings of euphoria
Fast heartbeat
Dehydration
Feelings of anxiety, fear, and general discontent
Body tremors and shakiness
Distorted or blurry vision
Nausea, even if no hangover is experienced
Sleep apnea

Symptoms of Other Drug Addiction

If your loved one is struggling with drug addiction, such meth, cocaine, or other substances, these are the most common symptoms:

Feelings of euphoria
Memory problems
Slurred speech
Irritability and mood changes
Involuntary eye movements
Reduced blood pressure
Confusion, delusions, and hallucinations
Weight loss
Problems sleeping, including insomnia
Dilated pupils
Paranoia
Extreme sweating
Poor judgment
Coordination problems

Help a Loved One with an Addiction

Before choosing a rehab facility, it is important to support your loved one with their drug and alcohol addiction and make sure they are ready for treatment. Otherwise, without the right recovery efforts, addiction may prevail, causing persistent substance abuse and an ongoing, up-and-down recovery journey.

Acknowledge the Addiction

The topic of addiction can be an uncomfortable conversation to have with your loved one. It is perfectly normal for family members and friends to avoid mentioning addiction. However, acknowledging substance abuse is the first step to getting addiction treatment at the right drug rehab center.

Encourage Recovery

Once acknowledged, you can then encourage someone to recover. However, you should understand you cannot pressure them to seek addiction treatment. If they are not ready, they will not start the treatment program with the right mindset. Therefore, the treatment will have a higher chance to fail or cause multiple relapses throughout the recovery process.

What to Look for When Choosing a Rehab Facility

Specialty

It is always best to choose an addiction treatment facility that specializes in treatment for the addiction your loved one is struggling with. For instance, if your loved one has an alcohol abuse problem and other co-occurring disorders, it is best to look for facilities specializing in dual diagnosis treatment.

The same applies if your loved one is suffering from drug addiction. Learn about the drug, so the treatment provided is the most tailored to your loved one’s needs.

If your loved one is a teen or a young adult, the best treatment facility for him or her would be a young adult-only facility since it is more appropriate and more likely to lead to positive outcomes.

Accreditation

Next, ensure that the treatment center has the right accreditation. Consider the following:

Do the treatment providers hold accreditation for their practice rehab programs?
Do these rehab centers have licenses to treat substance use disorders?
Are the Clinical Director and other clinical staff accreditated professionals?

Support

Simply treating the symptoms of addiction is not enough. An effective program will take all aspects of a patient’s life into consideration. It will provide full holistic support and treatment for all of the patient’s needs, which is essential for a fully successful recovery process.

Aside from formal medical treatment, this should include:

Family therapy sessions, to help your loved one and other family members set healthy boundaries and rebuild trust
Support groups to connect with individuals who are also going through similar substance abuse problems
Detox treatment – to remove the toxic substances from the body
One-to-one sessions with medical professionals
Treatment options with addiction medicine for severe drug abuse problems.

Addiction Treatment and Recovery

The rehab centers you are interested in should follow evidence-based treatment and evidence-based care in their treatment plans to ensure a lifelong recovery journey.

An effective drug and alcohol rehab facility will provide a variety of services, and these should include the mental, emotional, physical, behavioral, and relational needs of the patient.

Does the facility offer services for critical care, and inpatient rehabilitation?
Does outpatient treatment include staying at a sober living home or the patient’s own place?
Does the treatment provider offer enough support for outpatient services?
How many hours per day of treatment will last during the rehab program?
Does the treatment facility include services outside the substance use disorder treatment, such as yoga classes or a library?
Does the treatment center discharge patients who relapse during treatment?

Location

The location should be another factor to consider when choosing the best treatment center to treat drug and alcohol addiction. You should consider:

How important is the distance?
If an outpatient, is it easy for your loved one to commute to the rehab center every day?
If an inpatient – does the distance to the drug rehab facility matter?

Consider your Insurance Coverage

Understanding your or your loved one’s insurance coverage is important when choosing a rehab center, consider the following:

Does the health insurance provider cover the therapy or services your loved one needs?
Does health insurance cover all the expenses?
If health insurance doesn’t cover everything, what can you count on?

Post-Recovery Support

Post-recovery care and support are just as important as during-treatment support. This is crucial for individuals to avoid relapses and to help ensure a lifelong recovery. So, when choosing a rehab center, you should consider:

What can be expected from the facility after discharge from inpatient care?
Does the inpatient Case Manager follow your loved one after discharge?
Does the rehab center offer post-recovery support group meetings?

Feinberg Consulting Center

Feinberg Consulting is a case management and intervention specialist that works especially with those struggling with an addiction to support them with effective treatment and provide a safe space for their recovery.

Our admissions team will help you determine the best path to recovery for your loved one. We will provide the best-tailored addiction treatment program by completing a rigorous assessment of your loved one’s needs. We then implement a strategy in which therapy, treatment, and continued care are provided to ensure the best outcomes of the program. To ensure this, we connect you with the best treatment centers available to help you overcome substance abuse.

How to Choose a Rehab Facility for Your Loved One

What are Rehabilitation Facilities?