There’s certainly no shortage of options when it comes to finding an alcohol or drug treatment center that might meet your requirements. The U.S. government has a directory that lists more than 11,000 addiction treatment programs and hospital inpatient programs for drug addiction and alcoholism. And that list is updated every couple of months. So how do you go about culling through those thousands of rehab centers to find the one that fits the bill – literally and financially – for you? Shopping around for the best addiction recovery treatment you can get for the dollars you’re willing to spend is a huge undertaking. It requires a lot of homework on your part, and you need to be armed with questions to ask. The government’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, which is part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has provided a list of a dozen questions you should ask when seeking the ideal treatment center for yourself or a loved one. Bring this list when you’re making the rounds of rehab centers, or have it handy by the telephone when you call for information. Here are the questions:

1. Does the program accept your insurance? If not, will they work with you on a payment plan or find other means of support for you?
2. Is the program run by state-accredited, licensed and/or trained professionals?
3. Is the facility clean, organized and well run?
4. Does the program encompass the full range of needs of the individual (medical: including infectious diseases; psychological: including co-occurring mental illness; social; vocational; legal; etc.)?
5. Does the treatment program also address sexual orientation and physical disabilities as well as provide age, gender and culturally appropriate treatment services?
6. Is long-term aftercare support and/or guidance encouraged, provided and maintained?
7. Is there ongoing assessment of an individual’s treatment plan to ensure it meets changing needs?
8. Does the program employ strategies to engage and keep individuals in longer-term treatment, increasing the likelihood of success?
9. Does the program offer counseling (individual or group) and other behavioral therapies to enhance the individual’s ability to function in the family/community?
10. Does the program offer medication as part of the treatment regimen, if appropriate?
11. Is there ongoing monitoring of possible relapse to help guide patients back to abstinence?

These are all questions the government’s substance abuse gurus suggest that you ask. Hawaii Island Recovery in Kona, Hawaii fills the bill for all of them. For instance, does the treatment center offer a medically supervised detoxification program? Hawaii Island Recovery features access to a detox facility to help those withdrawing from alcohol and drugs. The program enables you to detox in a relatively pain-free and comfortable environment. The medical staff can prescribe medicines to ease the withdrawal experience. The idea is to get you in shape emotionally and physically so you can easily fit into a residential addiction recovery setting. Ask for a schedule of activities for a typical week at their facilities. Hawaii Island Recovery offers a balanced program of individual and group therapy, lectures, education sessions, support groups and healthy recreational alternatives. There also are frequent medical and psychological assessments performed by professionals, and counseling sessions with clinicians and caseworkers. Ask to see testimonials from former residents. While no treatment center will show you letters from dissatisfied clients, they should have a stack of letters or e-mails from appreciative former participants. And find out how much importance they place on long-term recovery. Aftercare programs are crucial to the success of everyone who enters treatment. At Hawaii Island Recovery, the aftercare regimen includes regularly scheduled meetings with peers, 12-step meetings, family integrations, help with employment and school enrollment, progress and accountability reviews, and organized sober activities with alumni members. For more information or to get answers to your own questions about residential treatment, call Michael Larroque at Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911.

Comments are closed.