Selecting a drug rehab center is one of the most important and difficult decisions you will make in your lifetime. Few of us know what to look for in a quality rehab program and not all drug rehabilitation centers are alike. Each drug rehab has its own program options, staff qualifications, credentials, cost, and effectiveness. 

Asking appropriate questions when you call a drug rehab for information is important and you should expect to receive clear answers.

Before you make any decisions-ask questions and get the facts!
Does the drug rehab offer a variety of programs?

Alcohol and drug addiction are diseases that progress through predictable stages. It takes a trained health professional, often a doctor specializing in addiction medicine, to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the most appropriate treatment, whether it be outpatient counseling or an inpatient alchol and drug rehab.

A drug rehabilitation treatment center should offer a variety of treatment programs that meet individual needs. Programs may include inpatient, residential, outpatient, and/or short-stay options.

The difference between inpatient and a residential treatment center is that inpatient services are provided by a licensed hospital, while residential programs usually do not meet the same rigorous standards of medical care.

The length of stay depends on the severity and stage of the disease.
How much does a drug rehab center cost?

"How much does it cost?" is often one of the first questions asked when someone calls a drug rehab program.

The price tag for drug rehab treatment depends on the type of rehab you choose. You need to know what is included, what will be added to your bill as a fee-for-service program, and what services your health insurance will cover. This makes it extremely difficult to compare prices by simply asking the question - "What does rehab cost?" The best way to find out the range of costs for rehab is to talk to an intake advisor. You can discuss your insurance coverage or your financial concerns and they will help you narrow down your choices to what best meets your needs in the most affordable way.

If you are seeking the best value for your treatment dollar, remember: Price can be meaningful only in the context of quality and performance.

Also remember that the cost of drug addiction and alcoholism, if not treated, can far exceed the cost of treatment.
Is the drug rehab treatment program medically based?

There is an advantage to including on-site medical care in a Drug Rehab. Physicians and nurses provide 24-hour hospital services to monitor and ensure a safe withdrawal from alcohol and other drugs. In addition, a medical staff specializing in addiction medicine can oversee the progress of each individual and make necessary adjustments to the treatment plan.

Medical credentials and accreditation can also be important. For example, a chemical dependency Drug Rehab that earns JCAHO accreditation (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) meets national standards for providing quality medical care. Appropriate state licensing is also an important consideration.

Be sure to ask which medical costs are included in the price of treatment at the drug rehab.
What is the degree of family involvement in a drug rehab program?

Drug abuse and alcoholism affects the entire family, not just the alcoholic/addict. Quite often family members do not realize how deeply they have been affected by chemical dependency. Family involvement is an important component of recovery.

Drug Rehabs vary in the degree and quality of family involvement opportunities. Some offer just a few lectures and others offer family therapy. Ask if there is any time devoted to family programs and if group therapy is included.
Does drug rehabilitation include a quality continuing care program?

There are no quick fixes for the diseases of drug abuse and alcoholism. Recovery is an ongoing process. The skills one learns during intensive rehabilitation treatment must be integrated into everyday life and this takes time. 

Some drug addiction treatment programs will offer a follow-up program but only in one location which may make it difficult to use.

Drug rehabilitation treatment programs should include a quality, continuing care program that supports and monitors recovery.

The decision to enter a drug rehab program can be a very difficult and painstaking process. If you are confused by the many choices offered on this drug rehab site, please call one of our our treament center specialist at (877) 729-0760. 

Our treatment center helpline is answered by a professional staff who understands what you are going through. They will listen to your questions and concerns, and provide you with free drug rehab referrals.

rug addiction is a complex illness.

It's characterized by compulsive--at times uncontrollable--drug craving, seeking, and use that persists even in the face of extremely negative consequences. For many people, drug addiction becomes chronic, with relapses possible even after long periods of abstinence.

The path to drug addiction begins with the act of taking drugs. Over time, a person's ability to choose not to take drugs can become compromised. Drug seeking becomes compulsive, in large part as a result of the effects of prolonged drug use on brain functioning and, thus, on behavior. 

The compulsion to use drugs can take over the individual's life. Addiction often involves not only compulsive drug taking but also a wide range of dysfunctional behaviors that can interfere with normal functioning in the family, the workplace, and the broader community. Addiction also can place people at increased risk for a wide variety of other illnesses. These illnesses can be brought on by behaviors, such as poor living and health habits, that often accompany life as an addict, or because of toxic effects of the drugs themselves. 

Because addiction has so many dimensions and disrupts so many aspects of an individual's life, treatment for this illness is never simple. Drug rehabs must help the individual stop using drugs and maintain a drug-free lifestyle, while achieving productive functioning in the family, at work, and in society. Effective drug abuse and drug rehab treatment programs typically incorporate many components, each directed to a particular aspect of the illness and its consequences. 

Three decades of scientific research and clinical practice have yielded a variety of effective approaches to drug addiction treatment. Extensive data document that drug addiction treatment is as effective as are treatments for most other similarly chronic medical conditions. In spite of scientific evidence that establishes the effectiveness of drug abuse treatment, many people believe that treatment is ineffective. In part, this is because of unrealistic expectations. Many people equate addiction with simply using drugs and therefore expect that addiction should be cured quickly, and if it is not, rehab is a failure. In reality, because addiction is a chronic disorder, the ultimate goal of long-term abstinence often requires sustained and repeated treatment episodes.
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Learn how to live without drugs and alcohol in a residential drug rehab

A residential drug rehab gives an addict enough time to learn how it feels to live without their drug of choice, to appreciate the clarity of sobriety, and it teaches them the skills they'll need to stay sober once back in the community. A residential drug rehab provides peer and individual counseling, drug education and cognitive therapy. Addicts examine the root causes of their use, reflect on the costs of their addiction, and learn the skills they'll need to stay happy and sober over the long term. Professionals working in a rehab setting are themselves recovering addicts, and they know how tough the process is, know when they need to be equally tough, and know when compassion is required.

A residential drug rehab program mends the spirit, but doesn’t neglect the body. Many addicts are in poor health, with their bodies ravaged by neglect and the effects of abuse. Residential drug rehab programs provide good nutrition, exercise facilities and peaceful contemplative campuses that help to revitalize both a broken body and mind.
Inpatient Detox

Before recovery can begin, the body must be cleansed of the abused drug or alcohol, and this can only occur through detox. Detox is never pleasant, and can be a very tough and uncomfortable process, but a residential rehab facility is the ideal place to detox. With professional medical supervision, you get all of the treatment you need to make sure that your detox is managed safely and proceeds as comfortably as possible. Few addicts can make it past the pains of detox on their own, and with some drugs detoxing can even be dangerous. At a residential drug rehab center you get away from the supply and availability of your drug of choice, and will be constantly medically monitored to ensure safety at all times. Detox is tough, but it is possible at a residential drug rehab facility.
Re-education

The rehab process is akin to re-education. An addict needs to learn a number of things to emerge successfully from a rehab program and continue sober living once reintegrated into the community. A chemically dependent person needs to learn where the desire for drugs or alcohol comes from, and what can be done to fill the void that leads to abuse. An addict needs to learn about the process of addiction, and the damage that addiction causes to the body, the mind, and the people who love them; and an addict needs to learn how they can change their thinking, and correspondingly their behavior, to stay off drugs or alcohol for good. These questions find answers through individual counseling sessions, peer group counseling, cognitive behavioral classes and structured private reflection.
Individual counseling

The residential drug rehab process calls for a lot of soul searching and reflection, and part of this process involves the assistance of a professional addictions councilor. Addicts need to learn why they use, and what they will need to do to replace drugs or alcohol as the central aspect of their lives. Working together with a councilor helps addicts to understand their addiction, and work towards healing the problems that led to this addiction in the first place.
Peer group sessions

A residential drug rehab facility offers a unique situation for addicts to work together with other people experiencing the same dependencies and pain as they are. Peer group sessions teach a chemically dependent person that their perceived unique problems are in fact shared and that the devastation of addiction is common and understood. Working together with others, addicts come to terms with their drug or alcohol use, why they needed it, and what they'll need to do to stay off of it. Peer group sessions are a powerful tool to recovery
Educational seminars

With greater knowledge comes empowerment, and addicts will learn about the process of addiction, the damage that can be done, and the way to live without drugs or alcohol.
Cognitive behavioral sessions

Willpower alone is rarely enough, and given enough temptation recovering addicts will often fall back into the cycle of addiction. Behavioral sessions teach addicts what social situations and other cues trigger their desires to use, and how to avoid these situations through awareness and forethought. A cognitive behavioral approach teaches addicts that they are responsible not only for their drug or alcohol use, but also for putting themselves in any situation that makes further use likely. Behavioral classes give the addict the tools they'll need to avoid temptation, and deal effectively with cravings when they inevitably arise.
Private reflection

The recovery process calls for a lot of soul searching, and periods of private reflection are used to held an addict gain a greater understanding of the life choices they've made that led to abuse, the people they're harmed, and the steps they plan to take to better the harm they've caused. Reflection can be painful, but understanding and awareness help addicts to maintain their resolve. A residential drug rehab facility offers tranquility and beautiful surroundings for this meditative process.
Exercise and recreational time

Residential drug rehab programs are fairly structured, but there is time given for recovering addicts to use the exercise facilities available, or spend the time socially with others also in recovery.
Residential drug rehab can help

A 28 day (or longer) residential drug rehab program gives a chemically dependent person enough time to get off drugs or alcohol and learn the skills they'll need to stay off once reintegrated into their homes and communities. Private soul searching for self awareness and understanding, and private and peer group counseling sessions help recovering addicts learn the skills they'll need to stay off drugs and alcohol, and live happy and productive lives without the pain and suffering caused by abuse.

The Economics of Addiction
How Drug and Alcohol Addiction Impact Financial Health

Although it is impossible to put a dollar amount on the total cost of addiction one thing is certain: Addiction is expensive. Most people don’t realize the true cost of addiction because it is a slow insidious drain on finances, friendships, careers and eventually…life itself. Take time to inform yourself about the economics of addiction to understand how substance abuse will impact your financial health for years to come.
Money Spent. The actual cost of buying drugs, alcohol or even cigarettes adds up fast. The following information is based on the purchase of an inexpensive domestic six-pack of beer (pre-tax). Other forms of alcohol, such as wine, whiskeys, rum, and liqueurs cost significantly more.

Six Pack of Beer Purchased Weekly 
Weekly Cost 
Monthly Cost 
Annual Cost 
10 Years 
20 Years

One  
4.40 
17.60 
211.20 
2,112 
4,224

Two 
8.80 
35.20 
422.40 
4,224 
8,448

Three 
13.20 
52.80 
633.60 
6,336 
12,672


Estimates for illicit drug expenditures are not 100 percent accurate because it is impossible to get reliable statistics for illegal drugs so the figures below are conservative estimates based on surveys and studies. 
Drug Habit 
Daily Cost 
Weekly Cost 
Monthly Cost 
Annual Cost 
10 years 
20 years

Marijuana 
2.89 
20.25 
81.00 
972.00 
9,720 
19,440

Cocaine  
26.57 
186.00 
744.00 
8,928 
89,280 
178,560

Heroin  
29.85 
209.00 
836.00 
10,032 
100,320 
200,640

Methamphetamine 
12.42 
87.00 
348.00 
4,176 
41,760 
83,520


Loss of Productivity. The economics of addiction don't stop with the purchase price alone; substance abuse is associated with increased absenteeism from work, fewer promotions and increased risk of unemployment.
 
Lifestyle. The time spent searching for drugs, using drugs, recuperating from the use of drugs and then repeating the cycle could be better spent learning new skills to increase job opportunities, exercising to take better care of one’s health or simply spending quality time with friends and family.

Illness. Drug and alcohol abuse eventually result in higher medical bills, increased risk of injury or illness directly – or indirectly – related to addiction, and long term loss of earning capacity due to illness, disability and medical costs.

Insurance. Plan to pay more for almost every type of insurance ranging from car insurance to health insurance due to substance abuse. The average person dealing with an addiction is charged with 1.4 DUI’s that result in increased car insurance rates of up to 300 percent – if not outright cancellation. Co-morbidity, illness and injury caused by intoxication further increase the cost of all types of insurance leaving the entire family more susceptible to all kinds of accidents, injuries or other financial down-turns.

Legal Bills. In addition to increased insurance rates, DUI’s, arrest warrants and other legal problems are common among those that abuse drugs or alcohol.

Loss of Earned Income. Substance abuse is strongly correlated with dropping out of school – whether high school or college – creating a lifelong loss of earned income. Worse, Social Security and retirement benefits are correlated to earned income so the loss of annual earnings will even impact retirement.

Education Level 
Average Annual Earnings

NO HS Diploma 
$18,734

HS Diploma  
$27,915

Bachelors Degree  
$51,206

Advanced Degree 
$74,602


General Money Problems. Late bills, higher interest rates and bad credit scores are common problems. It only makes sense; money that should go toward paying down debt goes toward buying drugs instead, accidents and higher insurance rates result in increased charges for buying everything from a new car to qualifying for a mortgage. Not only does it hurt the person suffering from the addiction but impacts the lives of spouse, parents and children for years to come.

Add it Up. Take time to tally the results from each of the above areas to understand the real threat to your financial future. The sooner treatment begins the better the chance for success. Early intervention reduces the risk of illness, injury, increased legal and insurance rate and completion of educational or professional goals.

Compare. The cost of treatment amounts to very little in the big picture; the difference in annual income for one single year between finishing school and failing to complete a degree more than compensates. Even using the most conservative estimates, the economics of addiction create a devastating financial impact for years to come. The cost of treatment often amounts to only a few weeks or months of use when the total impact is calculated.
I wish treatment for all