All drug and alcohol treatment centers have basically the same goal, namely to help people
with drug or alcohol abuse issues to learn how to live a life of abstinence.
Yet no two are at all the same. As a matter of fact each has its own philosophy, criteria, history, rules, facilities, personality and fee structure.
A treatment center can be defined as any type of free-standing facility where therapy and education is administered for a variety of physical or psychological conditions. For our purposes, we are defining an alcohol and drug abuse treatment center as any type of free-standing facility whose primary purpose is providing rehabilitation service for clients suffering from drug and or alcohol abuse. They all operate on a full-time, custodial basis.
Over the years and out of necessity, treatment centers have evolved. Recently they are tailored to treat specialty groups of patients and their issues
In that context, there are several different kinds of treatment centers. .
Below is a list of the different types of treatment centers with a brief explanation.
Residential treatment centers are designed to help the client learn first-hand what it feels like to live a clean and sober lifestyle, while in rehabilitation. Clients are provided housing. Housing units separate and apart from the actual therapy center and are shuttled back and forth daily. They client is responsible for maintaining the unit and preparing their own meals.
Certain centers treat both adults and adolescents (under 18). However, there are many rehab programs which are licensed and cater to adolescent only.
Wilderness programs are located in remote, isolated regions of the country. They usually cater to adolescent clientele.
Hospital-based programs are either located in close proximity to a hospital or licensed as a psychiatric facility which treats patients with some form of mental illness and or chemical abuse.
Long term extended care program are designed for clients who have or are relapse prone or needed more time on rehab after completing a 28 day primary program. The length of stay is usually a minimum of 90 days and as long we 1 year.
Some treatment programs specialize in clients who suffer from both chemical dependency and a mood disorder (formerly known as dual diagnosis).
Most treatment centers will treat both men and women. Some treatment centers, however, will only allow either female or male patients.
There are treatment centers offering an alcohol, drug rehab program with a strong emphasis on religion. Most, but not all, are Christian.
IOP is attending group and individual counseling sessions at a clinic, several times per week. Outpatient, also known as Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), for many this is the right step towards recovery. Some insurance companies require someone to attend IOP first and will only approve of inpatient, full-time rehab after IOP has been unsuccessful.
Attending group and individual counseling sessions at a hospital based program, either all morning or all afternoon, 5 times per week. And some are 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) are mostly held in hospital based programs, as a step down between detox and IOP. It is mostly group therapy.
Inpatient is the level that gets the most attention. Most have a detox as a part of their services; others will send someone who needs detox to a facility nearby and then be readmitted. 
Clients check in for some period of full time, stay there 24 hours a day. Each day consists of group therapy, some individual counseling, lectures, some form of exercise. Room and board is included. Although 30 days is considered enough time to learn about the disease of addiction, there is no guarantee insurance will cover it.
Like inpatient, residential, long term extended care requires the client to stay there 24 hours a day. There are, however, several key differences. One is the length of the drug program. Long term programs usually last 90 days. The other difference is the clinical therapeutic intensity level. Extended care has less individual therapy. And the cost of extended care is also much less than 30 day residential. Much of the emphasis in extended care is placed on AA's 12 steps. Much of the time is spent going to meetings and working on the 12 steps.
Finding the right drug alcohol, inpatient treatment center is important.
for someone's individual needs is important and increases the likelihood of the person's success and positive experience while in rehab. When deciding on which treatment center to attend, remember, in general, it is better to go away to rehab. Ask a lot of questions about their program and tour their facilities, of at all possible.
There are many factors to consider. Cost, of course, is the most obvious. Beyond the money, is whether to stay nearby, or go some distance away from the immediate environment. Another issue is compatibility. As previously mentioned, no two treatment centers are alike and no two people are alike. Finally, in choosing the right treatment center be sure to factor in big vs. small.
Since it is considered medical and educational, drug alcohol treatment is expensive, no doubt. The cost range is anywhere from $10,000 up to $70,000 (yep) for 30 days.
The reason is, rehab is considered a medical proposition, so it is a lot like going into the hospital for 30 days. Again, each treatment center is different. Some take Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, some are in-network with certain carriers, and others are not, so there would be co-pay. It can get very confusing if not downright mind boggling. Take your time and get the deal in writing.
There is no clear cut answer to this very important question. And once it is answered, the job of finding the right rehab, just got easier.
Pros 'n Cons
The upside of going away from the immediate using environment is the person is much more likely to stay the full term without leaving. Clients can walk out of rehab the day after they finish detox and no when can restrain them from doing it. Also, clients seem to focus on the task at hand better when away than close to home. Younger people might not benefit from the going away as much as a more mature adult.
The downside of going away to rehab is the expense of travel and also the family will not be able to participate so readily.
We've already discussed how there are many different types of programs. Some of the other factors would be whether or not the treatment center allows cell phones or laptops, musical instruments, etc.
The range of size of a treatment center varies anywhere from 12 to 200 beds. Which style would suit the person better? If they are a more social person, then a smaller place might be better so they would not be so distracted by others.
