It’s important to find an alcohol rehab that is well matched to your needs, that you feel comfortable with (and in) and that you can afford (or your insurance will cover). It’s also, however, important to find an alcohol rehab that delivers quality evidence-based treatments and employs qualified personnel.
Since not all alcohol rehabs are equally effective, here are 5 ways to quickly judge the quality of any rehab under consideration.
Look For:
- Licensure and accreditation – although a government licensed and independently accredited rehab may not be excellent, it at least meets or exceeds recommended standards of care and operates according to accepted medical practices. With an unlicensed and unregulated facility, it’s hard to know what you’re going to get.
- Facilities that boast high completion rates – Take most alcohol success statistics with a heavy grain of salt, but value heavily a facility’s completion rate. The longer people stay in treatment the better their chances and so treatment programs that can retain their clients through to completion tend to provide better odds of success. Additionally, treatment programs that people want to stay involved with tend to be of higher quality.
- Alcohol rehabs that are clean, pleasant and organized – Unclean facilities and/or disorganization imply an overworked staff, under-staffing or ineffectual management. If they can’t keep the place clean, they won’t be able to offer high quality services in other areas.
- Medication, when appropriate – Medication can play an important role in the treatment process, limiting withdrawal symptoms, controlling symptoms of mental illness and reducing alcohol cravings. Medications are not appropriate for all people, but they should be an option for suitable candidates. Some alcohol rehabs object to medications on philosophical grounds. These rehabs which ignore clinical evidence that supports the use of medication should be considered with caution.
- Continuing care – Treatment should never end with the completion of a residential stay; aftercare is an essential component of the treatment process. Make sure to find an alcohol rehab that offers you continuing care as a part of the program.1
page last update Aug 30, 2010
