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Choosing the Right Alcohol Treatment Center

Many different factors must be taken into consideration when choosing the right alcohol treatment center. Everyone has different needs and everyone deals with their addiction in a different manner. The longer an addict uses alcohol and the more intense the addiction is typically requires the alcohol treatment to be more intense. Alcohol treatment centers offer many different options for the treatment of alcoholism from low level monitoring to highly invasive and intense treatment. Understanding the various types of alcohol treatment that are available to you can help make choosing the right alcohol treatment center an easier task.

Types of Alcohol Treatment Centers

The most common types of alcohol treatment include residential alcohol treatment, intensive outpatient programs, and outpatient alcohol treatment centers. There are also sober living options and private counseling methods. On the most intense side of the spectrum, residential alcohol treatment centers involve having the addict live at the treatment facility while they receive intensive inpatient treatment during the day and even into the evening hours. Residential alcohol treatment centers usually provide programs that range from 30-90 days depending on the unique needs of the addict and the level of addiction as well as how quickly the addict progresses through the program and meets their recovery goals.

The least intense and invasive type of alcohol treatment is sober living. In a sober living environment an alcoholic lives with others in a residential facility where other recovering addicts live. Private counseling options are also minimally invasive and work well when they are used in conjunction with other types of alcohol treatment.

Outpatient alcohol treatment centers may be either minimally invasive or can provide highly intense alcohol treatment that is nearly as structured and intense as residential treatment. Standard outpatient alcohol treatment centers provide counseling and therapy as well as social support and monitoring for addicts whose alcohol addiction is minor. Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) are much like residential alcohol treatment but they are not a live in treatment center. They require an average of 4 hours a day at least 3 days a week to be spent at the treatment facility during which intensive alcohol treatment is provided.

Choosing the Right Alcohol Treatment Center Based on Cost

You may be wondering how you will afford to pay for alcohol treatment. The cost of treatment is largely dependent upon the level of care that you require and the type of treatment that you choose. Typically inpatient or residential alcohol treatment costs more than outpatient alcohol treatment or group methods such as Alcoholic’s Anonymous. If you have insurance, you may find that only certain types of alcohol treatment are covered by your insurance or maybe only a few alcohol treatment centers accept your insurance and that can curb your decision in one direction or another.

Many alcohol treatment centers offer a sliding scale or reduced payment options. When choosing an alcohol treatment center, consider asking about the fee structure and finding out what insurance coverages are offered, how much the different treatment programs in your area will cost and how you will pay for the treatment. You can contact that Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to find out what alcohol treatment centers in your area have a sliding fee scale by calling 1-800-662-HELP.

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