Inpatient rehab provides a safe, comfortable environment free of judgement. You receive constant care from highly trained personnel, as well as learning new coping skills and tools to live a healthier life after rehab.
Chances are, if you find yourself turning to Google to search “inpatient rehabs near me,” you’ve come to a point of realization:
You need help.
Ask yourself these questions:
Do I feel incomplete without drugs or alcohol?
Can I get through my day without it?
Have I strained relationships, or my career, due to my addiction?
Have I continued to drink or use despite repeated negative consequences?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, going to an inpatient rehab (near you, or across the globe) might be the first crucial step to finding recovery.
Do I Need Inpatient Rehab?
Coming to terms with your addiction and admitting you have a problem can be very difficult. Due to the stigma surrounding addiction, many people find themselves lying about their use and denying their addiction to friends and family members. This can be especially frustrating for loved ones, because most people can see right through the lies and denial.
The person suffering from the addiction is often the last person to see it for themselves, and even when they do know they have a problem, it doesn’t mean that they want help right away. Due to the potential years of denial, admitting your misgivings can be that much more difficult. Some other signs that you may be ready for inpatient rehab are as follows:
- You drink or use while operating a vehicle
- Your friends, family and other loved ones have reached out to express concern
- You lie about your use
- You have withdrawal symptoms when you stop using
- You’ve tried to stop on your own, but quickly pick back up again
- You have been arrested and/or sent to jail
- You want to stop using but do not know where to start
Do any of these sound familiar? Making the decision to enroll in an inpatient rehab is going to be one of the best you’ve made in your life. When searching for “inpatient rehabs near me,” there are many important factors to keep in mind.
What is Inpatient Rehab?
First of all, it is important to understand exactly what inpatient rehabs are, so that you know what to expect once you arrive. Also known as residential rehab, inpatient rehab offers 24/7 focus, care, and medical supervision to not only get people through the initial detox process, but to also to help them understand how to reshape their lives once they’ve gotten addiction under control.
Inpatient rehab provides a safe, comfortable environment free of judgement. You receive constant care from highly trained personnel, as well as learning new coping skills and tools to live a healthier life after rehab. There is also potential for camaraderie with the peers in inpatient rehab at the same time as you.
Once you complete treatment and get back to your life, inpatient rehabs will also generally offer an aftercare recommendation aimed to help you live a healthy life without relapse. The length of stay at inpatient rehab varies based on the severity of your addiction, but it generally lasts anywhere from 30 to 90 days.
What are the Benefits of Inpatient Rehab?
Overcoming addiction is much more than just kicking a bad habit or abstaining from your substance of choice. Many people think that all they need to do is stop taking drugs or alcohol in order to be better, but that soon proves to not be true. Once withdrawal symptoms and cravings kick in, it is easy to go back to old ways. People suffering from addiction hear it all the time from family and friends: “Why don’t you just stop?” It is because addiction actually chemically wires the brain a certain way, and reversing that process may require medical attention in order to be successful. This is why becoming sober alone is extremely difficult, and why inpatient rehabs can prove to be very beneficial to recovery.
Around the Clock Care
When you are in an inpatient rehab facility, there are staff on-hand to assist you every hour of every day. This can include therapists, recovery mentors or medical staff. There is always someone around to help you through a difficult day, listen to any issues you may be having, or assist you medically should any withdrawal symptoms prove to be too difficult to handle alone. All of this allows for better accountability, as well as people to relate to.
Often times, staff at inpatient rehab centers are in recovery themselves. This is especially true for recovery mentors, coaches, or alumni if the treatment center offers an alumni program. These staff members are available all day to talk with you and give you valuable advice.
Being able to open up and relate to people is an important part of recovery, as it is very comforting to know you are not alone.
Comfortable Detox
When someone enters an inpatient rehab, one of the very first things they need to do is go through the detox process. This is one of the most feared parts of the recovery process, since the withdrawal symptoms that present themselves are very uncomfortable and can often be painful or scary. While not everyone requires detox, for some it is life or death.
Addiction chemically wires your brain to become addicted to a certain substance. When that substance is no longer being supplied to the body, your brain will essentially go into a type of panic-mode, represented as withdrawal symptoms, in order to convince you to do just about anything to get your hands on the substance again. Once the substance has been detoxed out of the body, your brain will begin to rewire itself, learning that it doesn’t actually need that substance in order to survive.
Withdrawal symptoms during the detox process may include:
- Muscle pain
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Sweatiness
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Seizures
- Delirium tremens
- Changes in appetite
- Increased heart rate
- Hallucinations
During this time, cravings can be at an all-time high and is when sobriety efforts are given up on if someone tries to go through it alone. Going through the detox process in an inpatient rehab will be much more comfortable, since the goal is to get you into therapy as soon as possible. Medications to help ease withdrawal symptoms are available so that you can better focus on therapy. In addition, some inpatient rehabs offer medications to curb cravings, as well as medications that prevent you from getting high should you use after leaving treatment.
Some medications that may be used during or after the detox process are:
- Suboxone
- Buprenorphine
- Naltrexone
- Vivitrol
- Methadone
- Medications to relieve anxiety such as valium
- Medications to help you sleep such as chloral hydrate
A Fresh Start
When you enter an inpatient rehab, it offers you seclusion and isolation from your normal environment. You are away from the stress of your normal triggers, which allows you the time to learn proper coping skills and stress management before returning to them. Some people recommend against choosing a treatment center from the “inpatient rehabs near me” search results, since you are still in your normal environment and could more easily leave or cave into temptation. Getting away to another city or state can be even more beneficial to allowing you to escape your stressors and give you a fresh, new start and gain a perspective that you haven’t yet been able to achieve at home.
Inpatient Rehabs vs Outpatient Rehabs
When searching for inpatient rehabs near me, you may come across some outpatient rehab options, as well. Outpatient rehab may offer more convenience, a lower cost and a smaller disruption to your life. However, that does not mean it is the better choice for you. It is important to know the difference between these and understand why inpatient rehab might better serve your needs for long lasting recovery.
Why is Inpatient Rehab Better?
Outpatient rehab facilities offer many of their own benefits. These can include many things, such as cost, convenience and the ability to still live your normal routine. If you have children or a demanding job, it can be very tempting to choose an outpatient rehab over one of the many inpatient rehabs available. However, your addiction has likely led you to a life that you do not enjoy living. It is important to be able to step away from this life and begin new, healthy habits and hobbies.
Outpatient rehab also offers ample opportunity to abandon sobriety and give into cravings. You are in your normal environment, so you know exactly how to go about getting the substances you need. You are still around family and friends who you have learned how to manipulate, and nothing much will really change.
Outpatient rehab is a good choice for people with less severe addictions, or people who have already been through inpatient rehab and need ongoing care.
Levels of Inpatient Rehab
Once you have come to the decision that you need to enroll in inpatient rehab, another difficult decision will present itself: Which one do I choose? This is a difficult decision, since no two addictions are the same. However, in general, there are two types of inpatient rehabs to first choose from. These include standard inpatient rehabs and luxury inpatient rehabs. The difference between them largely has to do with their cost, type of amenities, and setting.
Standard Inpatient Rehabs
If you are on a tighter budget, a standard inpatient rehab might be right for you. These types of treatment centers do not have resort-like accommodations, neither are they necessarily located in particularly serene settings. However, they do offer an acceptable level of care and can meet most needs. They usually do not offer many of the upscale benefits that luxury inpatient rehabs offer, but they may offer basic amenities such as a fitness center or nutrition coaching.
Standard inpatient rehabs are also more cost-efficient for most people. If your insurance does not cover residential treatment for whatever reason, standard inpatient rehab will still give you an acceptable level of care at a more affordable price point.
Luxury Inpatient Rehabs
Luxury inpatient rehabs offer a much more upscale, serene environment as opposed to standard inpatient rehabs. They are usually located along beautiful coastlines, in the country or mountains to give that extra feeling of relaxation and seclusion. A beautiful environment to wake up to every day offers additional stress release and a sense of peace.
Luxury rehabs are much more expensive than standard rehabs, however, the level of care and service comes along with the price.
They also offer five-star accomodations like turndown service, laundry service, upgraded rooms and bathrooms, massages, swimming pools, private rooms, gourmet chefs, and more. In addition to traditional therapy, luxury inpatient rehabs may also offer additional holistic therapies, such as:
- Acupuncture
- Life coaching
- Meditation
- Massage therapy
- Yoga
- Equine therapy
The Cost of Inpatient Rehabs
The cost of inpatient rehab is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing the treatment center that is right for you. Every rehab varies in cost; some are free, while some can be very expensive. Most inpatient rehabs offer 24/7 admissions consultants you can call who will help you find out whether or not the center is covered on your health plan. Some may even go as far as talking with your health plan or insurance company for the best possible rate. Many rehabs offer financial aid or payment plans if you do not have medical insurance, or if the inpatient rehab you like best is not covered by your plan.
When considering the cost of inpatient rehab, it is very common to become sticker shocked and abandon your efforts. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. In the long run, the cost of treatment is far less than the cost of your addiction. Consider how much money you have spent on your substance of choice. Consider how much money you have lost as a result of losing your job. Consider how much money you have spent sorting out legal issues as a result of your addiction.
Is the cost of inpatient rehab worth getting your life back?
For example: If you drink a 6-pack of beer everyday, it will cost you around $10 a day. This is on the low end of the typical amount someone experiencing severe active alcohol addiction will drink. This is $300 a month, $3,600 a year and $18,000 over 5 years. This does not include any money spent at bars, spent on juggling legal issues or jobs lost during this time. In the long run, treatment is far less expensive.
Which Inpatient Rehab is Right for Me?
Deciding which inpatient rehab to enroll in goes much deeper than finding one that fits your budget. Making sure you find a center you can afford is just one of the first steps of choosing a rehab. There are plenty of other factors to consider, such as location, types of therapy offered and whether or not the rehab offers a certain type of specialization.
There is not just one clear cut path for all people suffering from addiction to follow. Addictions vary in length, severity, type of preferred substance, past traumas and consequences that addiction has presented. This is why there are so many different types of inpatient rehabs; there are so many different types of people with different types of needs.
Location
As of now, you may have been searching for “inpatient rehabs near me.” This means that location of the rehab could be of great importance to you. Staying near home can be a good option for some, however, considering an inpatient rehab that is away from home can be just good for your recovery, as well. In some cases, it can prove to be even better.
Treatment near you
If you decide to receive residential treatment near home, there are many pros and cons. A benefit for staying near home can mean that you have better access to your support system, such as your family and close friends. If you have children or a spouse, they can more easily visit you and be there for you in this time of need. Support is absolutely crucial during recovery, and for some people, staying physically near their support system can be important. Alternatively, some people may choose to separate themselves from their normal environment, and find that phone calls and few (or no) visits from loved ones could suffice just fine.
A downside of staying at an inpatient rehab near home is the ability to easily abandon your recovery efforts. Since you are in a familiar place, you may be more inclined to walk away and give into temptations than you would be in an unfamiliar place. Some people may choose to stay near home due to various responsibilities and other logistical reasons, while some people may choose to take the time to separate themselves completely and focus solely on their recovery. Another downside is not having access to new experiences and treatments near you. You may want to go to a beach location or mountain location away from home, or meet new people who are not in your usual environment. All of these can help shape your recovery in a different way.
Types of Therapy
When choosing an inpatient rehab, you may also want to consider the types of therapy that the treatment center offers. There are many different types of modalities, and finding the right one for you can make all the difference.
12-Step Program
The 12-step program is one of the oldest therapies for addiction recovery. Invented by two men suffering from alcoholism, it was designed to help former alcoholics through the process of learning to live their lives without alcohol abuse. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, three key ideas predominate:
- Acceptance, which includes the realization that drug addiction is a chronic, progressive disease over which one has no control, that life has become unmanageable because of drugs, that willpower alone is insufficient to overcome the problem, and that abstinence is the only alternative
- Surrender, which involves giving oneself over to a higher power, accepting the fellowship and support structure of other recovering addicted individuals, and following the recovery activities laid out by the 12-step program
- Active involvement in 12-step meetings and related activities. While the efficacy of 12-step programs (and 12-step facilitation) in treating alcohol dependence has been established, the research on its usefulness for other forms of substance abuse is more preliminary, but the treatment appears promising for helping others with substance use disorders sustain recovery.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment.
More often than not, addiction is a symptom of a larger underlying cause. This root cause can be anything, such as a past trauma or experience. Addiction also presents itself alongside many other mental health disorders, such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- And many more
It is important to receive treatment for both disorders, rather than just one. If you treat your addiction without also receiving help for your depression, it may exacerbate the other and vice versa. Finding an inpatient rehab that treats both will help you achieve sustained recovery.
Holistic Treatment
You may find that holistic therapy, used alongside evidence-based therapy, can make a positive difference in your recovery efforts. Being able to align your mind, body and spirit has proven to help drastically reduce stress and anxiety. Whenever a negative thought or emotion pops up, holistic therapy can teach you how to deal with those thoughts, why they come, how to replace those thoughts, or how to talk yourself out of them. This can be helpful when a craving or trigger presents itself.
Family Program
Many inpatient rehabs consider addiction to be a family disease. Family is one of the most important things in life, so you may find that attending a treatment center with a good family program is important to you. This can include family therapy sessions, as well as keeping the family closely informed on your progress. Families can also be involved in the aftercare recommendation with the therapist, being able to set up boundaries and learning what to do should a relapse occur.
Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT involves changing negative patterns of behavior, such as self-harm, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse. According to PsychCentral, this approach is designed to help people increase their emotional and cognitive regulation by learning about the triggers that lead to reactive states and helping to assess which coping skills to apply in the sequence of events, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to help avoid undesired reactions.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT involves focusing on changing unhelpful cognitive distortions (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes) and behaviors, improving emotional regulation, and the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems. According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, it was originally designed to treat depression, but its use has been expanded to include treatment of a number of mental health conditions, including anxiety and substance abuse.
Specializations
You may find that you would like to attend an inpatient rehab that offers a specialization. This can include such things as programs specifically designed for your substance of choice, a women’s only inpatient rehab, a treatment center catered toward the LGBTQ+ community, or other types of peer groups. If you have a certain hobby that you enjoy, finding a treatment center that offers this hobby can make your stay much more comfortable and enjoyable. This can be such things as art therapy, sports, hiking, knitting, bowling or anything else you might enjoy.
