“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That’s the message he is sending.”   ~ Thich Nhat Hahn – Buddhist monk, author, poet, teacher, and peace advocate

When I went to Colorado and discovered that my child was addicted to crystal meth, I was clueless, scared and had no idea where to turn. I was not familiar with addiction treatment or rehab centers.  My daughter was 19. I felt I had a small window of time, as my daughter seemed willing to go to treatment, but I knew that could change at a moment’s notice.  I had to act fast.

Searching for a treatment center left me feeling overwhelmed. Not only are you dealing with the realization that your child is in major trouble, but you feel that their success in beating addiction will be based at least partly on the decision that you make about treatment.

There are many websites, with lists of treatment centers as well as offers of help and suggestions on where to go.  The thought of spending thousands of dollars with no guarantees of recovery is daunting.  Before choosing an addiction treatment center you should educate yourself about the different treatment programs available.

So, how does one begin to find the treatment center that is right for them?  Facilities are available for every type of addiction, from sex addiction to narcotics and alcohol.

Rehab can be inpatient or outpatient. Many individuals can neither afford, nor find the time to drop everything and enter into a residential treatment program. For them, outpatient care offers the best alternative.  For others, relocating temporarily to a facility, the addict is given the opportunity to shut out all the distractions in their life and focus solely on recovery from addiction.

Unfortunately inpatient centers are either very expensive and luxurious, or expensive and simple. That being said, ask if the treatment center will negotiate the price, and if they have any available partial or full scholarships.  Many centers also have a payment plan that makes it a little easier.  Beyond that there are low cost treatment centers as well as free treatment available.

Before you start, have a clear sense of what is affordable for your situation.  Be willing to investigate resources that are local as well as far away.

Here are some tips to help you find recovery from addiction.

1. Make an appointment and check with your doctor. It is important to know the physical condition of the addict, and whether they need detox before entering treatment. Your doctor may also be able refer you to a reputable addiction counselor.

2. Make a decision about what kind of treatment you are seeking. Weigh the pros and cons of inpatient vs. out patient treatment.  If the person is under 18, seek out a treatment center that works with teenagers.  You may prefer an all male or female treatment center.

3. Call your insurance company and find out what your policy will cover.

4.  Go online and visit websites that are dedicated to finding treatment centers.

Some starting places are:

Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  (SAMHSA)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
1-800-662-HELP

National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers

Treatment Talk Resources

5.  Don’t hesitate to ask friends and relatives for referrals. You may be surprised to find out how many lives have been touched by addiction.

6 . Call social services and mental health organizations for help.

7.  Call counseling services and look for a counselor who specializes in addiction.
One resource is The Therapy Directory.

8.  If the addicted person is not willing to go to treatment, there are many trained interventionists available to help. You need to ask, but many will fly across the country to stage an intervention, so location is not necessarily important. The following is a resource that may be useful.

Association of Intervention Specialists

9. Be sure to ask what the cost of the treatment will be and how long the treatment will last.  These are individual issues, but treatment can last from 30 to 90 days.

10. Ask about after care programs and sober living. Does the treatment center have a sober living house as part of the their program?  If not, do they have sober living homes that they can recommend or are associated with?

11. Remember that detox may take take a few days, but recovery will take a lifetime.

Regardless of whether the addicted person enters treatment or not, find your local Al-Anon meeting. Try at least six different meetings, and see if Al-Anon can be of help to you.  Addiction is a “family disease”, which may emotionally, spiritually and even physically affect close family and friends of the addict or alcoholic.

Let me know in comments your thoughts on finding a treatment center.