Choices for Addiction Treatment

If you are dealing with an addiction problem there will be a number of different options available. Once you have become ready to end the substance abuse problem you are already half way to success, and with the right type of resources you will be more likely to succeed in your goal. The NHS provides a number of different options for people who find they are battling addiction problems, and these may be things that you will want to consider. At the moment, there seems to be a great deal of uncertainty about the future of the National Health Service, and the options that are available now for people dealing with addiction might not be there in the future.

NHS Options for Addiction Treatment

There are a number of options available for addiction treatment provided by the NHS. This will include community programmes as well as NHS funded rehab. As drug or alcohol rehab is the option that is probably most effective for dealing with addiction, this is the one that we will be mostly concentrating on here. It is also important to keep in mind that the NHS is not the only resource for people looking for cost effective addiction treatment options. There are also community self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

Advantages and Disadvantages of NHS Rehab

There is no such a thing as free rehab, but NHS rehab usually means that the NHS will fund the person’s place in this facility. This means that it will come from taxpayers’ money. There are some good advantages to this type of option including:

• It means that those individuals who would otherwise not be able to afford rehab will have this option.
• The NHS insists that citizens get a good level of care, and that the treatment offered is of a high standard.
• The NHS funds rehab beds across the UK.

There are also some disadvantages to NHS rehab that need to be considered as well:

• The NHS has a budget that they need to stick to, and this means that they have to ration their funding for people who needs rehab. This means that even if the individual has an addiction, they are not guaranteed this type of funding. In order to be eligible the individual will need to be assessed, and if they do not meet these criteria, the person will not get funding.
• The budget constraints mean that the NHS tends to limit this type of treatment to what they would consider the most serious cases. This means that there are plenty of people who would benefit from rehab, but will not be entitled to NHS funds.
• In some parts of the country, there will be waiting lists for alcohol and drug rehab, and this means that the individual may have to wait before a place becomes available for them. This is far from an ideal situation because the individual will be at risk while they wait, and they may lose their motivation before a place becomes available.
• The fact that it is NHS funded will often means that the individual will have little choice about where they will be sent.

Good Reasons to Choose Private Rehab

The disadvantages of NHS funded rehab can mean that the individual might be better choosing the private option. There are a number of good reasons for why this is the case including:

• One of the most important reasons for why the individual may want to choose a private facility is that it will mean that they have far more options. There are many different approaches to recovery and choosing the right one can make a real difference to the person’s chances of success.
• Another advantage of going private is that the person will not have to worry so much about waiting lists. They will be able to find somewhere right away unless they are determined to go to a specific facility. The fact that the individual does not have to delay means that they can take action before their motivation begins to wane.
• The standard of NHS funded rehab is usually good, but the person who goes private will be able to enjoy a much higher level of comfort. This is important because if the individual is uncomfortable in their surroundings they will be distracted and therefore struggle to get the most out of the programme. A private rehab will usually mean missing those avoidable discomforts associated with this type of facility.
• Most private rehabs will provide the individual with their own room and possibly even a TV in there and en suite facilities.
• The paid rehabs tend to be better resourced, and they may even have things like gyms and swimming pools. There will also usually be a better client-to-therapist ratio – this should mean that the individual gets to spend more time with the therapist.
• If people can afford private rehab, they really should consider this option. It will mean that those individuals who are really in need will have a better chance of getting a NHS funded place.