Rehab Facilities

Last Updated: September 18th, 2014

The prospect of attending alcohol rehab is frightening to some people because they don’t know what to expect. Among their fears is the belief that the average rehab facility is more of a prison than anything else. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

Modern rehab facilities are designed to be as comfortable and accommodating as possible, without continuing to enable addictive behaviour. Yes, there is a balancing act involved. Nevertheless, just about anyone who has completed a rehab programme can tell you that the facilities were mostly adequate and comfortable.

Rehab facilities come in several different guises:

NHS clinics
Private clinics
Clinics run by charities.

Among the three, the NHS clinic is probably the one most alcoholics and alcohol abusers in the UK are familiar with. Unfortunately, it is also the type of facility that is least conducive to long-term sobriety.

Outpatient and Inpatient Facilities

From the standpoint of facilities, alcohol rehab is a choice between outpatient and inpatient. The outpatient scenario is one in which the alcoholic goes to a facility on a regularly scheduled basis for a few hours at a time. Facilities offering outpatient care can be part of a hospital or exist as an independent clinic.

Outpatient facilities are usually ‘bare-bones’ in that they only offer meeting rooms and individual offices. However, you’ll find seating comfortable and the atmosphere conducive to the treatment being undertaken. Inpatient clinics are an entirely different matter.

An inpatient rehab programme is designed to provide residential housing to alcoholics throughout the duration of their treatment. That means facilities need to be specifically designed to accommodate every need of the patients residing there.

A typical inpatient facility will have several dozen individual rooms for clients, along with public spaces including dining facilities, conference rooms, and recreational areas. The fact that most of these facilities are operated by private owners or charities mean they tend to be much more inviting and comfortable. They also tend to be in rural areas where the distractions are fewer and farther between

Luxury Rehab

Among private clinics, there is a subset of luxury facilities designed for the wealthy and influential. Luxury clinics offer all sorts of amenities under the assumption that wealthy and more affluent individuals would refuse to seek help under any other circumstances.

It is not uncommon for a luxury rehab facility to include things like swimming pools, well-being spas, exercise facilities, and so on. Yet there is some debate within the addiction recovery community as to whether or not luxury facilities are appropriate.

Critics of luxury clinics claim that pampering addicts with luxury amenities makes it more difficult to help them overcome addiction. Some even suggest that these clinics are nothing more than a temporary holiday allowing the alcoholic to think he or she is being helped when they are not.

Proponents of luxury clinics claim they are the best way to help those who are used to a certain type of lifestyle. They say that expecting the wealthy to undergo rehab in an environment that does not meet their normal expectations only serves to make treatment more difficult.

In the end, it all comes down to results. Regardless of what any individual facility offers, success is all that matters. A facility’s track record should be one of the top priorities when choosing an alcohol rehab programme.

The Question of Cost

Second to a facility’s track record of success is the question of cost. The more luxurious a facility is, the more expensive the treatment will be. It’s a simple matter of economics.

If you can afford a luxury clinic and choose to do so, that is certainly your right. On the other hand, if you cannot even afford the least expensive private clinic you may have to look at other options. We are here to help you sort through those options to determine what you can, and cannot, afford.

Individuals with private health insurance might be surprised to discover their plans cover alcohol addiction treatment. Those who do not have private health insurance should consider other means of paying for residential care, including:

seeking donations from family and friends
using a credit card account
seeking commercial financing
contacting alcohol charities to see what they have available.

Don’t discount the fourth option of seeking out alcohol recovery charities. There are a number of secular and religious organisations offering residential rehab at no charge to the client. They may not offer the luxury amenities you might find in other facilities, but they are comfortable and effective just the same.

Charitable organisations receive their funding through private donations, corporate grants, and limited government funds. That means their services are not always available to anyone who wants them; sometimes funds are limited. We can help you locate programmes run by charities when you contact us.

Your Role in Rehab

Regardless of the type of facility the alcoholic chooses for rehab, his or her role in the rehab process cannot be understated. Rehab is useless if the individual does not truly want to change. If you believe you have an alcohol problem, you must want to be helped before you can be helped.

If you were to enter rehab because you felt as though you were being pressured into it by friends or family members, you are likely to approach treatment with some measure of scepticism and regret. That’s a recipe for relapse. However, if you enter rehab because you truly want to stop drinking, you have the right frame of mind needed to achieve long-term success.

It’s Time to Call Us

We assume you have already looked over our website and have learned some of the common symptoms of alcohol abuse and addiction. If not, that’s something you should do. If there is any chance at all you may have an alcohol problem, now is the time to pick up the phone and call us. Do it now while you’re thinking about it.

Our mission is to assist you in getting the help you need by explaining treatment options and making recommendations according to your circumstances. If you need help making admission arrangements, we can assist there as well.