Posts Tagged ‘outpatient’

Can I pay for drug treatment in payments?

December 26th, 2011

Drug treatment, while extremely necessary for those who have a substance abuse problem, is very expensive. Even though it may be worth every penny, the high cost of drug treatment is not always feasible for everyone – especially for a family that does not have health insurance or who does not qualify for state issued health insurance coverage. There are other ways to pay for drug treatment, though, so there is no need to despair over the cost. Whether it is by health insurance, a scholarship, a loan, help from friends & family or even payment arrangements – drug treatment is not impossible to obtain.

Making Payment Arrangements with a Drug Treatment Center

Many of the best drug treatment centers across the nation have one thing in common – they are owned and operated by someone who is in recovery themselves. They understand the financial challenges faced by families who struggle with addiction and they realize that paying upwards of a thousand dollars a day is not possible in one lump sum for everyone who needs drug treatment. The fact of the matter is, if you ask about payment arrangements for drug treatment, you may be surprised at the options available to you.

Many drug treatment centers will help by offering you or your loved one the most affordable option for your specific situation. Certain outpatient treatment programs are available that do not cost nearly as much as inpatient drug treatment but can still be just as effective for some. The main thing is that you ask around and find out what your options are. Not having the money is no reason to not seek drug treatment if it is needed. Being broke or financially unstable does not mean you or your family should continue suffering at the hands of addiction.

If you are affiliated with a specific religion, ask the leaders in your church about faith based treatment programs that may be more affordable as well. In some cases, the church may even take up a special donation for a church member who is struggling with addiction to help him or her pay for treatment. Many people do not realize the support available to them or how many people actually care. In so many cases, all you have to do is ask. If there is a specific drug treatment facility you are looking at – it just takes one phone call to find out if you can pay for drug treatment in payments at that location.

We Can Help! Call Us Today at (888) 842-3167 for your Free Confidential Assessment for Drug and Alcohol Treatment

How Long Does Alcohol Detox Take?

August 21st, 2011

When an alcoholic goes into a rehabilitation or treatment center, detoxification will just be the beginning of a longer process. The detox process entails a cleansing of one’s system to remove all traces of alcohol. Generally, it will take around 7-10 days for most people but it also depends on how long and how much a person was drinking. During detox, there will likely be multiple symptoms a person will experience which are known as withdrawal symptoms. How bad these symptoms are will depend on the severity of the person’s addiction. The feelings can range from mild headaches to nausea and shaking & sweating or worse.

When detox is over, the really tough part begins. Because detox is just the first step, the next part is getting treatment. If you are going to inpatient rehabilitation, your stay can last up to 45 days. Detox will take away the body’s physical dependence on alcohol, but an alcoholic must also work through the psychological aspects of addiction as well. The person has to learn what things trigger their want for alcohol and learn how to cope and handle stress in other ways besides drinking. This is because even though detox removes alcohol from the body, the desire to drink alcohol will still remain.

After detox, a person with an alcohol dependency should also seek therapy. The person will need to learn what his or her strengths are which will help them fight their urge to drink alcohol. In order to face every day life again in a normal way and to function in the real world, there is a lot of work to be done. An alcoholic has to make many changes in order to avoid relapse, including finding new hobbies and friends who will be more in line with their goal to remain sober.

If an alcoholic does relapse, it isn’t that detox was not successful. It means that a psychological aspect of their addiction was not addressed and worked out to a point that the person could cope without drinking. If there is a relapse, detox must be done all over again. A second detox may not be as difficult as the first one however it still may take about the same amount of time. Detox is a very necessary part of getting sober and unless the person goes through the process, he or she will not really learn how to abstain from alcohol. Having willpower is not enough for some addicts which is the reason that inpatient treatment is often more successful than outpatient alcohol treatment. The inpatient treatment center provides a safe place, experienced staff members and helpful tools & regulated therapy sessions to help the addict deal with detox and rehabilitation.

We Can Help! Call Us Today at (888) 842-3167 for your Free Confidential Assessment for Alcohol Detox

What is An Outpatient Detox Facility Like?

August 19th, 2011

An outpatient detoxification from drugs or alcohol will take place at a medical facility where the majority of patients are able to begin the process of detox within a matter of hours after initial contact. These facilities often take a very personalized approach to detoxification programs and offer a variety of formats including providing approved medicine. Opiate detoxification programs often take place through the use of Suboxone or Buprenorphine which helps to manage opiate withdrawal symptoms. These medications enable outpatient detox facilities to offer a detoxification protocol for specific addictions including heroin, methadone, oxycontin/oxycodone, vicodin/hydrocodone, and similar narcotics. These medications help to minimize the withdrawal symptoms associated with the detox of these highly addictive substances and while giving the patients the opportunity to continue to work and live their daily lives without significant impact that happens during an inpatient detox.

Advantages of Outpatient Detoxification

For an addict that only experiences mild or moderate withdrawal symptoms including shaking hands, perspiration, heart palpitations, sleeplessness and restlessness, lack of appetite, mild nausea, and maybe some vomiting, outpatient detox is considered a safe and effective alternative to inpatient detox on a much less expensive basis. Additionally, those patients who decide to admit themselves into a long-term outpatient rehab treatment center after the outpatient detoxification period will more than likely benefit greatly by continuing at the same treatment facility due to the increased social support. Because adverse family circumstances or employment may prohibit a person from attending inpatient treatment, outpatients are able to continue to function in a near normal state while also maintaining employment and family/social obligations. Outpatient detox and treatment allow for more freedom and flexibility in order to continue working and maintaining daily activities with little disruption and fewer costs.

Therapy in Outpatient Detox

Outpatient detox programs
will also generally offer therapy sessions related to coping with addiction, albeit on a limited basis. The therapy sessions offered are certainly not as comprehensive as those offered at inpatient treatment centers that should happen after detox is completed but it should help the addict get through the detox and have any issues addressed as questions arise about the process.

Many different factors need to be considered when determining what the appropriate detoxification setting would be for a particular patient. One consideration should be is that of how the setting may influence the overall treatment outcome. An addiction specialist will be able to recommend either inpatient or outpatient treatment based on the individual case, as the most important thing is to get clean and sober.

We Can Help! Call Us Today at (888) 842-3167 for your Free Confidential Assessment for Alcohol Detox

5 Reasons to Choose Outpatient Treatment Over Inpatient Treatment

August 15th, 2011

While inpatient drug and alcohol treatment programs are more “popular”, outpatient treatment is a great option as it helps thousands of addicts in their recovery efforts every day whether they are battling addiction to opiates, prescription medication, marijuana, alcohol or any other harmful substance. An outpatient treatment program is one in which the patient does not remain at the facility overnight, but instead attends daily treatment in the form of meetings, therapy sessions and other programs and then leaves to go home when the sessions are over.

Figuring out if an outpatient treatment program is right means you need to know what it entails and what the benefits are. Keep reading for 5 reasons to choose outpatient treatment over inpatient treatment that may help you make your decision.

Remain in School or Keep Your Employment

If the person’s drug addiction is not overly severe and he or she is able to function well enough in work or school, an outpatient treatment program could be the best way for the person to get help. This allows an addict to maintain nearly a normal life during the recovery process and does not disrupt their day to day activities like an inpatient treatment program would.

Lower Cost

Of course, there are some very upscale outpatient facilities, but in general, the majority of outpatient treatment programs cost significantly less than inpatient treatment. It has nothing to do with the level of care, but instead it is due to the fact that much less overhead costs are involved. Many outpatient treatment programs are covered by health insurance providers, which can also reduce the cost for the patient. Cost should not be the deciding factor, however, as getting the proper treatment is ultimately the most important thing.

No Explanation Needed

Participating in treatment in a residential treatment center entails a lengthy absence from work or school. People will ask questions and the individual will have to explain to employers, teachers or friends about their situation. It may be uncomfortable to share this information with other people so attending a confidential outpatient treatment program provides the chance to get better without any explanation to people who you would rather not tell.

Stay Close to Home and Family

While staying in one’s home environment sometimes can cause a relapse for those with a severe drug or alcohol addiction, for others it is the opposite. Many addicts very much need the support of family or friends during the recovery process. For those people in particular, outpatient treatment programs will provide the opportunity to go to all of the necessary counseling sessions throughout the day, and later return home to a supportive family in the evening.

Learn to be Sober in Your Own Environment

What inpatient programs lack is the ability to teach addicts how to be sober in their own home environment. Sometimes, a relapse will occur once a patient goes home and back to their own element because they haven’t learned those skills. A person who participates in an outpatient program will better learn how to cope with the stress of daily life at home, work, or school and work it into their recovery process.

Outpatient programs still maintain a high level of care but provide different benefits and advantages than inpatient drug and alcohol treatment. It is best to weigh all of your options before making the final decision, as your recovery is the most important thing right now.

We Can Help! Call Us Today at (888) 842-3167 for your Free Confidential Assessment for Alcohol Detox

How Do I Know if I Need an Outpatient or Inpatient Drug Rehab Facility?

August 8th, 2011

It is very easy to get overwhelmed with the plethora of drug rehab facilities that are available when you undergo the task of searching for the perfect treatment center. With so many drug rehab facilities to pick from, you may not know where to begin. What you can do to make it easier on yourself is to start with a few basic questions in order to narrow the field of appropriate places and help to locate just the right best drug rehab center for you. This includes choosing whether you will go to an outpatient or inpatient drug rehab facility.

Choosing Inpatient or Outpatient Drug Rehab

The fastest and best way to choose the right facility for your needs is to decide right off the bat if you need an inpatient or outpatient treatment program for the addiction you are dealing with. Outpatient drug rehab programs vary greatly, each of them requiring different commitments in terms of time. On one hand, you have outpatient drug rehabs which require you to physically appear at the facility to meet with them up front for an intake appointment at which time you will go over a treatment plan to be implemented on your own. On the other hand, there are outpatient drug rehabs which require their patients to report to them daily, in person, for up to eight hours for a variety of educational lessons, group therapy and support in addition to AA or NA meetings during the week outside of the facility. That may seem like a lot to commit to, but when it comes to addiction, the more support and education you have, the better.

If on the other hand, you think more structure is necessary, an inpatient program is ideal. This means having a place in which there are no outside temptations at all and you get support for your addiction 24 hours a day. You have the choice of 28 or 30 day treatment programs or a more comprehensive inpatient drug rehab which can allow patients to remain in treatment for up to a year. This type of treatment allows the patient to progress at their own pace and provides a strong support system that firmly grounds a patient in their new life of sobriety, armed with all of the necessary tools one needs to successfully remain drug free once treatment is over.

Most people find that if a drug addiction has been going on for a long period of time, an inpatient treatment center is best. You have to decide if it is right for your circumstances however, and take the appropriate route in order to reach your goal of sobriety.

We Can Help! Call Us Today at (888) 842-3167 for your Free Confidential Assessment for Drug Rehab

Can You Overdose on Xanax?

July 11th, 2011

Xanax, a medication that is used for the treatment of anxiety or other panic related disorders, can be dangerous in large quantities. The question is, can you overdose on Xanax? Just like with any other medication, taking too much can be lethal. If taken with alcohol or other drugs, an overdose is even more likely to occur if too much Xanax is ingested. Unfortunately, those who become addicted to Xanax build up a tolerance over time and feel as though they need higher and higher quantities to feel the effects of the pills, and it becomes a very dangerous situation when more than the recommended amount is taken.

Symptoms of an Overdose

If you have taken too much Xanax, signs of an overdose you need to watch for include confusion, sleepiness, slowed reflexes, lack of coordination, and breathing problems. An overdose of Xanax can also lead to a coma or even death. You need to seek treatment immediately from a doctor if you believe you have taken too much Xanax and are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned. You may need to have your stomach pumped in order to remove the medication from your body to prevent death.

How Much Xanax Does It Take to Overdose

The amount of Xanax it takes to overdose will vary greatly for each individual. Some factors that will affect how much it takes includes a person’s weight, overall physical health, tolerance to the medication, and whether it was mixed with alcohol or other drugs. While you may not get an overdose on taking an extra pill or two, it is unsafe and not recommended as only the prescribed amount should be taken at a given time. If you have taken more than the recommended dosage and continue to do so for an extended period of time, it is also highly likely that you will develop a physical addiction to Xanax that will require professional treatment.

Seeking Treatment for a Xanax Addiction

If you are at the point where you are addicted to Xanax, there are specialized treatment programs that can help you. You will go through a detox period to get Xanax out of your system followed by an inpatient or outpatient drug rehab program.

Things to Remember

Xanax should not be taken without the consent and prescription from your physician ever and a prescription written to you should never be shared with another person. Obtaining Xanax from any other place besides the pharmacy is especially dangerous, as there may be harmful ingredients – especially from the variety purchased online from overseas.

We Can Help! Call Us Today at (888) 842-3167 for your Free Confidential Assessment for Drug Rehab

Why Do People Come to Florida for Pain Clinics?

July 1st, 2011

The popular thing to do in Florida for the last few years was to come down and find a pain management clinic just to get a prescription for pills that a person clearly did not need nor did they have any proof of any pain to show that the prescription was necessary. Somewhere around 2008, pain clinics in Florida began popping up left and right – most with doctors who didn’t give one care in the world about what kind of prescriptions they were writing for their so-called “patients”. In Florida in particular, there weren’t many laws or regulations governing such pain clinics so people flocked to the state to get the prescriptions they wanted without any repercussions.

While it is true that some pain management clinics in Florida do legitimately service patients who really have needs for medication caused by chronic pain, many of them are making fast money and handing out pain killers like candy to children. Some “pill mills”, as Florida pain clinics are also called are able to help people in a legitimate way for those with mobility issues that interfere with their everyday life. Sometimes it can be too much of a hassle, not to mention to expensive, to go through the process of making an appointment at a doctor to get a prescription written and then having it filled at a pharmacy. This is why many people opt for chronic pain and chiropractic doctors who can provide prescriptions for controlled substances right out of their office which provides a much more convenient experience. This practice has unfortunately let to a lot of abuse however.

Lately however, the Florida laws have been cracking down on pain clinics. So many have opened up so fast that it became a cause for concern so legislators got involved and decided that pain clinics in Florida could no longer dispense prescriptions on site. They have also taken measures to ensure that felons are not allowed to work for or own these types of businesses. These new laws are meant to limit the amount of drug addicts who can easily access the pills and limit the amount of prescriptions that are written to people they shouldn’t be written to.

Because Florida is known as the “capital of prescription drug use”, the lenient laws have caused people to flock to Florida while they still can to get the prescriptions they want before the laws crack down even worse.

We Can Help YOU! Call Us Today at (888) 842-3167 for your Free Confidential Assessment for Drug Rehab and Detox from Prescription Drugs. You DON’T have to feel this way EVER again!

Outpatient Programs for Drug Treatment in Florida

March 5th, 2010

Centers for treating drug dependence in Florida offer many trustworthy and affordable programs for non-residential rehabilitation and curing narcotics addiction. Individuals who cannot attend inpatient program can turn to more flexible and customized courses that will help them recover and start living different.

What is Critical?

A good drug treatment facility should feature some of the following services for those customers who decided to undertake outpatient rehabilitation:

  • Everyday monitoring and supervision of the client’s progress, should they require extra control and assistance. Many people are unable to battle the dependence on their own; if such case, the drug treatment center needs to step in and provide ongoing support for the patient;
  • Firmly established partnerships with such associations as Marijuana Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous and so on. These organizations represent a friendly community of people who help each other to overcome drug addiction. They are a horn of plenty pouring invaluable advice, friendly support and sympathy that patients are sometimes lacking;
  • 24 hours’ psychological assistance – it happens so that a patient is desperate for someone to heed their words and offer an answer to their problems, relieve depressive mood and simply listen to them. Non-residential programs don’t always offer such responsiveness, while sometimes it proves very important.

Drug treatment facilities in Florida often carry out non-residential programs with the above described services available. Never-the-less, the lion’s share of commitment to the task and its success depends directly on the patient.

No Pain – No Gain

Another crucial subject to think about is the importance of motivation, self-control and mental resolve. They are absolutely necessary for the positive outcome of any outpatient treatment program. In order to successfully fulfill it, one needs to be completely dedicated to the ultimate goal of curing their dependence.

Even though excruciatingly difficult, this task no longer seems so formidable with the help and support of one’s beloved people, professional assistance of a qualified psychologist, as well as sincere compassion from the community.

Such a course is a long-term endeavor, demanding constant commitment, solid motivation and unyielding purposefulness.

Narcotics dependence proves an atrocious adversary for anyone; struggle with it consumes much time and mental strength. Nobody should be allowed to go through this alone – help is always required, even the one that comes unasked for. Drug treatment facilities in Florida prove invaluable establishments that deliver such help with great professionalism and complete dedication.

Due to the relentless and skilful performance of Florida drug rehabilitation centers more and more people keep returning to normal life – unburdened with substance dependences, colorful and rewarding, as well as healthy and enjoyable.

Get Help Now (888) 842-3167 Free Confidential Assessment

Xanax Addiction and Dependency Help

October 2nd, 2009

Xanax and other benzodiazepines can become addicting if the medications are abused or prescribed for a long period of time. Addiction occurs when an individual takes over the prescribed dosage and use other methods, such as inhaling or “snorting” the crushed pills or even using syringes to inject the drug, into a vein in the body, once melted down.  Patients who adhere to their correct dosages but receive prescriptions over an extended amount of time can develop what is known as chemical dependency.

Whether an individual is addicted or dependent to Xanax, they will still both experience the same uncomfortable physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms if they do not have access to Xanax or other “Benzos” over a period of time. These symptoms can include nausea, headache, anxiety, irritability, and disturbance in sleeping patterns. Running out of your prescription too early to get it filled again is very good indication that you may be facing addiction. You will want to find a rehabilitation treatment center that includes the appropriate care for addiction to benzodiazepines.

You will find variations in the rehabilitation programs that are offered for addiction treatment when in comparison to the methods used for problems stemming from dependency. In-patient rehabilitation facilities are usually found to be more appropriate and beneficial to those suffering from an addiction to Xanax. Addiction is most often only one of multiple co-occurring disorders. Treatment will be tailored to fit each individual’s needs.  Out-patient counseling is used as form of follow-up treatment after the completion of an in-patient program. It also used for those who are suffering from dependency as their only disorder.

Of course the first obstacle will be admitting there is a problem and Xanax abuse or extended usage has now become an addiction to prescription drugs. There will be every reason in the world why it is alright to be taking the medication in the first place. If you know someone you care about that is addicted to Xanax and cannot reason with them then you may want to try a family intervention. Do not use accusing words or try bullying them into receiving treatment for their problem. First let them know that they are loved and you are concerned for their wellbeing. If you cannot gain their trust then it will be very hard to get them to listen to what you have to say or even furthermore, to confide in you. Be sure to assure this person that you will be there to support them through the process of ending their addiction to Xanax. If you succeed in getting through to them, you may just save their life.

Free confidential helpline for Xanax addiction and treatment / counseling:  (888) 842-3167