When an alcoholic cannot stop drinking and needs to have a clinical alcohol detox and perhaps further rehab at a treatment centre, can a price be put on their recovery?
Yes, quality alcohol rehabilitation costs money but whats the cost of not getting treatment?!
In order to get the correct care, the patient needs to be admitted to an alcohol detox centre where there is a guarantee that they will receive the best medical and comprehensive care package available. This package needs to be bespoke, tailor made to suit the alcoholic individual, as each person is different no one-size fits all will work best. Whether admission to a clinic is done voluntarily or through intervention, this may mean a private detox clinic that costs more than a state-funded alcohol rehab centre.
Although the alcohol detox costs may be more expensive at a private rehab clinic than at its state funded counterparts; it does promise that the person being treated for alcohol addiction will receive the highest care possible by experienced, professional staff who are equipped to handle the needs of the alcoholic.
Whilst the costs of alcohol detox may be high, the critical question is:
Can alcoholics afford NOT to pay for treatment?
A good detoxification centre will offer the following approach to alcoholism rehab:
A tailor-made, Personalised Treatment – All people are unique individuals and as such their treatment needs to be customised to fit individual and specific needs. In-patient Program – this may be beneficial to sufferers who have had unsuccessful out-patient treatment previously or those who are perhaps homeless and need some help getting back on their feet.Residential treatment is also a very good option for those who have a dual diagnoses or mental illness, as they will be better cared for in a full time program. This option usually has better long-term results than a day care plan.
Out-patient Program – this should always be an option to those who are unable to commit to an in-house, fulltime program, for whatever reason. After-Hours rehab programmes allow people to continue with work and home life whilst also attending to their alcoholism treatment needs. Empathetic & Sufficient Staff – research has shown that an alcohol rehab with a sufficient amount of staff is much more likely to correctly cater to the needs of its clients compared to those with too few staff. Evidence also shows that lack of empathy can be extremely counter-productive to an alcoholic’s recovery.
Medical Staff – a good alcohol detox clinic should have professional medical staff – psychiatrists, nurses and doctors – to attend to the patient’s medical needs. For people who are alcohol dependent, disulfiram can be quite useful; while Naltrexone can be conducive for relapsing alcoholics.
Holistic Therapy – wholesome, healthy and spiritual therapy has been known to greatly increase the chance of rehabilitation in people with alcohol addiction. Methods such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga and even therapeutic massage have been very successful in rehabilitating alcoholics and equipping them with knowledge and understanding of how to truly purify their minds, bodies and spirits for better healing.
Group Therapy – all reputable detox programs should have a number of group therapy sessions per day where the alcoholic can share and discuss how he/she is feeling, what’s on their mind and how they are coping in general. The purpose of these sessions is to gather support from others who are experiencing similar thoughts and feelings – this helps the person to realise that they are not isolated in their pain.
As you can clearly see from the above, a person suffering from alcoholism, can’t afford not to pay alcohol detox costs if it means receiving first-rate, professional medical treatment in the right type of detoxification program.
Receiving the right kind of alcohol detox allows the patient the chance to restructure their life and if successful the money saved will more than outweigh the amount spent on alcohol detoxification costs. Even if we ignore the benefits to individuals and their families of a quality alcohol detox, the overall reduction in costs of crime and the rise in productive employment earnings by newly sober and now, taxpaying citizens is immense.
A Californian study at UCLA found that for drug abuse treatment is a very smart investment, every US$1 spent generated $7 in financial gain for the community!
The fact is: good treatment costs money.
A key question when faced with alcohol addiction is this: are alcohol detox costs too high when it means potentially saving your life?