By Steps to Recovery on November 13, 2012

Choosing to attend a rehab to help yourself is a huge step. It’s a big commitment that is sure the change your life! So finding the one that will help you the most in reaching your goals is essential. Don’t just settle for any old rehab, they are not all created equal. The following list should be very helpful in helping you choose the right rehab to support you on your journey!

1. Take a tour – Call the rehab you are interested in and schedule an appointment to tour the facilities and meet some of the staff and some of their current residents if possible. You will learn a lot about the place and if it’s right for you just by visiting for a short time.

2. Treatment philosophy – Are you looking for a place that specializes in the 12 Step philosophy, something religious or something different? There are many options, each with the same goal: To help you get sober and heal yourself. 

3. Find the right rehab that specializes in the substance(s) you are using. Most rehabs have support for alcohol and most drugs, but it’s ideal to try to locate a place with specialized support around your particular substance of choice.

4. Are you dual diagnosis? Does the rehab you are considering have support for co-occurring disorders? If, for example, you have anxiety, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia or an eating disorder, etc, it is important to find the right rehab that is knowledgeable in and has support for your specific issues.

5. Location – It is important to have family support during rehab. If you want your family to be involved in your recovery, try to locate a place that is supportive of your needs and convenient for your family to visit.

6. Aftercare – Rehab is just the beginning of recovery. Recovery is a life long process and what happens after rehab is very important. Find the right rehab that offers aftercare services that suit your individual needs. Does the place you are considering offer outpatient services or transitional living? Can you continue to work with your therapist after completing the program or does the rehab have a referral service to help you find the right aftercare therapist for you? Make sure to ask these questions so that you aren’t left hanging after you complete your program.

7. Staff – Make sure the staff is professional, experienced, educated and that there is a good staff to client ratio. Each client needs a great deal of attention and support from the staff. With enough support from staff, an individual has a much greater chance of being successful in his or her recovery.

8. Keep in mind your age and the ratio of people at the rehab you are considering who are in your age range. So much healing happens in the group setting, so you want to make sure that you can relate to the people with whom you will be connecting. 

9. Success rate – What is the success rate of the rehab you are interested in attending? The quality of each rehab center and their staff varies greatly. The higher their success rate, the more likely you are to succeed as well. This is a very important question to ask when you are making your decision.

10. Does the rehab you are considering offer a personalized treatment plan? This will help you get the very most out of your rehab experience by focusing on your core needs and helping you heal your individual issues.

With the answers to these questions you will be able to find the rehab program that is right for you. To start looking for a place that will suit your individual needs, click here.