You're Paying For Treatment, You Have the Right to Ask Questions

How to Choose the Best
Professional Rehab Program

By BuddyT

If you have decided to seek professional help for your alcohol use disorder you want to make sure that you find a treatment facility or program that can give you the best chance at learning to live life sober.

Not all professional treatment programs are created equal. Some only offer a small range of services while others only specialize in specific addictions or populations.

You are not going to jail or prison. You have choices in the decision. Alcohol treatment is a consumer item. You or your insurance company is paying for the service, so you have the right to pick and choose.

How to Tell Which Is Best?

There are advertisements everywhere for professional treatment programs - there may be some on this page - and all of them claim to be the best or offer the best solution.

RELATED: The Benefits of Quitting Alcohol

So how do you tell the full-service programs from those that aren't?

Below are some questions taken from a list developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and Research that may help in selecting the best rehab program for you or your loved one:

Questions to Ask About Treatment

• Is the program licensed and are the licenses current?


• Does the program accept your insurance, or offer a payment plan?


• Is there 24-hour medical supervision?


• Is the staff licensed and certified?


• Does the facility appear to be clean and organized?


• Does the program have an on-site detox unit?


• Do they offer mental health treatment for dual diagnosis patients?


• Can the program deal with other health issues, such as liver damage, HIV, etc?


• Does the program offer on-going evaluation to develop a fluid treatment plan?


• Can they offer longer-term treatment if it is required?


• Does the program offer counseling to meet the medical, legal, social, and other needs of the patient?


• Is family therapy included in the treatment program?


• Is individualized aftercare planning provided?


• Does the program have a active and managed alumni program?

Not all treatment programs are going to offer all of the above features, but you can customize this list of questions to suit your specific needs.

Source: Lakeview Health. "How to Choose The Right Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program." Recovery Connection Accessed August 2017

Learn more about How to Quit.