Paying For Rehab: A Mini Guide

man speaking on the phone and taking notes

One of the biggest challenges of attending a drug rehab is finding a way to pay for treatment. While many individuals out there are desperate for addiction treatment to help them with their substance abuse issues, many addiction treatment programs can be costly.

If you’re struggling with substance abuse, don’t let paying for rehab deter you from seeking treatment. There are many resources out there that can help you or a loved one pay for rehab. As you explore your options, you can determine what treatment facility is best for you.

Required Treatment for Your Needs

The first step to take to determine if you can afford addiction treatment is figuring out what kind of addiction treatment you need. There are various types of addiction treatment programs available to choose from. Different programs will have different costs associated with them.

Treatment Options

The type of treatment option you need depends on how severe your addiction is along with other factors. If you are dealing with a mild addiction, an outpatient program could be enough to help you overcome your substance abuse. If your addiction is more serious, and you might experience severe withdrawal symptoms that require medication and observation, inpatient treatment with detox is the best option for you.

Inpatient treatment

When you undergo inpatient treatment, you will live at the treatment facility. This is a residential form of treatment. One of the biggest benefits to inpatient treatment is you remove yourself from your surroundings that helped fuel your addiction. You will also have only one thing to focus on during inpatient treatment: getting and staying sober. The normal temptations aren’t available during inpatient treatment. This treatment is more costly than outpatient because of its residential nature.

Outpatient treatment

Outpatient treatment tends to cost less than inpatient treatment because you don’t live at an outpatient facility. You’ll attend individual and group therapy sessions here, just like you would during inpatient. The difference between the two is you aren’t putting your life on hold while participating in outpatient treatment. You will live at your house, have all of the same personal responsibilities, and even go to work. The downside to this is you have less time during the day to focus on recovery, the upside is you’ll easily learn how to incorporate recovery into everyday life.

Exploring Funding options

Once you have determined what type of treatment you’d like to pursue, you can explore your options for funding the cost of addiction treatment.

Private health insurance

Private health insurance can cover a portion or all of your addiction treatment costs, depending on your plan. If you have a particularly good health insurance plan, all of the costs of treatment will be covered. To find out if your insurance covers addiction treatment, you can reach out to them over the phone. You can also call the rehab you want to attend to get your insurance verified (they’ll let you know if they accept it or not). .

Employer assistance

If you’re currently employed, you can see if your company provides employer assistance. If you feel comfortable doing so, consult with the human resources office of your employer to look into any funding available for rehab treatment for employees. Any don’t worry about potentially losing your job after confiding in HR about your addiction, according to the FMLA, it’s illegal to be fired when pursuing addiction treatment.

Medicare or Medicaid

Both Medicare and Medicaid offer some coverage for rehab treatment. If you are on Medicare or Medicaid, look into the details of your policy. You should have at least partial coverage for rehab. However, the extent of any coverage that your plan includes depends on which parts of Medicare coverage you have or which state you live in when it comes to Medicaid.

State governmental programs

Some state grants are allocated toward covering the costs of addiction treatment. These programs are frequently provided in connection with a state’s judicial system. This means that you’re especially likely to be eligible for state governmental programs if you are having legal problems as the result of drug or alcohol addiction.

Cash pay

If you don’t have insurance or access to programs that help pay for rehab, you can pay out of pocket, although this is rare. If you are looking to pay for rehab yourself, you can call the facility you’d like to go to and ask the cash pay price.

Coping with Losing a Loved One to Addiction

Even though it’s not something that anyone finds it to be particularly pleasant, everyone knows that coping with the death of a loved one is a natural part of life. There is no denying that any type of loss is painful, but there is something about the loss of a loved one from addiction that puts things in a different category altogether. Addiction is a deadly disease, it doesn’t discriminate against anyone, it affects men, women, and children and it has destroyed many innocent lives. Unfortunately, losing a loved one to drug abuse is all too common. If you have lost a loved one to substance abuse, it is critical that you learn how to cope with the loss and not allow this devastation to consume your life as well. Here are some ways to cope with the loss of a loved one from addiction.

Get Support

Loss and unresolved grief are burdens that are commonly carried. It’s important to keep yourself in the company of supporting and loving others that you share your feelings and experiences with. It’s easy to fall into the trap of isolation, but it is critical for your own emotional health to increase your contact with family and friends, attend grief meetings and share from your heart. Do not be afraid to open up about what is going on inside your emotions.

Avoid Holding Back

Holding back your emotions doesn’t benefit you or those around you. Pain is inevitable, but you must grieve effectively and in order to do this, it’s essential that you share and release your pain with others. It’s often beneficial to talk with others who have also lost a loved one to addiction, such as groups that are designed specifically for loved ones of men and women who had a substance abuse problem. For instance, Al-Anon groups are typically located in most cities, and they will not only be able to provide you with information regarding addiction but direct you to additional support groups that help with the grieving process.

Grieve in a Healthy Way

It is essential for your emotional as well as physical health that you allow yourself to not only grieve but to grieve in a healthy way. There are many stages of the grieving process, and your health depends on your experience in all stages. Over time the shock and the denial will gradually fade, so focusing on living in the present will help ground you through the denial phase of grief. Another phase is anger and you’re entitled to be angry, so allow yourself to be angry by expressing the anger in healthy ways. It is critical that you remember that you were and are powerless over what has happened. Depression is also a stage of grief that you must get through, but once you have worked through the anger and hurt, it will eliminate the risk for harboring resentments, which creates unnecessary distances between you and your loved ones when you need them the most. Although it’s difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel-acceptance will eventually come.

Living Your Life Well

One of the best ways to honor your lost loved one is to live your life the way they would want it for you. So, don’t forget to take care of yourself. The grieving process is stressful and overwhelming, but it’s critical that you not lose yourself in the process. Participating in activities you enjoy, such as taking a walk, listening to your favorite music or finishing that book you started is a great way to calm your mind and rejuvenate your emotional and physical strength.

After losing a loved one to substance abuse, it is common for family and friends to blame themselves, to look for ways that they could have helped or try to look for what they may have done wrong. Do not blame yourself or others! Harboring these feelings will prevent you from moving on and prevent you from healthy grieving. It’s important that you are gentle with yourself and give yourself space, time and patience you need to work through the loss.

addiction Addiction Resources Drug Abuse Drug Addiction Drugs

Domestic Violence: How It Can Lead To Substance Abuse

Unfortunately, it is common for domestic violence and addiction to go hand-in-hand. It is common for both men and women that engage in domestic violence to blame their actions on drugs or alcohol. When the abuser sobers up, they are often remorseful and claim they weren’t aware of what they were doing. For either the abuser or the victim, substance abuse can increase the risk of more violence. An addiction to drugs or alcohol leads to extremely intense and damaging mental and physical conditions for the abuser as well as the victim. The good news is that there is help available for the women and men that are violent or are the victims of domestic violence.

Diminished Self-Control

Substance abuse can diminish self-control and reduce inhibitions over their emotions, which may lead to domestic violence, often it’s because they are unable to cope with their inner turmoil. Alcohol and drug abuse may also make it extremely difficult for them to make good decisions about their behavior in the heat of the moment. This poor degree of self-control may easily lead to domestic violence on the part of the abuser. An addiction to drugs or alcohol alters nervous structures and chemicals in the brain; drug abuse changes personalities and changes priorities. For these reasons and many more, it is critical that they be treated for both their addiction and violent tendencies.

Are Substance Abusers More Like to Become a Domestic Violence Victim?

Studies have shown that substance abuse may increase the risk of women and men being victims of domestic abuse. Drugs and alcohol have a significant effect on your body and its various systems; substance abuse alters the thinking of the user. For instance, using alcohol creates negative effects on cognitive capabilities, which may result in those who are using to exercise poor judgment and place themselves at risk of being the victim of domestic violence. There is also evidence of a high probability that women and men who are victims of violence have substance abuse problems. Sadly, children of those who abuse drugs and alcohol are also often attacked during the abuse of a loved one. It is common for many of these children to become accustomed to these behaviors from childhood, resulting in them becoming abusers or victims of domestic violence in adulthood.

Treatment for Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse

Treatment for domestic violence and substance abuse should be integrated. Just like other co-occurring disorders, collaboration among healthcare professionals is essential in order to best address each individual condition. The trauma that is often caused by domestic violence victims generally requires different treatment options that the treatment methods for the abuser; however, when substance abuse is mixed into the factor, it is critical that the treatment methods be done at the same time for the best chances of recovery.

Because of the trauma and severity relating to domestic violence as well as the stigma that is often related to substance abuse, it is common for people to be discouraged about seeking treatment. Many people that experience domestic violence have gone through other traumas in their lives, such as sexual abuse, childhood neglect and other types of violence. For this reason, experiencing any type of discrimination can be extremely traumatic on its own, which limits their access to support and services. Since many victims of domestic violence turn to substance abuse in an attempt to deal with the trauma of the abuse, disclosing their alcohol and drug abuse to others is often the primary reason they delay seeking treatment. However, it is critical to understand that domestic violence generally results in physical and emotional injuries as well as other health problems if you do not seek help. Treatment can help you learn how to overcome being a victim of abuse, resist being the abuser and put your substance abuse behind you.

addiction Addiction Recovery Addiction Resources Addiction Treatment Drug Abuse

Stress and Substance Abuse: How Strong is the Connection?

Recent advances in the study of addiction and the science of recovery have delivered strong evidence that a link exists between stress, drug use, drug abuse, and addiction. Stress has long been recognized as both a necessary element for personal growth and learning as well as a significant health hazard. In order for a human being to remain healthy, happy, and productive- some degree of stress is necessary. The question is, where is the balancing point before stress becomes a hazard- and how much of a risk of addiction does stress impose on and men and women?

Stress: The Addiction Connection

The research has shown time and again, that the initiation of drug use, drug abuse, and relapse are more likely to occur in persons who exhibit signs of stress or who report feeling stressed. A number of studies are currently in circulation in addiction medicine circles which offer compelling, statistically supported arguments for this claim.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, different people have different tolerances to stress or “stress thresholds.” They explain that stress has a physiological basis, and once the threshold is reached, the hypothalamus is engaged, releasing the “corticotropin-releasing hormones,” the stress hormone known more broadly as cortisol. When this happens, the individual receives a strong chemical signal within the brain that triggers pleasure and/or comfort seeing behaviors.

How Much Stress is Too Much?

This idea has gained a great deal of traction in the world of addiction treatment. The notion that self-control can be compared to a muscle that has a limited amount of energy and a limited lifting capacity has taken root in treatment culture and practice. This is particularly true of evidence-based treatment programs. The simple reason for this that the idea is both backed up my massive amounts of statistical evidence- and it is strongly in agreement with the common intuition about self-control- ie; that it is limited.

Of course, there is no universal stress threshold that applies to everyone. One person’s resistance to stress is dependent on perceptions about one’s self, the type of stressor experienced, and underlying physiological factors rendering the individual’s capacity for self-control.

The studies promoting this view are largely unanimous in their findings. They show that persons exposed to stress;

Are more likely to abuse alcohol or other drugs
Are more likely to continue using alcohol or other drugs
Exhibit a decreased expressed interest in exhibiting self-control
Report increases ideations related to using drugs or alcohol
Report a sharp increase in interest in drugs which they have used before

The researchers agree that the biological mechanism that makes an individual capable of resisting temptation is a delicate one. Their findings support the notion that stress can disrupt the mechanism of self-control, deplete its chemical reserves- rendering the self-control mechanism effectively inoperative.

Addiction as a Disease Process

Over the years, the notion that addiction is not a moral failing, but the disease has received a great deal of push-back. There is some reason to resist the idea because if the moral component of drug abuse is removed, it would seem that addicts would have one less emotional resource to draw upon in their recovery.

Still, the evidence that addiction is, in fact, disease and not a character flaw is strongly supported by these findings on stress and drug use. While these developments may take some moral impetus away from the recovering addict- it is a virtual certainty that advances in addiction treatment will develop as a result of this relatively new understanding.

Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment

Divided roughly into Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Therapies, evidence-based addiction treatment is based on empirical, statistical, and medical evidence which shows a given treatment to have the effect of reducing use, abuse, and relapse- making recovery more likely.

The scientific movement which views self-control as limited physiological research has been a big part of the rise of the evidence-based treatment model.

Possibly the greatest advance has been the reduction in the perceived stigma of entering treatment as a confession of weakness or a moral failing. Recovering from an addiction may be difficult, but it is possible. Ceasing to be a “bad” or “weak person,” on the other hand- is not so straight forward. It would appear that removing the stigma of immorality from addiction has made it easier for those who need help to seek it.

Of course, when all is said and done- we are all still responsible for our own actions. The harm done to one’s self and others as the result of addictions is still the responsibility of the person who committed harmful actions. But it is widely recognized that forgiving one’s self is an important part of overcoming addiction- and by understanding the true nature of self-control, self-forgiveness becomes much more achievable.

addiction Addiction Resources Addiction Treatment Mental Health Stress

How to Quit Heroin: Should You Go It Alone, or Seek Addiction Treatment?

If you have developed a heroin problem and are considering quitting, you deserve credit. Reaching this point means you have the wisdom to know that you have a problem- and that’s no small task. Maybe you have learned from the mistakes of others. Maybe you have hit rock bottom, or maybe someone in your life loves you enough to step in and say something. Whatever it is that’s brought you here, looking for answers- may this be the beginning of your journey to recovery.

How to Quit Heroin

To begin, it should be said that quitting heroin is never something that should be done alone. For those who have become physically dependent on the drug, quitting without help can be dangerous. If you are physically dependent on heroin, alcohol, or any opioid drug- professional medical detox services are often necessary to achieve a safe and effective recovery. That being said, there are ways to quit heroin- and you are not alone. Many people have faced the challenge of heroin addiction, and help is out there.

1. Quitting Cold Turkey

The importance of seeking professional detox services for those who are dependent on opiates cannot be overstated. However, if you are confident that you are healthy enough, and that your level of physical dependence is low enough- it is possible to go cold turkey– endure the withdrawals and successfully come off of the drug.

For some people, the challenge of overcoming withdrawals is appealing. For others, the pain barrier will simply be too much. Some degree of self-knowledge would be a great help here- otherwise, you risk enduring a day or two of painful withdrawals only to fail. This can lead to a sense of shame, which can deepen any addiction. In short- going cold turkey is not for everyone and there are significant risks.

2. Weaning off Slowly

Once again, we are talking about a method of quitting that is best suited to a certain personality type. Coming off slowly may be less painful, but the period of relapse risk is longer. With this method, it will be critical to obtain support and cut one’s self off from any use of triggers and drug connections.

During the weaning off period, you might consider going on vacation, staying away from social events- and binging on movies, television, video games, indulgent food, and so on. Research has shown that our capacity for resisting temptation is like a muscle. It can only perform so much work before it fails. So during a weaning off period, making heroin (and all harmful drugs) the only temptation you will avoid may be wise.

It will be important to set up rules for yourself that you intend to follow. Get others involved. Tell people you trust what you intend to do and ask them to check in on you periodically. Set a definite start date for yourself- after which you will begin using less.

Weaning one’s self off heroine comes with one major roadblock- if you do not have the supply you need at the start- you will have to obtain more during the weaning period which means not only breaking the law but also coming into contact with trigger people and scenarios. For these reasons, we cannot recommend weaning off of heroin outside of a professional replacement therapy regimen.

3. Abandon all Bridges to Drug Use

Regardless of the method, you use to quit, cutting all ties to use, both emotional and interpersonal, is critical. Much of the addiction process is psychological. That is not to say that there is not a physical reality to addiction- there is. But much of it has to do with emotional factors, perceptions, and habits. Bridges to use are not just drug connections- but people, events, places, music, or anything that triggers positive thoughts about using heroin.

Eliminating and avoiding any and all triggers must become a major part of any recovering addicts’ daily life.

4. Find a Safe and Secluded Place to Stay

Unless you intend to complete your recovery in a rehabilitation center, you will need a place to stay where former drug connections, friends-in-use, and other triggers are not a factor.

Your recovery location should have everything you need during your initial recovery. This includes food, entertainment, and ideally- the loving support of family or loved ones not connected to your addiction.

Seek Support & Professional Help

At the end of the day, beating a heroin addiction is not something anyone should try to do alone. Heroin is infamously addictive and dangerous.

If you or someone you love has developed an addiction to heroin, professional recovery services are the best prescription. At a detox and recovery center, recovering addicts can obtain distance from the people and locations that trigger use, access sympathetic support, and avail themselves of any necessary medical help.

addiction Addiction Resources Drug Addiction Heroin Heroin Addiction

Addiction Treatment and Recovery Options – When Do I Need Help?

According to a 2012 survey on addiction and health in the United States, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as little as 10 percent of individuals who admit that they are struggling with substance dependence or abuse of some kind have actually received any kind of treatment. This is a terrifying and saddening statistic and is made all the more worrisome when one stops and thinks about the various types of substances people are addicted to.

Lack of Treatment Sought for Addictions

Many people choose to forego any kind of treatment for their addiction disorder because they believe things are not really all that bad and they don’t need any help or treatment yet. They have yet to hit rock bottom or they do not believe that their problem is bad enough to warrant any sort of treatment or intervention. The truth of the matter is: if you’re questioning whether or not you need help getting sober, you likely do. Whether your addiction is related to drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine, prescription medications like Oxycontin or phenylalanines, or other substances like caffeine or alcohol, it is important that you get treatment for your addiction sooner rather than later!

Understanding Your Addiction and Its Severity

If you are beginning to have problems with your personal life, social interactions, relationships, work or school life, and any other areas of your life because of your substance use, then you probably have an addiction. Addiction is diagnosed on a spectrum and there is a range of various criteria that will be used to determine how bad your addiction is- mild, moderate, or severe. Medical and mental health professionals use eleven criteria to determine if someone is addicted to or abusing a substance:

Lack of control over when and where and how much the substance is consumed or used
The individual has a desire to quit but has been unable to do so under their own power
The individual is spending a lot of time, effort, money, and energy to get the substance
Cravings for the substance that begin to interfere with normal activities when not satisfied
Lack of responsibility in terms of how much the substance is used or while it’s being used
Problems with relationships in personal, romantic, social, work, or school environment
No interest in doing things that the individual normally enjoyed for the sake of the substance
Dangerous use of the substance repeatedly occurring and concerns and warnings not heeded
Worsening situations and a visible decline in health, hygiene, mental sharpness, etc
Tolerance develops which requires more of the substance to be consumed for desired effects
Withdrawal symptoms and cravings get severe when the substance is withheld

Your Addiction Can Get Worse

Because addiction severity is measured on a spectrum, a diagnosis of a mild addiction may be better than a severe addiction, but it is not a reason to be flippant about getting addiction treatment and help. It’s easy to take an it-could-be-worse approach but it is important to remember that addiction is a progressive disease. If it is not taken seriously and if you not get help sooner rather than later, it will get worse and it will get worse quickly in almost all cases. If you’re only a mild case right now, this is the time to act and seek help before the addiction grows and takes an even stronger hold. Think of it like you would a problem with your car- it might be minor now and not be affecting how the car runs or operates; however if left un-fixed the problem could eventually lead to a serious breakdown of the key part of the car and cause a major accident or render the car useless. Addictions can do the same to your mind and body when left untreated!

Get The Help You Need For Recovery

Addiction is not simply a lifestyle choice or a mistake. While most addictions originate from a poor choice or a bad decision that was made at one point and time, the underlying addiction itself is a chronic disease, and truly is no different than other disease people have to deal with their entire lives like asthma, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and so forth. Someone diagnosed with Stage 1 or 2 cancer would seek help to treat and control their disease. Someone with diabetes and a blood sugar of 200 would work to take steps to control their disease. Someone with asthma would use their inhaler at the signs of a mild asthma attack rather than waiting for it to get worse. You don’t have to hit rock bottom and be out of all other options before you get help for your addiction. Get help before things get worse and take back your life. Call Newport Beach Recovery of Costa Mesa, CA. Learn more about rehab and how treatments can help you beat your addiction once and for all with the finest recovery program in the area!

Addiction Resources Addiction Treatment Drug Addiction Treatment Treatment Options

The power of Music in Recovery

Music is a cross-cultural experience. You don’t have to understand the words or be familiar with the genre to feel the effects of a superior composition. Music’s ability to change our moods, minds, and behavior is well documented in popular culture. However, the power of music during recovery from addiction is still a newer concept.

Music therapy is a comprehensive treatment system that combines listening, theory, and performance. Adding this therapy to an addiction treatment plan helps patients find relief through some of the most difficult points of their journey while also strengthening them for what lies beyond. How does musical therapy help those fighting through addiction treatment feel better, stay stronger, and recover more quickly?

The Physical Effects of Music

The effects of music aren’t just mental. The mental effects of music cascade throughout the body, producing physical results that can aid the addiction treatment process. These include:

Improve communication. Listening to and performing certain genres of music have been proven to increase vital mental skills. A study from the Institute of Music and Mind at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada found that those who use their musical skills frequently show increased activity in the auditory cortex of the brain. This area translates sounds into understandable words and phrases and is vitally connected with our communication skills. Playing instruments can make it easier for patients in treatment to communicate with those who are there to help them.
Improved memory and learning. The auditory cortex isn’t the only brain structure positively impacted by music. The prefrontal cortex, which is the seat of our sensory processing abilities, is also improved through performing and listening to music. Over time, patients are able to retain long and short term memories better, which helps them learn new ways of coping with life’s stresses without reaching for a substance.
Increased dopamine production. Dopamine is a vital neurotransmitter. Substance abuse damages the body’s ability to naturally produce this substance in useful amounts. Music naturally stimulates dopamine production, which helps even moods, relaxes the body, and calms the mind.

The Mental Effects of Music

Everyone knows how a good piece of music makes them feel. Crashing cymbals, twinkling keyboards, and artfully strummed guitars can lift spirits and stimulate a change of mind. During the recovery process, these effects can be used to the patient’s advantage in many ways.

During the detox stage, calming music can help patients cope with the physical and mental stress that comes with the experience. Once the acute stage is passed, playing calming music can help patients keep a level of mood throughout treatment.
When the urge to relapse pops up, music can inspire patients to stick with their program. In these cases, upbeat and meaningful tunes are the most effective. Many patients enjoy music with spiritual overtones that help them connect to their higher power for aid.
Music can connect support groups. Singing and performing together as a group helps members connect on a safe, emotional level. This facilitates group and private talk therapy sessions. When they’re alone, group members can turn to that piece of music to help them when they can’t reach their support system.

Techniques in Music Therapy

How is music therapy used in the recovery process?

Performance. Singing and playing instruments is a physical experience that helps patients work out stress in a healthy way. Keeping your hands and mind busy is a great way to fight the urge to relapse.
Meditation. Quietly listening to inspirational tunes while alone is another successful therapy tactic. The right selection can lower blood pressure, relax tense muscles, and help patients cope through difficult stages.
Exercise aid. Physical exercise is a well-known technique for resetting the body after detox. Add music to a workout to stay inspired, engaged, and joyfully active through the sweat session.

These techniques can be effective in group or private sessions. Music therapy is also easily adapted into a home practice to support the work outpatients do with their therapists.

Music is more than a pastime. When used consciously and purposefully, it can help those fighting addictions by providing a healthy outlet for many of the negative emotions that can come along with the healing process. Talk to your addiction treatment specialist about adding music therapy to your program.

Addiction Resources Addiction Treatment Guide Music Treatment