The Benefits Of A Private Drug Rehab Center

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Gerardo Sison

April 1, 2019

Understanding Public Programs

Public or state-funded programs are, by design, programs created for individuals who may otherwise not have a means of obtaining or enrolling in treatment. These programs offer either low-cost or even no-cost care to those experiencing dire financial straits. While this option may be a boon for some, they must also consider the extent or limit of the care they will be receiving.

While many individuals encounter these public programs and walk away successfully carrying both sobriety and the skills to maintain it, a significant portion may leave these programs yet feeling ill-equipped to further contend with their addiction. Why is this? The unfortunate truth is that these programs are often running on limited resources, thus they are not often able to offer the scope of treatment that private programs can, offerings that in many cases, make a huge difference in a person’s experience and rate of success.

These programs are still vastly important and should still be considered as options, as essentially obtaining any treatment and care for your addiction is better than letting it continue, unchecked to further spiral out of control. However, before assuming that these programs are your only option, is is important that you fully examine both the benefit and feasibility of seeking treatment at a private drug rehab center. Every person’s unique situation warrants a level of care that is tailored to their needs, should it be within their means to obtain it. Though ultimately, every rehab has the same goal—to break the destructive patterns and cycle of substance abuse or addiction—not every program is set up, or able to offer the same spectrum of modalities.

Considering The Benefit Of A Private Program When Choosing A Treatment Facility

Though the predominant question and concern is surely seeking treatment, in order to ensure a person receive the best, and most individualized measure of care, the decision process should delve deeper than simply obtaining treatment and instead concern the capacity by which a person might obtain the best treatment for their unique needs.

There are many important factors to consider and not every person will, or should choose the same route of care. When considering your options, the following are important aspects to bear in mind, especially when considering the benefit a private facility may offer.

Financial considerations — Foremost, perhaps in the instance of comparing a public facility to a private one, is that of finances. Financial means is one of the most prevalent barriers to treatment and should be considered accordingly, as to not be cause for preventing a person from obtaining treatment. Though public programs may cost little to nothing and private programs may often be more costly, in truth, there exists a wide-variety of financial options for those considering a private program. These include scholarships and grants, sliding fee scales, financing options, and deferred payment programs.

Greater access — Due to the fact public programs are state-funded with lower costs, they are in high demand, thus a person may experience an at times lengthy wait before they can enter treatment. In the face of an addiction, every moment matters—the sooner you can get treatment, the less damage that is being done to your body and mind, and the sooner the chance you can actively strive towards living a drug-free life. In many cases, private programs allow you to more quickly enter into treatment.

Privacy — In a state program, you are at a greater risk of encountering someone you, or your family members may know, whereas in a private facility, you have the option of choosing treatment that is well removed from the bounds of your life. In state programs, you may share lodgings with one or more individuals, in comparison, in many private programs, you may have the option of choosing a private room.

Location — This is a top consideration for most everyone when choosing treatment and this can go both ways. Some people prefer the greater access many public programs seem to offer, however, this access may be limited too. Oftentimes in the case of state-funded programs, treatment is limited only to those who reside within the state, whereas if you have to the means to do so, you can travel wherever you want for private treatment.

In the instance of private facilities, the change of location and greater distance may actually be of great benefit towards removing a person more fully from temptations, cravings, and other distractions. These new locals can actually have an added benefit—they may serve to inspire a person by illustrating to them that a whole world exists beyond their addiction and the boundaries it may have imposed on their life and psyche. Many of these locations also offer other intriguing facets, such as serene or wild outdoor settings, climate changes, and the chance to travel to somewhere you’ve never been to before. Despite the fact you are foremost going for treatment, many private facilities integrate unique opportunities into their program for you to enjoy all their location has to offer.

More diverse therapies — As every person is different, with needs that encompass a wide array of health histories and drugs of abuse, each person will require different things within their treatment. Various forms of therapy have been shown to be more effective with certain populations, lifestyles, behavioral concerns, and even certain drugs of abuse. Not every public program will offer access to these differing therapies, whereas, when choosing a private program, it is your prerogative, should you choose, to pick a program that offers care that is most applicable to your situation. In example, some people experience other disorders alongside of their addiction, which may greatly shape and change both the nature of the addiction and the scope of treatment required to treat it.

More thorough and expert treatment for co-occurring disorders — Not every public program offers programs or employs staff, that are specific or focused on evidenced-based therapies to treat dual diagnosis concerns. For this reason, should you or a loved one experience a co-occurring disorder, such as anxiety, depression, an eating disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), choosing a private facility may allow you access to more thorough and experienced care. Choosing expert care that is succinct in treating these needs may mean the difference between achieving sobriety and success, or falling prey down the road to relapse. This is because, if left untreated, these concerns which may have even caused or exacerbated the condition, may again aggravate a person in such a way that they turn again to drugs or alcohol.

Ability to detox on site — Some state programs may only offer detox, without adjacent therapy or counseling options. While this option isn’t available for every private facility, you will experience a wider variety of choices that will allow you to undergo a medically support detox and medication-assisted therapies from the same treatment provider as you would the following rehabilitation treatment. This allows for a more seamless and integrated approach. This continuum of care is more convenient, and may work towards easing a person’s mind, while making them more comfortable in order to more quickly break down treatment barriers.

Better follow-up care — Not every public program has the resources or staff to enable them to firstly spend ample enough time on relapse prevention, and secondly, to continue this outreach in the time after a person leaves the program. The absence or brevity of these service may for some, result in an increased risk of protected treatment (a person having to attend rehab several times in order to gain sobriety). This is not to say that a person should not seek treatment again—if they were unable to succeed the first time, on the contrary, a person should attend to their treatment needs as long as the concern is evident. What we are saying, however, is that certain programs may be more adept at offering intensive treatment forms that may, for many, shorten this continuum of treatment-seeking, by providing more in-depth, individualized, and attentive treatment off the bat, thus empowering them in gaining sobriety at an earlier point in time.

As part of their services, many private centers will continue to maintain contact, support, and involvement in their client’s life in the time following treatment. This aftercare support may be the difference that can further insulate and encourage a person in fighting off relapse.

More unique therapeutic accompaniments — Beyond therapy sessions, many private centers offer an existing array of adjacent therapeutic modalities to further engage, direct, encourage, and empower their clients. These may include art or music therapy, adventure therapy, equine assisted therapy, holistic therapies (yoga, massage, Reiki, acupuncture, and more), nutritive support and classes, and even recreational activities like hiking, fishing, cooking, and exercise classes.

Tailored programs — Many public programs are very basic and offer essentially the same format of care to every participant. Private programs allow a person to choose from a diversity of programs that may better serve their lifestyle or interests. These include, but are not limited to wilderness therapy, executive drug rehab, luxury rehab, LGBT friendly rehab, and various religious focuses. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of these programs, is that it allows you the opportunity to encounter individuals who may share similar lifestyle experiences, struggles, or outlooks as yourself. This peer-to-peer interaction may be widely helpful towards encouraging and inspiring you towards change.

Greater amenities — Again, due to financial restrictions within public programs, the available amenities may be fairly basic or institutional within public programs. With private programs, the scope of amenities is large, with some also being more basic, others pleasantly homelike and comfortable, while others yet offer luxurious and even spa-like services. In the latter cases, there are rehabs that may feel more like a vacation destination than a clinic, however, even then, these facilities will still integrate the pertinent components of rehab.

Staff to client ratio — Public programs often have a higher patient to staff ratio, with more limited access to the various specialists that can be so critical within the treatment process. For instance, some facilities, especially those in more rural or removed areas, may not be able to employ a physician full time, or even counselors, thus cutting a client off from a measure of guidance or direction that can be so crucial within this period.

Every person has a widely-varied life, and in turn, a diverse reality surrounding their addiction and addiction treatment needs. This may be common due to their intensely personal convictions, perspectives, experiences, history, medical needs, and emotional, spiritual, and mental health needs. Because of this, a private drug rehab facility may be better geared towards offering the individualized, or holistic care that some people’s lives may demand they receive. In turn, this often allows them to emerge more successfully from their addiction, with the skills that are necessary towards living a more balanced and healthy drug-free life.

Let Us Help You Choose A Private Drug Rehab Center

If you or a loved one are in need of treatment, yet are unsure in how to proceed through the process of deciding, look no further—RehabCenter.net can offer you an extensive database of treatment options, resources, and information on numerous private drug rehab centers. Contact us today.