If you or a loved one has realized it’s time to seek treatment for a substance use disorder, it’s important to begin to address addiction as soon as possible. Addiction is a chronic and progressive disease that can cause serious medical, psychological, and social problems in your life. However, entering addiction treatment can be intimidating, especially if you’re doing it for the first time. What’s involved in the treatment process? What should you bring? At Maryland House Detox, our goal is to make the admissions process as smooth as possible and remove as many barriers to treatment as possible.
The admissions process may seem daunting, but many people will help you along the way, including medical and clinical professionals. You will also have a case manager and a therapist who are dedicated to helping you through the treatment process.
Learn more about addiction treatment and what you can expect from the admissions process at Maryland House Detox.
How Does Treatment Begin?
Treatment starts with an intake and assessment process. This is designed to determine the right level of care for your needs. You may take a biopsychosocial assessment, which is an interview that usually takes about an hour with a therapist. You’ll answer questions about your biological, psychological, and social health. Early in the treatment process, probably on your first day, you’ll create a personalized treatment plan with your therapist. This will include your current goals and the objective you need to accomplish to achieve that goal. Treatment plans are used in both the medical and psychological aspects of addiction treatment. Because your treatment plan is so important, you’ll make one as soon as possible.
If you have a high likelihood of experiencing severe or dangerous withdrawal symptoms, you’ll likely start with medical detox. If you don’t have acute medical needs but you still need high-level care, you may still receive inpatient or residential treatment services.
What to Bring to Treatment
Medical detox and residential treatment programs require you to prepare as if you are going on a trip. You will be away from home as you go through the detoxification process, which usually lasts for a week to 10 days. From there, you may continue in an inpatient or residential treatment program. In inpatient treatment, most of your needs will be taken care of, but you will need to bring some items from home. Some items are necessary, like clothing, but you will also want to take some personal items for your comfort, such as a book. There are also some things you should not bring to treatment. Some are apparent, but others may not be.
Entering treatment, especially for the first time, can be daunting. Knowing how best to prepare can make the transition process easier. However, the admissions team at Maryland House Detox can work with you to make sure you have what you need. When in doubt, feel free to call and ask about items you can and can’t bring.
What Should You Bring to Addiction Treatment?
- Picture ID
- Insurance card
- Prescription card
- Over-the-counter medications (like ibuprofen)
- Credit or debit card (Just one)
- Contact information (for your physician, attorney, and emergency contact)
- Enough clothing for one week
- Toiletries and personal care items
- Reading material
- Journal
- Cell phone
When you’re packing clothing, keep the season and location in mind for the period you will be attending treatment. Maryland can be cold in the winter months, so you will need warm clothing, especially on the day you are traveling to the facility. Even in the summer, you may need a sweater if you tend to get chilly in air conditioning.
What Should You Not Bring to Addiction Treatment?
You should avoid bringing several items to treatment, especially those that may be a danger to you or someone around you. It’s also important to remember that you’ll be sharing space with other people, including other people in recovery. Items that may be offensive or triggering should be left at home. Other items are unnecessary to bring because they will be provided throughout your treatment program, like food. Here are some examples of things you should not bring:
- Weapons (guns, knives)
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Computers
- Jewelry
- Valuables
- Aerosol sprays (air freshener, spray deodorant)
- Perfume
- Inappropriate clothing
- Produces that contain alcohol
- Mouthwash
- Food
- Inappropriate reading material
Certain items may seem strange to include on the list, but they may pose a potential threat to your or someone else’s sobriety. Aerosol sprays, mouthwash, and other common household items are sometimes used to achieve a high. If you’re not sure about what to bring with you, feel free to call and ask us anytime.
Paying for Addiction Treatment
Unfortunately, the cost of treatment is a common barrier to treatment for many people. Addiction treatment is similar to other forms of long-term healthcare in that it can be expensive, especially in higher levels of inpatient care. However, addiction treatment is healthcare, and it addresses a disease that can affect your health, finances, and personal relationships. At Maryland House Detox, we work to get you the treatment you need despite the cost.
There are several ways to pay for addiction treatment, including health insurance programs and private-pay options. Insurance is one of the best ways to make addiction treatment more affordable, but navigating your insurance plan can be tricky. The final out-of-pocket cost will depend on your insurance provider, what it covers, and how much it covers. We can help verify the eligibility of your insurance plan for coverage at Maryland House Detox. Through your treatment process, we can work with your insurance company to get you the coverage for the treatment you need.
Below, we cover payment options and how insurance works.
Navigating Insurance
Private health insurance plans are your best option for reducing the cost of addiction treatment programs. Private health insurance is any healthcare plan offered by a private company. You may get it as an individual, as part of a group, or from your employer. Maryland House Detox will accept coverage from most private healthcare providers. Federally funded healthcare programs like Medicare or Medicaid are an option, but your coverage and choice of treatment centers may be limited. However, Maryland House Detox currently accepts coverage from Medicaid.
Most insurance companies will offer coverage for addiction treatment along with other mental and behavioral healthcare services. Because of mental health parity laws and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), insurance companies must offer similar levels of coverage for mental and behavioral health services that they do for medical care. However, the amount of coverage you get and the specific therapies that are covered will depend on your specific plan.
In-Network Insurance Plans
One of the easiest ways to get coverage for addiction treatment is if your treatment center is an in-network provider with your insurance plan. In-network providers refer to healthcare providers that already have a relationship with your insurance company. In most cases, this means they have negotiated a discount for treatment and that getting coverage will be a smoother process than it would be for an out-of-network provider.
Here are a few of the insurance companies that Maryland House Detox has an in-network relationship with:
- Lower Hudson Valley
- John Hopkins
- First Health
- Workforce Assistance Programs (Members Assistance Program)
- Medicaid
- Carefirst Bcbs
It’s not necessary for you to have an in-network insurance provider to attend treatment at Maryland House Detox. If you have insurance, you may still be able to get coverage for treatment here. To learn more about what is covered by your insurance plan and whether it covers treatment at Maryland House Detox, call us at any time.
What Is Covered By Insurance?
Insurance can cover various treatment services. However, the exact coverage you get will depend on your treatment plan. Insurance companies that offer mental health services are required to offer a level of care on par with their medical coverage plans. That means they may offer coverage for inpatient and outpatient treatment services, mental health services, and addiction rehab.
These programs may offer many different approaches to addiction treatment, and your insurance policy may include coverage for some but not others. Insurance companies tend to favor evidence-based treatment options, which are approaches to treatment that have been tested and proved effective in scientific research. Just because a therapy option is evidence-based doesn’t mean it’s effective for everyone. However, it does mean that it’s effective enough that it will offer value to most people who may need it.
Addiction treatment sometimes involves alternative therapies, which may be useful to some people but haven’t been proven effective in scientific research. Alternative therapies may be useful for some people, but your insurance company may not include them in their policies.
Approaches to addiction treatment that are commonly covered by insurance include:
- Medical detox
- Detox medications
- Residential care at an in-network facility
- Dual diagnosis treatment, or co-occurring disorder treatment
- Outpatient care
- Behavioral therapies
Addiction Treatment Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re getting ready to begin the admissions process in an addiction treatment program, you may have several questions about treatment and how it works. There are many commonly asked questions about addiction treatment. Take a look at some of the answers below to learn more about the treatment process. If you have more questions, feel free to call our team at any time.
What Is Addiction Treatment?
Addiction treatment is a multidimensional process designed to address substance use disorders. Addiction can affect your health relationships, finances, and other aspects of your life. It’s also a progressive disease, which means it likely will worsen without professional intervention. Addiction treatment also involves several levels of care, depending on an individual’s needs. High levels of care that involve inpatient treatment are for people who need medical care or monitoring or people with significant psychological or social needs. Inpatient and residential treatment may also be ideal for people that have a high risk of relapse if they live on their own.
How Effective Is Addiction Treatment?
Addiction treatment is primarily designed to address substance use problems and lead to lasting sobriety. However, it’s also useful in reducing some of the consequences addiction causes, health problems, legal troubles, family and relationship problems, and the inability to maintain employment. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), people who enter and remain in addiction treatment are likely to experience a drop in drug use and criminal activity. It also improves your ability to maintain employment and social and psychological functioning.
Of course, relapse is a common occurrence in recovery. In fact, 40% to 60% of people in recovery experience relapse. That includes people who have gone through recovery, people who have just gone through detox, and people who have achieved sobriety for other reasons. Since addiction is a chronic disease, it’s consistent with other chronic diseases when it comes to relapse rates. Diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic illnesses have similar rates of relapse. Still, active addiction is dangerous. Just like you wouldn’t give up on treatment when your blood pressure rises again after it was under control, you shouldn’t give up on treatment after a relapse.
How Does It Work?
Addiction is a multidimensional process involving several levels of care. The overall goal is to achieve sobriety, but several objectives can lead to that goal. Many people come to addiction treatment with medical and psychological problems that must be addressed. If something like depression is not addressed, it could fuel a relapse, even if you go through treatment for substance use problems.
The full continuum of care from high-level inpatient treatment to low-intensity outpatient treatment is used to address these multidimensional needs. Acute medical issues are often addressed in the highest levels of care, especially when they could be caused or worsened by withdrawal. As you begin to stabilize and make progress in treatment, you move on to lower levels of care that afford you more free time and independence.
The lowest levels of care are used to offer you support as you live independently. Outpatient treatment involves several hours of treatment each week while you are free to pursue other goals and responsibilities in your off time, such as your career, education, or family. As you encounter challenges to your sobriety, you can address them in treatment.
What If I Relapse?
Unfortunately, relapse is a part of the addiction treatment process for many people. Since relapse rates are similar to other chronic diseases, it happens to any people that go through treatment. However, many people achieve lasting sobriety, even after one or more relapses.
A relapse can be disappointing and even dangerous, so it’s important to note that it’s not inevitable. But relapse doesn’t mean addiction treatment has failed. Each day in recovery is valuable and gives you insights into sober living and maintaining your sobriety. A relapse means that you may need to revisit treatment and take another look at your relapse prevention plan.
What Is Inpatient Addiction Treatment?
Inpatient treatment refers to 24-hour care at a treatment center, clinic, or hospital. The highest level of inpatient care in addiction treatment is medical detox. Detox involves medically managed treatment that may involve treatment with medications. This is often a starting point for people with serious medical needs related to addiction. It’s specifically used to treat people going through severe drug withdrawal symptoms.
Inpatient treatment may also refer to specific levels of care on the continuum of care. The second-highest level of care on the continuum is inpatient and residential treatment. This involves medically monitored or clinically managed treatment and 24-hour care. Inpatient treatment is also helpful for people with a high risk of relapse or other complications if they were to live at home.
How Long Is Treatment?
This is a major concern for many people who are entering addiction treatment for the first time. It’s common to want to get treatment over with as quickly as possible, but that’s not the most effective way to approach drug rehab. Addiction is a complicated disease that requires a complex process to address it. People come to addiction treatment with various issues that need to be addressed, and addiction takes time to treat. According to NIDA, effective addiction treatment will last for at least 90 days. Still, the period you spend in rehab is ultimately determined by how much time you’ll need to get through each level of care, making progress in your recovery.
Will Treatment Cure My Addiction?
There is no cure for addiction, and a treatment program won’t cure your substance use disorder. Even after treatment, you may experience cravings and compulsions to use your drug of choice again. However, treatment is designed to give you the tools to maintain your sobriety for long-term abstinence. Still, recovery is a lifelong process, and you’re more likely to keep your sobriety when you continue to pursue recovery, even after you complete addiction treatment. There are many ways to do that, including 12-step programs and community-based support groups.
