Choosing the Right Inpatient Treatment Program

There comes a moment of recognition in the life of every addict that their struggle with addictive substances will never be over without the help of a supportive, nurturing network, the provision of coping tools and an oasis of escape to heal. It is this moment that leads the addict to Inpatient Treatment Programs.

However, this moment also possesses other challenges, the biggest one being, how do I choose the right program? This concern is one shared by families and professionals in the field. The reality is that when it comes to Alcohol and Drug Treatment Centers, there are many to choose from. Making the right selection is quite daunting and there are many things to consider. In this article we look at 3 fundamental guidelines to help this process.

1. Treatment Motivator

   • A question we at Crossroads Centre Antigua pose to all potential clients and family members is ‘what is motivating your interest in inpatient care?’ It may seem silly to start on this note, since one would think that the answer is obvious.
   • However, in the Admissions Department, we have discovered that every client becomes emotional at this question and give varying responses, such as; I want to keep my family, I no longer feel enjoyment, I don’t want to die, ‘they’ are making me do it, I want to be like Eric Clapton etc.
   • Regardless of the response, Inpatient Treatment is a significant level of care, which seeks to restore a person’s mind, body and spirit. It’s a chance for guidance on how to rebuild and achieve balance in one’s life; it is a big step. So recognizing one’s motivator for this level of care helps significantly as it guides the addict or family in asking the questions specific to their needs.
   • As such, the question is not what does the facility offer but rather, will the services provided be suitable to my goals. The right program is one that demonstrates a readiness to understand and accept the addicts’ motivator and meet each client at their stage of change.

2. Holistic Service

   • As we understand substance addiction more there are two factors recognized as essential in treatment:
   1. Drug use disorders require some individualized treatment approach
   2. Recovery is fostered from a multifaceted systems approach
   • Choosing an inpatient program with integrated systems of treatment modalities and interventions along with specialized care and universal services, demonstrates an understanding of individuality and humanity
   • As humans, we share common elements in our approach to life challenges, but as unique individuals our responses may vary. It is important that a holistic program offers services that address your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs, as well as engage systems of support.
   • At Crossroads Centre we view abstinence as one component of recovery and the improvement in quality of life as the other component. Both are intimately linked and supported by the 12-Step recovery on which our program is built. The right program is one that recognizes recovery as multifaceted.

3. Reintegration/Monitoring

• A final fundamental guideline in selecting an Addiction Inpatient Treatment program is ensuring that it demonstrates through activities an appreciation that recovery continues beyond the duration of the inpatient program.
• It has been established that longer treatment equals longer sobriety and better quality of life. As such, programs that offer services to support this, such as extended programs, long term monitoring or social re-integration activities such as supportive social network are programs that demonstrate clear understanding of addiction and the recovery journey.
• Here at Crossroads Centre we maintain a peer support program that buddies discharging clients with supportive alumni. We have several international alumni chapters in which we enroll our clients and we continue to monitor clients and families up to 2 years post discharge. We further provide supportive recovery programs such as Restore & Connect and Renewal Retreats which are design for clients in recovery.
• The right program is one that acknowledges that recovery is a life long journey filled with ups and downs.

No one is perfect; we all need support along the way. In choosing the Addiction Inpatient Program that right for you, a loved one or a patient, remember these important guidelines and call us if you need support in making a selection.