Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Getting help for addiction to alcohol or other drugs can be one of the most important decisions of your life. In fact, it might save your life. It is important to know that when people struggling with addiction get the help they need, recovery is achievable and sustainable.
There are a wide variety of choices to consider when seeking help. To avoid confusion, it helps to understand that Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Drug and Alcohol Rehab are often used interchangeably.
It is also important to know that while they can be extremely helpful, support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, other 12 Step Programs and Smart Recovery are not treatment programs. These support groups are peer operated and offer tremendous support for alcoholics and addicts.
Treatment, or Rehab, is a type of structured intervention, which if credible, is developed and operated by trained and credentialled people and follow specific protocols and industry practices.
There are different levels of intervention which include: Addiction Therapy and Counseling (preferably with an addiction specialist), Intensive Outpatient Treatment, Residential Treatment and Online Programs like the one offered on this site.
The average cost of a private, non-government funded, residential treatment program in North America is $14,000. This puts residential treatment out of reach for most people. Fortunately, there are affordable alternatives.
Addiction Therapy and Counselling
This is the most common form of treatment for alcohol and other drug use problems. That does not mean it is the best. The type of help one chooses should be one that meets the needs of an individual. Addiction Therapy and Counselling can be delivered in many formats including to individuals, couples, families and groups. The most common formats are individual therapy, which involves meeting with a therapist or counsellor one-on-one; and group therapy, which involves meeting with a therapist or counsellor and other clients who share similar problems in a group setting. It is important that qualified therapists and facilitators are running these programs.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment
Intensive Outpatient Treatment is delivered in a facility over a period of weeks or months by trained staff. It provides structured help in a controlled setting while allowing participants to live at home or in a safe environment and in some cases maintain employment.
These programs will follow a structured format similar to residential treatment centers and participants should be discharged with a sustainable recovery plan which will help the individual maintain sobriety, if followed.
Residential Treatment
Care is provided in a live-in treatment center, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, involving group therapy and one on one counselling, as well as structured treatment activities. These facilities are most often used by people whose alcohol or other drug problems are long-standing and complex. These programs are typically from 30 to 90 days in duration. Depending on the complexity of issues, some centers offer extended programs which can run up to a year in length.
Online Programs
The Substance Abuse Program on this site delivers all the material in a multi-media format that is delivered in our residential treatment program but allows participants to take this program at home and during the hours which suit them.