LGBT Drug Treatment Blog

It is often difficult when seeking help, to sort out what makes for an effective alcohol rehabilitation program. Nearly all will declare themselves to be uniquely suited for meeting the needs of whoever is calling. It isn’t true. There are, however, several questions you can ask that will help you to increase your chances of selecting a quality alcohol rehab program:

1. What are the qualifications of the alcohol rehab staff? While Masters Degrees do not guarantee quality, they usually indicate higher standards. Conscientious counselors, and alcohol treatment programs, seek to acquire and increase skills. A lack of credentials is cause for concern;

2. How many of the alcohol rehabilitation staff members refer to themselves “recovering?” This is an important aspect of any alcohol rehab. Alcohol treatment staff with quality recovery can help a person entering alcohol rehab feel a little more comfortable;

3. Are the staff former clients of the alcohol rehab? This is a very big red flag. When a former client returns to the alcohol rehab to work, they are generally viewed as a client by the alcohol treatment staff. They should always seek employment elsewhere for up to a year or two.

4. What philosophy is their alcoholism treatment programs based on? Most alcohol rehab providers rely on a 12 Step/AA based model. This has proven to be the most effective of all the alcoholism treatment models;

5. What is the alcohol rehab’s success rate? Reputable alcohol rehab programs will tell you that they don’t know for sure since all programs rely on self-reports that are notoriously inaccurate. Alcohol rehabilitation programs should also be willing to give you a straightforward statement of how they define success;

6. If you are considering in-patient alcohol rehab, what are the provisions for aftercare? Behavior change is a difficult process that can’t be accomplished in thirty days. The duration and quality of the follow-up will probably be more important than the initial stay.

7. If you decide that outpatient is more apt to meet your needs, and budget, how flexible is the alcohol rehab program? Rigidity isn’t inspiring.

8. What types of clients does the program treat? Those who claim to treat a wide variety of conditions and “addictions” probably don’t treat any of them very well, and neither problems, nor clients, are equally amenable to treatment. Look for specialists, settings, and methods you feel comfortable with.

9. Will they refer you to other possibilities if you ask? Good alcohol rehabilitation programs know that they are not appropriate for everyone and will want to help you find a good match either philosophically, geographically, or financially.
While reassuring answers to these questions won’t guarantee success, it will help to prevent you from wasting time, money, and effort.