The shortest answer is that it is really up to you. “Best” in the rehab world is a subjective opinion, as even statistical outcomes measurements are typically skewed toward the results and populations they serve.
In reality, there are many places that provide high quality treatment with evidence-based therapy and properly licensed professional staff. There are also some places that should be avoided, and asking some basic questions can help flush those out a bit.
Which Rehab is Best for Me?
One of the first things to do is understand the levels of care and what is truly warranted. For example, not everyone needs to go away to a residential program, but for many people this is a great place to start their recovery journey. If you’re relying on insurance to pay for some or all of the costs, there must also be medical necessity for the higher levels of care, such as detox and residential.
If starting out with an inpatient program seems like the right thing, then you can next look for different modalities that seem to fit well with your views on life and specific situations. For example, there are programs that offer specialized paths such as Programs for Professionals, LGBTQ, Gender-specific, Experiential, Equine Therapy & much more. There is also what recovery philosophy they follow, whether it is based on the traditional 12 step model, or something else.
Once having an idea of the type of program that you feel will give you the best platform to transform your life with, then you can start looking at some of the other details.
Location – Do you want something as close as possible, sill in the state but maybe a few hours away, within driving distance in the region or in another part of the country? You’ll also want to see if you would like something on a larger campus, or a more intimate home style feel?
Insurance – It is important to know as much about your insurance policy as possible, and while the insurance carriers will always try to push you to a center that is in network with them, if you have out of network benefits and find a program you feel is more suitable to your needs that will work with your insurance, then that is the way to go. If, however, you have to find a rehab that is in network, there are more and more outstanding programs and facilities available today than ever before that will qualify.
Continuum of Care
After you complete your detox and/or residential rehab program, it is clinically appropriate (and strongly advised as common sense) to continue your rehabilitation process on an outpatient basis. Your inpatient discharge planners and case managers should be able to help you locate some different options, and you can also do some searching on your own for local rehabs that offer intensive outpatient services. This way you can transition down and continue having support and therapy while you get back to school, work, home life or other responsibilities.
Continuing on from there, recovery support groups, sponsors, peer support specialists, case managers and recovery coaches can be vital to your long term success in recovery.
