Residential Treatment

Residential treatment is a service facility that offers supervised, structured care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Residential treatment is often the preferred method of treatment for many who wish to enter recovery.  These facilities offer individuals a stable and controlled environment which can help a recovering addict in two ways.  First, it completely removes the individual from the outside world.  Second, through this removal, individuals can work specifically on recovery.

Residential treatment centers can either be non-profit organizations or private, for-profit centers.  An individual can be referred to a treatment facility or can enter on their own.  Some insurance companies will cover the cost of treatment, while some individuals may pay on their own.

There are similarities and differences among the different residential treatment centers; however, their goal is usually the same.  One similarity is that most treatment centers are abstinence based and require detox prior to being admitted.  Some centers can provide the detox services as well.  Some programs support the harm reduction model and allow individuals to engage in treatment while engaging in supervised methadone maintenance programs.

Depending on the programs offered, some treatment centers will accept individuals on an as-needed basis, while others prefer to take a group of individuals and provide treatment services as a group.  The number of individuals a treatment center can accept depends on staffing and number of rooms available.  The length of stay varies as well; however, many programs provide 28-day programs.  Some programs can last as long as one year.

If an individual were to relapse while in residential treatment, some facilities would discharge the person while others would use it as an opportunity to reassess treatment plans and goals.
Residential treatment facilities can vary on who is employed within the facility but normally there are physicians, psychologists, counselors, nurses, and addiction counselors either on staff or available on an as-needed basis.  Individuals in residential treatment are generally required to attend all meetings, therapy sessions, and group work and some may even need to participate in work related activities such as chores.  These activities can provide a sense of community to the individual as well as how to be supportive and cooperate with others.

The centers can also vary in treatment modalities used.  There are some who include 12-step meetings as part of the recovery process and there are those that do not.  There is also some distinction in the treatment provided; some may use more direct approaches to care and others will use more experiential techniques.  Most treatment centers do use education as part of their treatment goals.

Residential treatment facilities are an option for many who need treatment.  The cost, length of stay, and type of treatment needed are all factors to consider when seeking such a treatment facility.