It seems like there are a lot of different models of treatment out there. How do I know what kind of treatment my loved one needs?

There ARE a lot of different models of treatment out there.

Your loved one will need to be assessed to determine the exact nature of his or her needs.

40% of people with substance use disorders also have another co-occurring mental disorder. Co-occurring disorders almost always need to be addressed along with the addiction as each disorder may be preventing recovery from either one.

Ideally, you will want a treatment center that uses evidence-based methodologies (and you should ask what these are and what the credentials are of care providers), and that addresses all of your loved one’s needs.

You will also want to ask if that treatment center has a family program, and if so, what the details of that program are.

However, your treatment options may well depend on your own financial ability, whether or not you have insurance, and what type of treatment your insurance will cover.

Although you will want to ask any treatment provider what their treatment model is and what kind of evidence they base that model on, for better or for worse, your treatment choice may need to be based on your finances and your insurance.

Please note, there are intensive recovery education programs around the country that are based solely on the 12-Steps.

While there may be much less evidence-based support for the effectiveness of these programs, they do work for a significant number of people and there are many, many people who recover using 12-Step recovery meetings alone.

12-Step support groups are officially considered “recovery support services,” which are incredibly important for long term recovery because they significantly improve the chances of long-term recovery and reduce the chance of relapse.

It can take up to seven years before the risk of relapse drops below 15%, and recovery support services, of which 12-Step programs are the most widely available, have been shown to effectively support the changes in behavior necessary for long-term recovery.

It is also not uncommon for people to go through traditional treatment and then spend another period of time in an intensive 12-Step recovery education program in order to ground themselves in the recovery support they will need moving forward.

And because these programs often do not offer medical treatment – they refer that out if it is needed, they can be much less expensive than traditional treatment.

They are not, however, covered by insurance.