There are a lot of decisions to be made at the start of a patient’s rehabilitation process. Foremost of this is determining exactly where the patient will stay to complete their recovery. Often, the answer to this question will dictate the alcohol and drug use disorder treatment options that the patient and their family can access.
Many patients choose to stay in their city for treatment. If the rehab facilities in their locality are quite limited, however, they can opt to venture out to other areas in the state where there are plenty of programs that have high rates of long-term recovery. For example, there’s no shortage of reliable rehab centers and drug treatment programs in Miami that offer established and customized treatment plans for their clients. On the other hand, there are also patients that go out of their way to find a drug and alcohol rehab facility that’s far from the place where they currently live. For them, leaving their hometown is an integral step in getting clean and staying sober.
Which option is the best one for you? To help you decide, take a closer look at the different benefits of staying within your city and traveling to a different location for drug or alcohol rehab.
Local Rehabilitation Centers
Often, the choice of staying within one’s city to recover is done out of practicality. After all, staying in your hometown ensures that you’re closer to your family and that you can seek their support whenever you need it. If you signed up for an outpatient program, going local gives you the option to stay in the residence of a family member or a friend. The cost of maintaining such a setup is much lower compared to checking into an inpatient facility or living in another location and attending an outpatient treatment program there. At the same time, staying at home gives you the opportunity to continue working or attending to your other obligations while you’re going through rehab.
Choosing to heal in a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation center continues to offer a lot of benefits even after you’re done with your treatment. A local facility has likely built connections with other establishments that offer support to people who are recovering from drug or alcohol use disorder. This means that they can suggest support groups or mutual aid fellowship meetings that their clients can attend so that they have a better chance of maintaining their sobriety once they’ve completed their inpatient or outpatient program.
Not all cities and neighborhoods, however, have a wide selection of rehabilitation centers for their residents. If you feel that your local options are not suited to your needs or if your neighborhood does not provide a conducive environment for healing, then it’s better to seek rehab options outside of your current location.
Rehabilitation Centers in Other Locations
Destination rehab, as this option is sometimes called, refers to attending an alcohol or drug rehabilitation center outside of your city, state, or even country. It’s a much more expensive option compared to staying within one’s city, but it also presents a lot of advantages to those who want to get the best chance of making a full recovery.
Recovering outside of your city or state is a great choice if you feel like the rehab facilities in your locality do not offer the exact treatments and therapies you need for your condition. Traveling for rehab opens up a world of options for your recovery, as you will no longer be limited to what’s available in your area. You can choose to go to a facility that specializes in cases that are similar to yours, or you can enroll in a program that’s customized to your particular condition, for example.
Some patients choose to stay away during the course of their treatment because it will give them the freedom they need to complete their recovery process. Often, these patients know that their immediate environment is a main contributor to their disorder and that staying near their friends and family will make it difficult for them to avoid their addiction triggers. Putting a great deal of distance between themselves and their hometown gives them the space to clear their thoughts and focus completely on their recovery. It also gives them an opportunity to start over in a place that’s free from events, people, and spaces that they associate with addiction.
Anonymity is also a luxury that patients can enjoy if they carry out their treatment in a place that’s far from the one they live in or grew up in. Here, they won’t have to worry about being judged for making the brave choice of confronting their harmful relationship with drugs or alcohol. Once they’re done with their program, they can go back to their hometown if they choose to, all without worrying that anyone knows about their stay in a rehabilitation facility.
There are a lot of factors that you should think of when choosing a drug or alcohol rehab center, and the facility’s distance from your main residence is one of them. Which of these benefits will prove to be essential to your treatment process? Considering this can help you arrive at the best decision.
