inpatient Drug & Alcohol Rehabs in New York: Important Things to Consider

Seeking treatment for a drug or alcohol addiction is a difficult decision on its own – you have to get your affairs in order as you begin to mentally cope with addressing your addiction. While this is completely normal, there are some issues you shouldn’t have to worry about when entering a drug and alcohol rehab, such as if you’re a smoker and want to smoke in treatment or how much seeking treatment will cost you. That’s why you want to weigh all of your options before deciding on an addiction treatment facility.

Here are a few things you’ll want to consider first.

What’s the cost of drug & alcohol rehab in New York?

Addiction facilities provide life-saving treatment for anyone suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction. And much like any other treatment for a medical condition, there is a cost associated with it. It all comes down to insurance coverage and amenities.

It’s critical to feel comfortable, safe, and at home while in an addiction treatment facility. After all, your treatment will likely prosper when you’re comfortable, have everything you need from an experienced staff to extracurricular activities and add-ons to keep you engaged and in good spirits.

Some things – such as an evidence-based curriculum, art and music therapy, personal training – should just come standard with addiction treatment. But some facilities with these amenities are extremely expensive. This list from LuxuryRehabs.com shows how expensive some New York facilities are, with the top costing $50,000! While insurance does come into play here, you may be in charge of paying for a certain percentage. So if you have a 10% co-pay, you’ll have to pay $5,000. Yikes!

Because New York is notoriously expensive (topping Kiplinger’s list of costliest places to live year after year!), you may want to pursue other more affordable drug and alcohol rehab centers in nearby states. An addiction facility such as RCA at Raritan Bay in New Jersey, which offers free transportation to patients in certain parts of New York, may be a more affordable option without losing important amenities that could make or break your stay in treatment.

Can I smoke cigarettes in New York rehabs?

Let’s be honest – you will likely never find a rehab that commends or encourages smoking cigarettes. However, the short-term effects of cigarettes are a lot less deadly than the effects of drugs and alcohol. Because of this, it’s pretty common to see people smoking in rehabs.

But that doesn’t mean it’s always allowed.

For example, smoking cigarettes in New York rehabs is not allowed. In 2008, all state-certified substance use disorder treatment programs were required to ban smoking for patients in hopes to decrease addictive behaviors. This ban ended up backfiring, as only a small percentage of patients stayed tobacco-free after they left treatment. You can read more about smoking cigarettes in rehabs here, but you may want to consider a drug and alcohol addiction rehab in New Jersey – or another state – that allows nicotine products.

Do I want to go to a drug & alcohol rehab close to home?

Seeking treatment close to home is often the best choice for many individuals. Being close to a supportive family can majorly boost recovery efforts. However, the most important thing when it comes to addiction treatment is finding effective treatment, no matter where it is. If you’re located in New York, and can’t afford the treatment facilities there, or not being able to smoke cigarettes is a deal-breaker, you’ll want to go elsewhere, such as New Jersey. This way, you won’t have to worry about costs or comfort, and can focus on the only thing that matters: Your recovery.

Will I get a full continuum of care at a New York inpatient rehab?

Once you’ve decided to take the leap and seek help for addiction treatment, nothing should interrupt your time there. The last thing you need to worry about is if an addiction treatment facility will remain open for your time there.

For most facilities, you won’t have to worry about this. But one thing to keep in mind is the Cuomo administration in New York cut state payments used to fund drug and alcohol treatment programs by 31%. That could be problematic for many.

“Programs will close. More people will die and we’re going to have a real difficult situation on our hands in communities across New York State,” said John Coppola, executive director of the New York Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers.

This could be problematic for a few reasons. First, if you enter inpatient and your treatment is abruptly cut short, you may not want to start over at another facility. A similar problem arises even if you are no longer in the actual facility, but are participating in outpatient. Your outpatient treatment will be interrupted as well. Any connections you’ve made, friendships that have been formed, or therapists you have bonded with will come to an abrupt end. If there’s even a chance of interruption to your treatment, it’s not worth the risk.

There are a lot of things to take into consideration before deciding on a facility. Recovery Centers of America can help you determine what level of care you would benefit from the most, and arrange for quick transportation to one of our facilities a driving distance away from New York today.