While some services are available for people with limited income, a lot of drug and alcohol addicts and their families worry that the cost of addiction treatment in Canada puts the chances of lasting sobriety out of reach.
Recognizing that you have an addiction problem, and making the decision to seek help, are the important first steps to a new life. But sadly, for many people, the process ends there because of real or imagined financial barriers.
This is especially the case for inpatient addiction treatment and rehab services. Not only will you have to pay for a service that includes full board, all meals, and a wide range of therapies, addiction rehab costs are often due upon admission.
To make the burden even heavier, the addict’s absence from work for the purposes of attending rehab may result in a significant reduction in the family’s income. While inpatient rehab is going on, mortgages and bills at home still have to be paid.
For many families, the cost of drug rehab can seem to lead to overwhelming hardship. In some cases, financial limitation is very real. For others, families may be unaware of the resources that are available to them. And so, instead of seeking professional, they try to manage the problem by themselves.
How Much Does Addiction Treatment Cost?
As with many things in life, there is no absolute answer to the question of addiction treatment pricing. How much you will spend out of pocket depends on several factors.
It should be noted from the outset that while some addiction treatments carry a higher out-of-pocket cost than others, there are options for all Canadians, regardless of income and ability to pay.
Public Detox And Addiction Rehab Services
In Canada, access to healthcare is a right of citizenship and permanent residence. The cost of drug rehab is covered by your provincial health care plan if you select a public facility. While this does provide hope to families who are not able to secure funds for private rehab services, there are some drawbacks to be aware of:
- Although provincial health care systems try their best to keep up with the growing demand for addiction rehab services, waitlists are inevitable.
- Addicts who have strong family support may be able to figure out ways to endure the wait for a spot, but this is not a viable solution for everyone.
- It is generally accepted among addiction experts that rehab is most effective when the program is personalized. In public rehab facilities, the therapists and doctors have a high volume of patients at any one time. They work hard for all patients under their care, but addicts do not get that personalized experience that vastly improves the chances of lasting sobriety.
- Perhaps most critically, when addiction rehab costs are funded by the government, patients are at risk of being released prematurely from programs, which in turn leads to a high risk of relapse.
- Medical detox services are available to all Canadians through your hospital emergency room or your doctor. Since withdrawal is, in many cases, considered to be a medical emergency, in general, you do not have to wait for this service. While medically supervised detox is an important step in the rehab process, it is just one step, and it should be followed – as soon as possible – by an addiction treatment and rehab program.
Related article: How to Stop Cocaine Addiction
Private Outpatient Addiction Rehab Costs
If you have strong family support and your addiction is not complicated by factors like comorbidity or polysubstance abuse, you may be able to undergo successful addiction treatment on an outpatient basis.
While the cost of addiction treatment in Canada varies widely from one location and treatment program to the next, outpatient programs are a lot less expensive, because they do not include costs like board and meals.
Outpatient addiction treatment takes the form of therapy sessions that you attend on scheduled days. You live at home and retain the ability to participate in your regular daily life. In most cases, you are even able to continue working, as long as you are able to take the requisite time off to go to your treatment sessions.
The range of available services include individual, group and family therapy, as well as services specifically geared to loved ones. The cost of addiction treatment for outpatient programs varies from $100 to $500 per session, depending on the treatment modality, the provider, and the length of the session.
Some outpatient treatment facilities will quote you a monthly fee that includes a specified number of sessions for that month. Although outpatient addiction rehab costs are lower, there are some factors for you to consider when choosing this form of treatment:
- If you have a history of substance abuse or high risk of relapse, this might not be the right choice for you
- Outpatient addiction treatment works best for those who have a strong network of support
- You have a higher chance of success if you can avoid people and places that have been associated with your drug or alcohol use
- It is essential that you commit to attending all of your appointments
Private Inpatient Addiction Rehab Costs
Inpatient addiction rehab facilities vary widely in terms of the services they provide, the amenities, recreational facilities, and the duration of stay. The costs are highly variable as well, but if you are budgeting for a potential stay, a good estimate to aim for is $300 per day.
This may seem steep, but inpatient addiction treatment pricing takes the following into account:
- The development of a personalized addiction treatment program
- All therapy sessions, including family counselling sessions that include loved ones
- All of your meals
- Accommodation
- Recreational facilities and amenities
- Round-the-clock care and support
In some facilities, the cost also includes educational sessions and support for loved ones, and comprehensive aftercare support services.
Inpatient addiction rehab costs depend on several factors, such as:
- The length of stay. It can range from one to six months. Generally, the cost per day decreases as the length of stay increases.
- The nature of the accommodation: Some facilities reduce costs by offering semi-private or dorm-style accommodations.
- The amenities available: Some facilities have full-scale gyms with personal trainers and a range of organized recreational activities. Others have an indoor or outdoor walking track and some hiking trails.
- The meals provided: The more expensive facilities offer chef-prepared meals to order. Lower-cost facilities provide nutritious meals served canteen-style.
- Inpatient rehab facilities that cater to individuals with a high expectation of privacy, such as celebrities or politicians, are likely to cost more because of the increased cost of security and property surveillance.
Is The Cost Of Addiction Treatment Worth It?
The cost of addiction treatment in Canada may seem high, especially for people whose personal finances have already taken a hit as a result of the addiction. There are several factors you should consider when you are making a decision about whether to sign up for rehab.
What Does The Cost Include?
As described above, addiction treatment pricing is highly dependent on what you’re actually getting. Inpatient addiction treatment programs can cost upwards of $300 per day, with some facilities charging more than double that, but this includes everything you need for both survival and treatment.
What Are The Probabilities Of Success?
While it can be argued that some rehab is better than no rehab, there is an increasing body of evidence supporting the notion that inpatient rehab is a highly effective means of treatment, especially when paired with a good aftercare program.
If you go through several rounds of less expensive rehab, your cost of addiction services may end up being higher than it would if you went through one inpatient rehab stay.
Have You Explored All Possible Funding Sources?
If you are in the throes of addiction and desperate for help, you may only be looking as far as your own bank account for the means to cover addiction rehab costs. But there may be options that you are unaware of, such as:
- Your medical insurance
- Employee assistance programs offered by your place of work
- Social assistance programs offered by businesses in your community
- Financing options offered by the rehab facilities you are considering
- Assistance from family members and close friends
The reality is that not everyone is able to secure the funds for private inpatient rehab. It is important to remember the public and outpatient services that are available.
Here’s Why You Need Accountability for Addiction Treatment
In the fight against addiction, there is always that little voice that tells you to keep it all to yourself. It’ll make you question why you need accountability for addiction treatment and ask you to cut everyone else off. After all, why should anyone be getting involved in your business?
At the moment, this logic might check out. However, it’s not very sound. Why? Well, there are many reasons why you need accountability during addiction treatment. Unfortunately, the chances are that, right now, the little voice is telling you we’re way off base. Not to worry, though, we came prepared.
In this article, we’ll be looking into the reasons why you need accountability for addiction treatment. And, just because we care, we’ll also throw in a few tips to help you remain accountable too.
Why You Need Accountability for Addiction Treatment
Accountability has always been somewhat of a requirement if you are trying to commit to something. But why is it necessary for addiction treatment? To answer that, here are five different reasons you should remain accountable during your addiction treatment process:
Helps you remain focused on the goal
In the process of getting addiction rehab services, there is always that temptation to forget about the goal and go slightly or completely off track. What makes it worse is that this problem doesn’t hit you all at once. In the beginning, you might be incredibly self-motivated and fired up.
For what it’s worth, that level of self-motivation is pretty cool. However, you can only go so far when you’re running on hype.
By being accountable to something or someone, you’ll be much less likely to go off course. They’ll always be there to remind you why you started in the first place. Depending on your relationship with the person, they might even use a little tough love on you.
Nevertheless, their entire purpose is to help you remain focused on getting over your addiction. Without them, the chances of you falling back into your old habits are significantly higher.
A viable source of motivation
Like we mentioned earlier, self-motivation is great. But you can only go so far with it. This fact is especially true when you’re forced to deal with the insane amount of urges that come along with addictions.
You might not want to admit it, but you need other sources of motivation. This is where remaining responsible through accountability comes into play.
It is particularly great if you have someone who has had to deal with an addiction. If this is the case, they can become that beacon of light at the end of the tunnel for you.
That way, you’ll know that you can do it too because they could conquer their addictions. Even if they haven’t had to go through addiction treatment before, they can still provide proper encouragement every now and then.
A way to celebrate your small or big achievements
It’s safe to say that not everyone really enjoys broadcasting news about their addiction rehab journey to the whole world. You might share a different view, but some other people might feel vulnerable doing that.
However, not being able to celebrate or acknowledge your victories can be a bit discouraging too. This, dear friend, is one of the reasons why you need accountability for your addiction treatment.
With an accountability partner, you have the luxury of someone you can easily share your victories with. The celebration could even be for something as simple as remaining clean for your first ten to fifteen days.
Regardless, having someone to raise a toast with you, even if it’s just fruit juice, is still pretty encouraging. In the long run, these celebrations can push you to keep on working towards an addiction-free life.
It helps you to see where you’re lacking
This is a major point that answers why you need accountability for addiction treatment. More often than not, while trying to conquer an addiction, there will be slight lapses in your efforts. You might think that you’re on top of your game, but it isn’t always the case.
This is because several things could be weaknesses in your addiction treatment journey. For some people, they might fall back in when they encounter something that makes them really sad. Other people might not be able to resist the alcohol bottle or the blunt wrap when they’re stressed out.
If you belong to one of those classes, or a variation of them, being accountable will help you find out. If you’re accountable to a human, they can easily trace your steps and find out what triggered the backslide.
If you’re accountable to tech, you can take a look at where and when you went back to the alcohol bottle. This, in itself, will go a long way in keeping you on track to defeating your addiction.
Encourages honesty with yourself
This is our final reason why you must practice accountability for addiction treatment. Accountability helps you to stay true to yourself. You might not realize it, but when you’re trying to get over an addiction, there are certain things you’ll be blind to.
You may even start to think all those tips for addiction treatment are working, and you’re in full control. However, this might not exactly be true.
By remaining accountable to someone or something, you’ll be able to hold your character up to a mirror. It might just be a random question you’ve been avoiding, but when they ask you, you’ll realize that you’ve not been doing so great. That way, you can tell yourself the truth and work towards getting better, not seeming better.
How To Stay Accountable During Addiction Treatment
While we’ve explained why you need accountability, we really cannot stop there. You still need to know how you can remain accountable to avoid sliding back into addiction. So, here are three major ways you can accomplish that:
Talk to someone you trust
It is entirely up to you to let someone in on your journey. So, talk to a trusted friend or family member and let them know what is going on. Explain to them how you’ll be needing their help. Remember not to go for someone who will judge you every chance they get.
Maintain honesty at all times
This might be difficult, especially if you relapse. But it is important. When you finally find someone, always be honest with them.
Even if it’s just some sort of accountability software, make sure that you only input the truth. That way, you’ll eliminate self-deceit.
Do not isolate yourself
During the entire process, the worst thing you can do to yourself is isolation, whether from your accountability partner, or the rest of the world.
Spending too much time alone is definitely going to make you go back to your old habits. So, always stay connected.
What Is The Cost Of Not Getting Help?
There is a concept in economics called “opportunity cost”. This refers to the fact that every time we spend our money, time or energy on something, we are taking that money, time or energy away from something else.
For example, if you buy a car, you may not be able to travel. If you go for a run, you may not have the energy to go swimming. Opportunity cost also applies to the cost of addiction treatment in Canada.
The opportunity cost of drug addiction is immense. Every dollar that you spend on drugs or alcohol is money taken away from paying bills or feeding your family. Devotion to using drugs means less devotion to the people you love. And ultimately, your addiction could cost you your family, your job, your home – even your life. This is far more than any cost of drug rehab.
Ultimately, you have to decide which is more important to you: your substance abuse or all of the elements that make up a happy, productive life. Once you make that determination, you will be able to seek out an addiction treatment program that will meet your budget – even if you have to make some financial sacrifices along the way.
At 1000 Islands Addictions Treatment Centre, we provide high quality personalized addiction treatment. Give us a call at 855-601-0555 and we will go over addiction treatment pricing and your available options.
Related article: How to Quit Cocaine Addiction
