If you or a friend or loved one is in need of treatment for drug or alcohol addiction, often one of the biggest challenges is finding an accessible and affordable program that provides high quality treatment services.
Recently, SAMHSA (the US Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration) published a guideline to help people more easily connect with good substance use treatment programs. The guideline is called “Finding Quality Treatment for Substance Use Disorders.” Let’s do a quick review and see what the key resources are.
Three steps to accessing care
The guideline first outlines three simple but important steps to access care for substance use disorders.
Step 1: If you have health insurance, check with your insurance company to see which substance use treatment programs are in your network of coverage. If you don’t have insurance, check out your particular state’s resources to provide funding for treatment for those without coverage.
Step 2: After you identify potential programs, review their websites and see how they stack up on the “five signs of quality treatment” which we will review below.
Step 3: Call one or more programs to schedule an appointment. Ideally, find a program that can see you within 48 hours, so you or your loved one can enter treatment quickly. Some may offer walk-in appointments in addition to a scheduled appointment time.
Five signs of quality treatment
Next, the guideline reviews five signs which indicate if a substance use treatment program is of high quality. These are very important to consider.
1) Accreditation
Is the program licensed or certified and in good standing? Ask to see inspection records by accrediting agencies and summaries of customer satisfaction ratings or reviews. Are the program’s staff well trained and qualified? Ask about their training, experience and professional licensure status.
2) Medication
Check and see if the program offers medication for recovery from alcohol and opioid dependence, as suddenly stopping these substances (“cold turkey”) can often be harmful or even life-threatening.
3) Evidence-based practices
Are the therapies and treatments provided by the program effective and based on research? Examples of proven types of approaches include medication management, motivational interviewing, peer support, relapse prevention and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Are other physical health issues addressed by appropriately licensed and trained health care providers?
4) Families
Are families included in the treatment program to help support the person in recovery? Are educational programs provided to family members to help them learn more about substance use disorders and their role in supporting their loved one’s treatment?
5) Supports
Find out if the program provides education and supports for other issues often associated with substance use disorders. These include longer-term counseling and medication services and assistance with a multitude of life issues such as housing, employment, legal aid, education, health care, and finances.
Treatment locator links
The guideline provides links to two useful sites to locate treatment options:
These links are very user-friendly, as you can search by specific location (zip code, city, state, etc.). Results from the two locators will overlap to some degree as many of the “alcohol treatment” programs will also show up on the “substance use” locator and vice versa. You can further refine your search and look for programs serving adolescents or search for addiction therapists in independent practice.
Another useful tool is a “Treatment Options Chart” where you can record information about prospective programs and compare them, based on services provided and the five signs of quality treatment.
When you or a loved one need treatment for substance use issues, use these tools to help find a high quality program to meet your specific needs. It will be time well spent.
Here’s a question: How can you help yourself or a loved one find a high quality substance use treatment program? Please leave a comment. Also, please subscribe to my blog and feel free to follow me on X (formerly Twitter), “like” my Facebook page, or connect on LinkedIn. Finally, if you enjoyed this article, please share it with a friend!