He has been to inpatient treatment nine times. When I was able to have
him on my private insurance through work, I could get him right in to
most treatment centers within a few days. When I could no longer have
him on my insurance, and he was covered through the state, the inpatient
treatment centers that took state insurance had long waiting lists. Some
places require you to detox first, which means going to a different
facility with its own waiting list. Once detoxed, often times there is still
a waiting list for inpatient treatment. This is a dangerous thing to allow
for anyone detoxing from a dangerous substance and is a time when
death from overdose is so prevalent. While in inpatient treatment,
psychologists see the patient maybe once to a couple of times a week.
Most inpatient treatment centers follow the twelve-step model of
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and/or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
Outpatient treatment is suggested as well as sober living homes (living
in a house with others also in recovery). Outpatient treatment is not
always set up for the patient upon discharge, but when it is, it is covered
by most insurance plans. On the other hand, sober living is not. A lot of
the time it is up to the family to arrange. Mostly, there is no follow-up
or aftercare of any kind. Most people are let go with little resources and
then are blamed for relapsing. Treatment for substance use disorder has
become a “one-size-fits-all” that focuses on the first phase of recovery
only, but true recovery happens in learning how to live a normal life
after inpatient, and a long-term treatment plan tailored to each patient