How to Search the web for a drug or alcohol treatment center near me or you
“Find a treatment center near me” is one of the most searched terms on the internet. Unfortunately, be careful what you search for. Just because you searched using the search term “find a drug or alcohol treatment center near me” doesn’t mean the search results will actually show a drug or alcohol rehab near you.
Wait how can that be?
Let’s start with the paid search ads. In many search engines, the most predominately shown results are the paid ads. Drug rehabs and alcohol treatment centers will pay up to $100 a click or more for drug rehab related ads. The only industry that pays more for ads is personal injury attorneys.
Advertising in the Addiction Treatment Market
What happens when an ad that shows up when a person searches “find a drug rehab near me “ or “ find a treatment center near me”? Many of the ads that show up when you search for a treatment center near you are for treatment centers half across the country.
On the other hand just because a treatment center or drug rehab is near you that does not mean it is the best rehab for you or your loved one. In most situations, it’s better to travel to treatment. I know this can be confusing, so just stick with me.
Traveling to a Drug Rehab
There are a variety of reasons why it is better to travel to treatment and they’re all life-changing. First of all, if you are using your insurance or your hard earned money to pay for treatment why not get the best treatment possible? All treatment centers are not created equal. Some rehabs are much better than others.
The odds of having the best treatment center near you are not good
There is a handful of reasons why the best treatment center close to you is not the best option. For one, the majority of treatment centers in the U.S. are located in specific cities in a few states. Unless you live near one of those geographical pockets of recovery centers the odds are you will not have much of a choice of where to go for substance abuse treatment near you.
For example, I know an area in Arizona where 90% of the people in treatment are in rehab for meth addiction. Now if you’re an alcoholic going to treatment in Arizona and you search on the web “find an alcohol treatment center near me” you most likely will only find treatment centers full of meth addicts and not alcoholics. In fact, meth addicts rarely drink alcohol at all.
Treatment works best when the clients in treatment can relate to each other.
Alcoholics and meth addicts typically don’t relate to each other.
The most important thing about getting help for any addiction whether it’s alcohol or drugs is getting into treatment. The second most important thing is completing the treatment. A major part of recovery is for the person in treatment to be introduced into group recovery.
What is Group Recovery?
The recovery process works best when one person in recovery shares with another person in recovery. They talk about how they got through a specific life challenge. If you are an alcoholic and searched “ find a rehab near me” you may end up in a treatment center near you. Keep in mind, that rehab may be full of heroin addicts that you don’t relate to.
If you do not relate to the other people in treatment most likely you will leave way before treatment is completed. You will also not benefit from a crucial part of treatment which is group sessions.
The detoxification process is different based on what substances are abused
Another important reason not to just pick the first treatment center that comes up when you search to find a treatment center near me is detox. The way rehabs do detoxification varies a lot.
Many people do not realize that alcohol detoxification is extremely dangerous and life-threatening. Alcohol detoxification should be done only with proper medical supervision and monitoring. A medical doctor can prescribe medications that make the alcohol detoxification process much safer and far more comfortable.
Rehab Safety for Heroin and Opiate Detox
Heroin and opiate detoxification much to peoples surprise is typically not dangerous or life-threatening. It’s far more uncomfortable than alcohol detoxification. However, there’s little risk of seizures or other life-threatening occurrences during detox.
So when picking a treatment center you want to make sure their detoxification facility specializes in the type of detoxification you need. That is why searching to find a treatment center near me is rarely your best choice.
Find a treatment center near me and the detox process
It is important to find a treatment center that has its own detox facility.
Treatment centers won’t tell you unless you specifically ask if they have their own detoxification facility. If they don’t do detox in-house then they outsource the detoxification process. The majority of treatment centers outsource the detox process which is usually 5-10 days.
Typically facilities will outsource the detox process because they are either undercapitalized or don’t have adequate medical resources to provide this service. This is typically found when people outside of treatment hubs search for the nearest rehab center to where they live and don’t work with a treatment placement specialist.
Traveling to treatment has therapeutic benefits
There’s a therapeutic benefit of traveling treatment. Most people in need of alcohol and or substance abuse treatment have triggers in their home environment. These triggers create an urge to use their drug of choice. When a person travels to treatment there is a psychological benefit of being away from their problems. Now, this is not running away from problems, this is getting away from the problem so you can work on the problems one at a time in treatment.
I have placed my own family members in treatment.
Personal Experience with a Drug Rehab Near Me
When my own family members needed treatment I lived in Southern California. As previously mentioned, this area is one of the largest treatment hubs for treatment in the U.S. Using the knowledge I gained over the years I didn’t search find a treatment center near me. I researched which was the best matched for that family members condition.
One went to Arizona, another to Utah and another stayed in California. Had I searched to find a treatment center near me I would have found 25 treatment centers and those 25 centers would not have been the right fit for all three.
Helpful Rehab Information
To assist people who want to find the best rehab for themselves or their loved one I wrote a comprehensive guide to Find the Best Rehab which you can download for free. Or give me a call. I’m Brue and you can reach me at 800 673-5950
Do you have a question for the author? Call us at (877) 590-5859
About the Author
Bruce Berman personally has assisted several hundred people into treatment for alcohol, substance abuse, and dual diagnosis. He has maintained continuous recovery from various addictions since September 1989. Besides himself, he has placed his own children, employees, family members, friends and other loved ones into various treatment programs. Whether you are struggling with addiction or a loved one is most likely the author has dealt with a similar situation in the past. Bruce is a father of four children ages 9 to 31 and happily married to his wife Victoria who has also been in recovery since November 1995. Together Bruce and Victoria run 800 Recovery Hub a company that specializes in placing people in need of treatment into the best treatment center they can.
DISCLOSURE
Bruce Berman is not a medical doctor, holds no degrees or licensees in addiction and has no formal education in treating addiction. He relies solely on his personal experience gained in attending and participating in over 10,000 hours in various 12 step meetings since 1989 as well as the experience he has working with addicts and their families since 1989.