Addiction Treatment

Gay-Friendly Addiction Treatment: What to Look For in a Quality Program

If you are addicted to drugs or alcohol and need gay-friendly addiction treatment, call Freedom Rings at 1-800-231-1820. Our professionals are available 24-hours a day, seven days a week. All calls are toll-free and confidential. Call NOW.

There are many kinds of addiction treatment programs and deciding which one to choose can be overwhelming. Here are some things we suggest you look for in a residential addiction treatment program:

Custom designed program flexible enough to adjust as you meet your goals and objectives. This is important because it enables you to progress at your own pace.

Ability to treat dual diagnosis. Over the years, research has shown that over 50% of individuals admitted into residential treatment facilities have co-existing psychiatric issues such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder or depression. The treatment of these psychiatric disorders must be provided concurrently and integrated into the addiction treatment. This is commonly referred to as dual diagnosis treatment.

Ability to treat existing or treatment-induced medical conditions. A residential addiction treatment center should staff medical personnel who can help the patient manage withdrawal symptoms, hepatitis, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV/AIDS and other medical issues while undergoing treatment. It is important to communicate any medical or psychiatric needs to the addiction treatment staff prior to admission.

A licensed facility and credentialed staff. Two other aspects of addiction treatment you might want to consider are the credentials of the program's staff and the licenses of the treatment facility. The facility's staff should have, as a minimum, master's degrees from accredited colleges or be certified addiction professionals. The addiction treatment facility needs to be licensed by the state in which they provide their services and be accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations.

Detox facilities. Detox is required in almost every case where a person enters a residential rehabilitation program. The detox process should be located within the actual addiction treatment center and managed by an addictionologist, a physician specializing in addiction medicine.

Therapy. Although every center providing addiction treatment is different, there are certain forms of therapy that should be provided. Common types of therapy practiced in the treatment of addictions include:

• Group process therapy
• Individual counseling
• Experiential group therapy
• Specialized groups (gender specific or GLBT focused)
• Family recovery group (also for partners)

Holistic services. Yoga, recreational and art therapies, meditation and other holistic services can help the "whole" person, body, mind and spirit.

If you are ready to start on your road to recovery, let Freedom Rings help. For additional information or admission to our gay-friendly alcohol and drug addiction treatment center, call us now, toll-free at 1-800-231-1820. The call is completely confidential and we're here 24-hours a day, seven days a week to take your call. So don't wait, call NOW.