Maintaining an addiction can be an expensive proposition. For example, in June of 2011, CNN reported that a single pill of OxyContin cost $50 to $80 on the street, representing a huge increase from the $6-per-pill price people pay when they have a prescription. Addicts often shell out hundreds of dollars each day to feed their habits, and even then, they may feel as though they’re just one little decrease away from a withdrawal reaction. Detox programs are the best way to escape this price trap, as a detox program provides people with the opportunity to get sober. When that sobriety is achieved, people can then enter therapy and learn how to maintain the gains they’ve made in detox.
While it’s clear that, detox can be an amazing help, but it’s often not provided for free. Companies need to recoup their expenses, and the services they provide can be costly and intensive. It’s likely, however, that the fees will be considered beneficial. Unlike drugs that do damage, detox can bring about healing and joy.
Variables Involved
Detox programs offer different clients different treatments, based on the drugs they’ve been taking and the medical problems they’re dealing with at the moment. The programs people might need can vary by:
- Length
- Medications used
- Monitoring required
- Physical interventions required
Someone in recovery from alcoholism, for example, might need inpatient care that involves regular monitoring for seizure activity and medications to keep symptoms from progressing. Someone in recovery from cocaine addiction, on the other hand, might just need reassurance that the feelings of sadness will pass, and perhaps antidepressant medications that might make sleep come a bit easier. If the two types of programs were delivered at the same price, one party might be paying too much while another might be paying too little. It’s better to provide sliding pricing, depending on needs, and that’s what many programs provide.
Payment Options
Very few programs list pricing publically, mainly because the costs can vary so dramatically, but there have been mentions of price in articles about addiction and recovery. For example, a study in the Journal of Health Economics found that the average cost of a treatment program for opiates that included medications was $82 per week. This was an outpatient program with no counseling, so it’s reasonable to assume that an inpatient program that provided food and counseling, as well as a safe place to live, would cost much more.
While it’s true that people with addictions won’t have to pay for addictive drugs while they’re in therapy, and it might be reasonable to assume that they could afford detox as a result, the fact remains that some people don’t have the money to pay for care. Those with insurance may have options, as some portions of care provided in detox might be covered by insurance plans, but those without insurance aren’t without hope. Some detox programs offer their services on a sliding scale, meaning that people are asked to pay based on their ability to do so. State programs might also offer free help to residents who can demonstrate need.
In general, issues of money shouldn’t keep people out of treatment programs that could help. Without help, people can continue to destroy their lives, and they can continue to drain the family coffers on substances that provide no help and a significant amount of misery. Detox programs ask clients to pay a small cost for a short period of time, and they can then move forward with their lives in a healthy and successful manner. It’s like investing in the future of the family, and that’s a price worth paying. Study after study has demonstrated that investing in sobriety can benefit both the addicted person and the society the person lives in. For example, a study in the Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics found that providing drug treatments to homeless people was cost-effective in the early stages, and the treatments allowed people to live in safer, more stable homes. It’s clear that treatment is much better than allowing the addiction to take its course.
If you’d like to know more about detox programs, please call us. If we determine that we don’t provide the precise mixture of services you need in order to combat your addiction, we’ll help you find a program that’s more suited for you.
