Residential Substance Abuse Treatment

For many substance abusers, residential treatment is necessary. According to the NIDA, “Long-term residential treatment provides care 24 hours a day, generally in non-hospital settings,” and short-term residential treatment provides the same on a shorter time table. Those who have severe mental disorders, physical issues that need to be monitored continuously, or do not have a strong support system at home to help with round-the-clock care should consider residential treatment which provides a controlled environment and 24 hour care for patients who truly need it.

But what happens when a patient needs residential treatment and has young children at home? Residential with children substance abuse treatment centers exist and can help those in a difficult situation still be able to attend treatment while being able to bring their children along.

Why Would Someone Need Residential Substance Abuse Treatment that allows Children?

Someone who has young children could benefit immensely from this type of treatment if they also especially need to be monitored by doctors and taken out of their regular life situation for a time, in order to learn better coping skills. In most cases, these individuals are mothers but there is a possibility that a father with young children may need this kind of residential care as well.

Men and women who have to take care of their children may choose a rehab center that allows them to be brought along.

This is a very specific need for a patient to have, but it will be high up on the list of needs that must be met by whichever facility is chosen by the patient. If an individual has children that they want to bring into treatment, finding a facility that allows it will be one of their top priorities. Parents with young children often feel uncomfortable leaving them with others while they go into treatment for sometimes months or longer. This is why residential with children substance abuse treatment is so helpful; parents don’t need to worry about making arrangements for their young children or attending outpatient treatment to avoid the issue because there are facilities that allow both parents and children to stay together.

But having children close and not having to leave them behind are not the only reasons someone may choose to attend residential with children substance abuse treatment. Some other reasons why this program may be beneficial are:

• Patients do not need to break the bond that they may be still currently forming with a very young child.
• Patients do not need to worry about the added expense of daycare or another issue when it comes to having someone else take care of their child.
• Patients are actually able to “improve their parenting skills” as a part of treatment, which can help to heal everyone involved in the situation in different ways and make the relationship between parent and child much healthier and stronger (CWIG).

For these reasons and more, residential with children substance abuse treatment is so helpful to parents who need to attend treatment in the long-term at a facility that provides a supervised environment and a place for them and their child to live.

How Much Does Residential Substance Abuse Treatment with Children Cost?

For the most part, parents who need to attend residential substance abuse treatment along with their children experience financial issues. Substance abuse can be a drain on a person’s finances, and having a child also causes expenses. In many cases, individuals in this situation are not able to attend expensive or private residential facilities and need free or low-cost treatment in order to be able to get the help they need.

Most residential with children substance abuse treatment centers work on some kind of partial free, sliding scale, or another type of payment assistance (if not being altogether free for the individuals who truly need it). According to NCDHHS, The NC CASAWORKS for Families Residential Initiative “supports 8 comprehensive residential substance abuse programs for women receiving Work First cash assistance and their children.” Programs like this make treatment more accessible to many individuals who need to attend residential treatment and also be able to bring their families along.

Where Can I Find These Facilities?

Facilities that provide residential substance abuse treatment for men and women who have young children can often be found with Internet research and asking individuals in your area if these centers are anywhere nearby. For example:

• Treatment centers and programs can be found with the help of Internet databases and treatment locators like SAMHSA‘s. The treatment facilities are listed in proximity to you and you can read about what is offered by each facility. If you still have questions, there is almost always a phone number you can call.
  • FreeRehabCenter.com also lists the name and number of low-cost facilities in your area. You can call to find out if a facility near you offers residential with children treatment.
• Ask your doctor, local free clinic employees, or outreach center volunteers. These individuals will likely have seen other people who are in your same situation and may have needed to recommend a facility to them in the past.
• Ask your friends and family members to help you find a facility that allows patients to bring their children. If they are researching too, it can make your search go much faster.

Finding these types of facilities may not be easy, but they do exist and, in some cases, accommodations can possibly be made for a situation such as yours. Continue to search for the right treatment facility that allows you to attend along with your children and don’t become discouraged because these centers do exist.

What is Treatment Like?

This treatment is very similar to others in that medication, behavioral therapy, group therapy, and resocialization will all likely be involved in your treatment. On top of these treatments, you will also likely learn better parenting skills and ways to bond with your child which you may not have known before. These treatments help parents with addictions fight their substance abuse while also learning to be better parents.

Research different facilities to find out if they provide residential with children substance abuse treatment. In certain situations, this treatment type is not only beneficial but necessary.