Drug and alcohol treatment is expensive. There are addicts and alcoholics out there who want to get help, but ask themselves how they can ever afford it.

There are basically 3 ways that you can pay for a stay in rehab.

1) Private insurance
2) Government funded
3) Cash

Let’s take a look at each one.

Health Insurance

A certain percentage of people have health insurance, and that might cover all or most of a stay in a treatment center. Keep in mind that this is becoming more and more of a battle each day, as insurance companies place more and more restrictions on who is covered for rehab, how often they can stay, and so on.

If you have insurance, call them up and see what you can get covered for. Sometimes there will be a copay. In some cases it is very reasonable, in others it will be so high that you are back to the drawing board. You just have to get on the phone and talk to your insurance company and see what the deal is. Because of this, having insurance can be a mixed blessing when it comes to treatment. Sometimes they cover all or most of a stay, but other times it seems like they are too restrictive and limiting. It can be a bit of a crap shoot.

What if you don’t have insurance? State funding might be the answer

The next option if you don’t have insurance is to get out the phone book and get on the phone.

Your first goal is to find and then contact all the treatment centers in your local area. If you can’t find them in the phone book or on the internet, you can start by asking your doctor to recommend one.

The first treatment center that you call can also point out any others in the area.

Once you have a list of potential treatment centers, you need to call them up and explain your situation. Tell them you are interested in treatment services but you have no insurance.

The treatment center will probably ask you if you are on Medicaid or Medicare. If you are then they may or may not accept those. If not, then they might have you call a state funding agency to try to get funded through the state.

This might sound complicated but it really isn’t. Most States in the U.S. have money set up for a certain number of participants to use for treatment. Some treatment centers accept this form of payment and others do not. So it is simply a matter of seeing if you qualify for the grant money and finding a treatment center that accepts it.

I know if might sound like a hassle but it’s really not so bad. Get on the phone and talk to the treatment centers and they can walk you through getting funded if you qualify. They want to help you and they want your business.

The last resort - Paying cash for treatment services

So what if you don’t have insurance and for some reason, can’t get funded through government money for treatment? Sometimes this is the case, and your only option will be to pay cash.

Now usually this appears to be a deal breaker for most people because the cost is usually pretty high–ranging anywhere from around a thousand dollar right on up to over ten thousand. (Keep in mind that a thousand dollars is really a very low amount and could probably only buy you about 3 days in most treatment centers these days).

So for most people, paying cash sounds prohibitive at first. But people still do it every day, because they are desperate enough and want to change.

If it comes down to being your only option, be sure to check with treatment centers and see if they will work out a payment plan. Many of them will.

Paying cash for treatment services is not the end of the world. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would have paid a small fortune for the treatment I received when I first got clean and sober. Of course, back then I would not have believed it was worth it….it is only in retrospect that I know and understand the true value of my initial stay in treatment.

Don’t let the high cost of treatment deter you, it’s cheaper than continuing to drink or use drugs!

In spite of the prohibitively high cost of treatment, quitting drugs and alcohol will save you a lot more money in the long run, far more than the initial cost of treatment. This is in addition to the indirect cost savings you will experience based on an improved quality of life and better overall health.

Think of it this way: maybe your drug or alcohol addiction is only costing you a thousand dollars or so this year, but if you continue to use without arresting your disease, the costs will snowball as you go forward. Health and legal problems will multiply, your tolerance will increase and you’ll have to spend more money to get the same effect. The tendency towards cross-addiction might introduce new substances into your life that will incur more costs for you. And so on. Addiction might start out rather cheap but it adds up over time, and also has a tendency to snowball and get worse.

The bottom line

The bottom line is that almost anyone can afford to go to treatment if they thoroughly explore their options and make it a real priority in their life.

Don’t let the high cost of treatment deter you! Persistence pays and if you really want to get help then you can find a way if you keep at it.

Don’t give up!