Rehab Beyond the UK is now the Best Option
Is Addiction Treatment Beyond the UK an Option for you?
Shortage of Rehab Treatment Programs in the UK
There are currently around 100 rehabs in various locations across the UK, but this number is dropping – e.g. in the two years prior to 2016, 31 rehabs closed their doors. These closures are not in response to a lessening of the demand for addiction treatment, but due to lack of funding.
Unless you can afford to pay a lot of money for private treatment in the UK (and even then there may still not be a place available for you right away), you are likely to be faced with a real challenge finding appropriate addiction treatment locally. This is especially likely to be the case if you are relying on an NHS funded bed – there are now many local NHS providers who no longer fund this type of treatment or only provide it for those who they deem as the most desperate. Government NHS efficiency savings usually impacts addiction services the most, and this is terrible news if you are in need of this type of help. The cost of private treatment in the UK can be way beyond the budget of most of us (e.g. a weekend assessment at PROMIS costs £2000 – a whopping £1000 per day and that is just for an assessment).
If you live in the right part of the UK, and can fit the criteria for NHS funded rehab, you can be put on a waiting list for residential treatment. You are unlikely to have much choice about where you end up, and it could take months before a bed becomes available. This is problematic because while you are waiting, you are likely going to be still engaging in the substance abuse – it could mean that you lose your motivation or even be in a far worse position by the time you are called up for rehab. The other worry is different rehab programs work for different people (there is now one-size-fits-all approach), and you may not be entering the program that is most appropriate for your needs.
Why Going Abroad for Addiction Help Might be the Right Choice
There are a number of benefits from going outside the UK for addiction help:
• You should have no problem locating a foreign facility that is much cheaper than private rehab in the UK (even after you factor in travel and other expenses)
• You will have far more choice about the type of program you enter
• You should be able to find a bed almost immediate (usually days or weeks rather than months)
• It can actually be easier to break free of addiction in a foreign environment (e.g. you are going to be away from your usual triggers)
• There are treatment options available abroad that are not available in the UK
There are also some compelling reasons for why you might want to choose Thailand in particular as a place go for rehab – please read our post ‘5 Reasons to Come to Thailand for Treatment’
If you would like to find more information about going beyond the UK for addiction treatment (especially if you are considering coming to us at Hope Rehab Thailand), please contact a member of our team for more information.
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