Where Can You Get Medical Detox?

Drug and alcohol addicts can choose from 11,000 treatment programs. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, provides a list of treatment programs on its website. TV psychologist Phil McGraw endorses several programs featured on his website, and Choose Help... Breaking Free offers tips about choosing the best treatment.

Treatment Centers

• Medical detoxification manages physical drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms and is the first step in beating an addiction. Whether you're addicted to prescription drugs, alcohol or illegal drugs, addicts of all ages can choose from residential treatment centers, outpatient and hospital inpatient treatment listed on the SAMHSA website.

Dr. Phil's List

• Although SAMHSA doesn't rank these programs, TV's Dr. Phil McGraw endorses several centers on his website. The centers include: Spruce Mountain Inn in Plainfield, Vermont, which has residential and off-site independent living programs for adults and young adults with psychiatric issues and addictions. La Hacienda Treatment Center in Hunt, Texas. La Hacienda has individual and group counseling, 12-step recovery principles and long-term after-care planning. The center says that 63 percent of its patients were still sober a year after treatment. Florida Detox and Wellness Institute in Tarpon Springs claims it has more meaningful research and is more successful than any other center in the U.S. While 70 percent of addicts have a relapse within six months after treatment, Florida Detox says it has achieved a 12 percent rate. Unlike most centers, the institute says it studies women who become addicted because of midlife changes in estrogen and progesterone production. It emphasizes brain chemistry research and one-on-one counseling. The Pat Moore Foundation in Costa Mesa, California, provides low-cost residential treatment and drug detox services for addicts with limited or no insurance. In Texas, Manor's Mark Houston Recovery Center requires an addict to spend at least 90 days in the program.

The Betty Ford Center

• If money is no object or you're a celebrity, the non-profit Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, might be your best bet. The center, started 27 years ago by the former First Lady and her daughter Susan Ford Bales, charges $44,000 for its 90-day treatment program.
  Addicts with a seven- to 12-year-old child who needs counseling for the parent's illness can also get treatment. Ford has a four-day kids' program for $400 in both California and Irvine, Texas.

Government Options

• In addition to private programs, states and other organizations offer low-cost options. Choose Help... Breaking Free is a website where you can read about government programs and costs.

  Rehab expenses range from a few thousand dollars per month up to $30,000 monthly at a private, luxurious center.

Finding Treatment

• The Choose Help site also provides 10 tips to find the best centers. They include asking friends, relatives and church pastors for references; checking out its cleanliness and customer service; and making sure it's accredited. The site recommends studying the variety of programs; ensuring that your days are packed with counseling sessions, not meditation and free time; checking the program's completion rate, not its success rate; asking if family participation is encouraged; seeing if it prescribes medicines to prevent relapse; asking how long the after-care treatment lasts; and checking whether your religious beliefs match the program.