A decision has been made to enter a thirty day inpatient facility. You have been properly advised as to the treatment needs and concerns for the patient and you are now at the point of deciding which facility will be selected. The decision comes down to choosing between facilities located near the patient’s home or a location far away. Which one will you select?

There is a lot to be said about treating a patient away from his environment. With all the treatment facilities in this nation, there is a good chance a facility exists not too far from where the addict lives. For convenience purposes, this may be ideal. However, keep in mind that there may be some drawbacks treating locally. For instance, if the patient is having a bad day in treatment (uncomfortable detox, withdrawals, cravings, etc.) he may simply get in his car, call a friend (or dealer) and drive away. Understand that most treatment centers don’t lock the patients inside the facility. They are free to leave at any time. They may suffer consequences from friends, family or the court system, but the door is open. Treating in a completely new environment (in a different county or state) may help the addict focus on recovery rather than a quick escape.

There may be other drawbacks to local treatment. The proximity of the treatment center to the addicts using environment may produce uncomfortable triggers to use. For example, it is not uncommon for facilitiies to drive their patients to outside AA meetings. The addict may pass by restaurants, bars, crack houses, liquor stores and other environments frequented during his drinking and using days. The mere sight of such establishments may produce wildly uncomfortable feelings.

Treating far away from the addicts home has its own drawbacks. Oftentimes the patient will develop healthy bonds with the treatment team and perhaps with fellow patients living close to the facility. When treatment is completed, the patient may find it difficult to maintain those relationships if long distance travel is involved.

The facility may offer transitional living, sober living, outpatient therapy, and alumni meetings. Again, it may be difficult to take advantage of these services if extended travel is involved.

Other considerations to think about include the difficulty of family and friends attending family treatment sessions (on a face-to-face basis rather than by phone) as well as visitation concerns.

Treating locally or far away comes down to a case-by-case analysis. Keep it in mind when making the important decision of which treatment facility to select.