Traveling for Treatment vs Local Rehabs

If you’ve ever watched popular tv shows about addiction treatment like A&E’s Intervention, you’ll notice that the majority of clients who agree to get help are then pictured heading to the airport on their way to rehab. The reason for this is that there are a number of benefits to leaving your local area to get help. 

Improved Completion Rates

While a “successful treatment outcome” may have a different definition depending on whom you ask, it is clear that completing a program improves outcomes. In contrast, those who leave treatment prematurely against clinical advice are less likely to maintain their sobriety. One of the reasons that addiction professionals like Stacey Kordis LMHC suggests traveling for treatment is that it improves completion rates. 

According to the therapist, “Typically when clients decide to leave early, they are in a highly emotional state. In these situations, the ability to create a pause before immediately reacting is super helpful. In the pause, rationality can return and we can refocus clients on their motivations for recovery. When clients have traveled to come to treatment, there are some obstacles that make leaving harder. They may have to book a flight and have somebody pick them up at the airport and so on. It may sound trivial, but it actually does make a difference in how likely a client is to complete their program.”

Fewer Distractions

Getting away from “the scene of the crime” can make it easier to focus solely on recovery. While in treatment close to home, clients may become distracted worrying about all the things that await them on the outside: the job, the kids, the spouse, the bills, etc. In addition, the familiar people, places, and things in the environment serve as reminders of drinking and drugging. A change of scenery can provide a clean slate emotionally and physically.

Higher Quality Care

Unless you live in a few select areas in the United States, it is unlikely that you have very many high-quality options for treatment close to home. By deciding that the rehab you will attend has to be local, you immediately restrict your choices at the detriment of quality. While it is certainly important to find a treatment center that is properly accredited, highly reviewed, and rich in amenities, it is just as important that you find a program that fits your needs specifically. For example, if you want your family to be involved in your care, you should look for a rehab with a great family program. Or if you are someone who has suffered trauma, you may want to find a trauma-focused program. Whatever your unique needs are, it’s unlikely that the closest facility to you just happens to be a program that specializes in that domain. 

Privacy

Getting help for an addiction or mental health concern is a private matter. Traveling for treatment makes it far less likely that you may encounter somebody you know while you recover. In addition, local treatment centers can be a place you could be introduced to new people who you can get high with or who could supply drugs when you get out. Traveling for treatment and then returning home eliminates these concerns.