Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs

Get Help With Substance Abuse in the Phoenix Area

By Judy Hedding, About.com

In Arizona there are more than 20 drug and alcohol rehabilitation and addiction treatment centers. People looking for drug and alcohol rehab facilities in Phoenix have many choices to make, including location, type of program available, cost of the drug and alcohol rehab, and more.

About 90% of people with substance abuse problems go through outpatient alcohol and drug treatment services instead of entering a residential rehabilitation program. Even though it has been shown that residential treatment is overall more effective and a drug-free rehabilitation approach is more effective, there is often a very significant commitment that must be made in order to be accepted into a drug rehab facility that impacts job, family, and social life.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, alcohol, drugs, marijuana, and amphetamines were the most common addictions of the people entering treatment facilities in 2004 in Arizona.

Before we get to alcohol and drug treatment centers in the Phoenix area, you might just need information or resources about substance abuse. The following organizations are not licensed facilities, but rather provide information, support, or preventive resources for people with drug and alcohol issues.

Support and Information About Dealing with Substance Abuse

Arizona Department of Health Services
The Arizona Department of Health Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services is the state agency in Arizona where residents may go to get information about behavioral health issues, such as drug, alcohol, and other substance abuse treatment. Here you can find providers of assistance with drug and alcohol treatment, especially if you can't afford one of those expensive residential treatment centers.

Alcoholics Anonymous
"Maricopa County, Arizona is host to more than 500 Alcoholics Anonymous groups that hold more than 1500 meetings each week. SRI, one of four local Intergroups (see “Intergroup Membership”), operates a Central Office in cooperation with about 350 of those groups which are located primarily in Phoenix or Scottsdale." Although Alcoholics Anonymous is not a drug or alcohol rehab facility, many people find these support groups beneficial.

Wheel Council
"Our vision is to create programs that merge traditional cultural knowledge with scientific research to facilitate healthy life choices. Our mission is to prevent drug and alcohol use and other destructive behaviors in young people by combining storytelling, the arts, and cultural empowerment with scientific research." Phoenix.

Here I will provide you with the information for various types of alcohol and drug treatment programs that are available in Maricopa County. At the time of this writing, each of these alcohol rehab facilities was licensed by the State of Arizona as a Behavioral Health Facility, and had no pending enforcement actions (regulatory violations) against them. All of these drug and alcohol rehab treatment centers have actual addresses and phone numbers, not just toll free hotlines. Both outpatient and residential treatment centers are included. At these web sites you can learn about the drug and alcohol treatment philosophy and programs. The quotations for each listing are from the official wen site of the rehab facility.

Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Facilities - Inpatient and Outpatient

Banner Health - Behavioral Health Centers
"Banner Behavioral Health is dedicated to providing safe, confidential and compassionate treatment. Our professionals offer customized treatment plans to meet each patient's particular needs -- in the least restrictive therapeutic environment, and furnish specialized treatment for patients with co-existing psychiatric and chemical dependency problems." Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, and Glendale.

Dynamic Living Counseling Services
"Dynamic Living is a well-established state-licensed outpatient counseling agency specializing in DUI treatment, education, and screening." Gilbert, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe.

East Valley Substance Abuse Center
"East Valley Substance Abuse Center has successfully served men and women whose dependency on alcohol and other drugs, has led to a lifestyle which has been destructive to their self-esteem, family relationships, employment, and/or legal status." Mesa.

The Meadows
"The Meadows is a multi-disorder facility specializing in the treatment of trauma and addictions. The Meadows' clinical experts reach beyond single-level treatment of addictions, behavioral disorders and psychological conditions to diagnose and treat the underlying problems." Wickenburg.

Justice Services
"Justice Services provides to its clients effective resolution of criminal justice issues through comprehensive assessments, top quality treatment, state-of-the-art sanctioning tools, and accurate reporting of outcomes with well-trained, diverse professional staff." Scottsdale.

Native American Connections
"Native American Connections was founded in 1972 by Indian elders to provide a drug free safe haven with support services....Native American Connections serves the urban Indian population and tribal communities from throughout the Southwest." Phoenix.

Scottsdale Treatment Institute
"It does not matter what brought you through our doors. We know that alcohol or drugs has caused problems. We want to be part of a solution so we treat our patients and clients with respect and dignity and foremost confidentiality....We offer cognitive behavioral, Medical Model with dual disorders, disease model, psychotherapy (talk therapy) and self-help." Scottsdale.

Southwest Behavioral Health Services
"Southwest Behavioral Health Services encompasses over 40 sites throughout Maricopa County and several sites in Payson, AZ...Our agency employs over 400 full-time staff with an additional workforce available from part-time positions and contracts." Phoenix.

St Luke's Behavioral Health Center
"We maintain a holistic approach to treatment that addresses each person's physiological, psychological, spiritual, and social needs. Specifically, individualized treatment plans are developed through a collaborative effort between each patient and our caring professionals. We believe this improves each patient's ability to obtain and maintain an optimum level of wellness and reduces the need for future re-entries for acute level hospitalization." Phoenix.

Valle Del Sol
"As one of the largest Hispanic behavioral health and social service organizations in Maricopa County, Valle del Sol's culturally diverse, bilingual staff provide a wide range of programs and services for the entire family." Phoenix.

Valley Hope Alcohol & Drug Treatment Centers
"The Valley Hope Association is a nationally recognized, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality alcohol and drug addiction treatment services at an affordable price." Phoenix, Tempe, and Chandler.

Women in New Recovery
"WINR now has 170 beds at several locations in Mesa and Prescott, Arizona including campuses of bungalows and family-style community units. WINR's program builds on initial sobriety – with professional help and peer support, practice and time – so as to ensure long-term sobriety." Mesa.

What Can I Expect at an Drug and Alcohol Rehab Program?

You May Have Misconceptions About Residential Treatment

By Buddy T, About.com

What can you expect if you decide to go to a drug and alcohol rehab center? If you have never been to a residential treatment facility, you may have some misconceptions about what does and does not take place during rehab.

First, no locks are on the doors. You are free to leave at any time. Even if you have been adjudicated by the criminal justice system into the program, you can still walk out. You may face the consequences later, but you can choose to leave.

The reason there are no locks is because no rehab or treatment program is going to work unless you are willing. If you enter rehab knowing that you are going to drink or use drugs again, you are wasting your money and everyone's time.

If you decide to stay, here is what you can expect.

The First Stop - Detox
Some residential rehab facilities have their own in-house detoxification programs, but more centers today are requiring clients to complete detox prior to entering their facilities. In other words, you may need to get clean and sober before you can even enter rehab.

The trend today is to have you go through the withdrawal process at a facility that specializes in dealing with drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Typically, this done on a short-term, five to seven days, inpatient basis.

• What is Detoxification, or Detox?
  
• The Range of Withdrawal Symptoms
  
• Treatment for Withdrawal Symptoms

The Facilities

Thousands of residential rehab facilities are in the United States today, and each one is different from the next as far as its physical facilities are concerned. They range from almost primitive camp-type settings -- usually for troubled teens -- to the most luxurious facilities imaginable and everything in between.

Like most other things in life, you get what you pay for or what you or your insurance can afford. The type of physical facilities the program offers has little to do with how successful their program might be in keeping you sober.

• Locate a Treatment Facility
  
• Does Drug and Alcohol Treatment Work?
  
• How Long Does Addiction Treatment Last?

Education

Education is the core component of all treatment and rehab programs. It may vary from facility to facility, but generally the process is aimed at getting you to look at your addiction honestly and realistically, and change your attitude about your drug and alcohol use.

In the early stages of recovery, most alcoholics or addicts may still be holding on to some denial about the seriousness of their problem or may be ambivalent about quitting drugs and alcohol for good. Treatment programs try to break through that denial and ambivalence to try to get you to commit to a clean and sober lifestyle.

Typically, you will learn about the nature of alcoholism and the dynamics of addiction, the effects drugs and alcohol have on your body and the consequences if you continue to use.

• It's a Disease?
  
• What Is Alcoholism?
  
• Dealing With Addiction Denial

Counseling and Group Therapy

During your rehab, you will probably receive individual counseling with a trained addictions counselor and you will possibly participate daily in group therapy meetings with others at the facility.

These sessions are designed to begin to teach you the skills that you will need to live life without drugs and alcohol. You will learn how to recognize situations in which you are most likely to drink or use drugs and how to avoid these circumstances if possible. You will learn new coping skills.

The group sessions are designed to teach you the value of seeking support from others who are going through the same experiences and challenges that you are. In some facilities, these group sessions may be actual 12 step meetings. In other facilities, they may be facilitated by staff members.

• Components of Effective Treatment Programs
  
• Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Addiction
  
• What Can I Expect at a 12-Step Meeting?

Family Meetings

Many successful drug and alcohol rehab programs will include members of your family in your treatment program. Research has shown that including family and friends in the educational process significantly improves rehab outcomes. Some programs include family members and friends throughout the entire rehab process, from the initial assessment through continued follow-up aftercare.

In the family meetings, your family members will learn about the dynamics of addiction, learn to identify strengths and resources to help encourage you in your recovery, discuss how they have been affected by your substance abuse and learn how they also can begin to heal their own wounds.

Many rehab facilities require family members to attend Al-Anon meetings if they want to visit you while you are in treatment, to learn how they may have been enabling you and contributing to the problem with their actions and reactions to your substance abuse.

• The Many Facets of Enabling
  
• Learning How to Detach
  
• What is Al-Anon?

Aftercare Program

The typical residential drug and alcohol rehab program will last about 28 days, sometimes longer, during which you are in a structured environment where no drugs are alcohol are available. Then what? What happens when you have to leave the relative safety of the facility and go back into the real world?

Successful rehab programs have a strong aftercare program plan designed to meet your individual needs. By now your counselor probably knows you well and will suggest the next steps to take based on where you are on your recovery journey.

Your aftercare plan may include intensive outpatient treatment, residence at a halfway house, attendance at 12 step meetings, weekly check-ins with your counselor and other suggestions to help you avoid the situations and triggers that might cause you to relapse.

• Avoiding Relapse Triggers
  
• Addiction Relapse Similar to Other Chronic Diseases
  
• Dealing With Having an Relapse

For more information see: The Stages of Rehab Recovery