One of the most important decisions you’ll need to consider when seeking addiction treatment is whether or not you want to remain close to home. Deciding to move away to receive treatment can help you feel like you’re experiencing a fresh start. Moving away from home can also help you break away from an unhealthy environment and harmful distractions in your day-to-day life. But if you have an established career and supportive friends and family, you might want to consider staying close to home.
Before making any decision, there are several different factors to consider. Some of these factors include:
Can you afford to move away? Do you have young children at home you want to remain close to? Will your environment at home help or hinder your recovery? How well do you deal with unfamiliar environments?
Ultimately, choosing to stay close to home or deciding to move away for rehab is up to you. But here are some of the benefits of seeking treatment close to home.
Often, choosing a local rehab center is more cost-effective than an out-of-state treatment facility. Even if the cost of a recovery center far from home matches a local facility, you’ll have to consider the added cost of travel. These travel expenses can include flights back and forth to visit the center as well as a final flight or drive to move to the center. Other expenses can include gas, hotel stays, and taxi or Uber rides during your stay. You should also think about the costs that family members and friends will have to incur if and when they decide to visit you.
Living close to home can also help you remain close to your friends and family. Rehabilitating your life can be a difficult journey, but having an established support system can help make the process much easier. Friends and family members can help encourage you when you’re down, celebrate your progress, and motivate you to continue making positive life changes. They can also hold you accountable and reinforce healthy lifestyle choices.
Remaining close to your family and friends can also help:
Enrolling in a recovery program far from home may force you to develop an entirely new support system. Without proper support, you might find yourself feeling isolated or adrift, which can be a potential relapse trigger.
Recovering from addiction with a local treatment provider can also make family therapy sessions easier to attend. The most effective programs recognize that addiction can impact your family just as much as it can affect you. Addiction recovery programs address and work through those challenges in family therapy. Your family and friends should be able to more easily attend these counseling sessions if you’re receiving treatment close to home.
Recovering from addiction can make you feel like everything in your life is changing. Your habits, the way you think, and the manner in which you process emotions, as well as some of the things you believe about yourself, will probably change. Your routine might also have to change. Dealing with so much change in such a short period of time can be intimidating and overwhelming. Recovering in a place you’re familiar with can help provide stability and comfort for you.
Being in a familiar comfortable environment can also help you:
If you are someone who thrives in comfort and familiarity, seeking addiction treatment close to home can help improve your likelihood of long-term recovery.
If you work, relocating to a different state for treatment may affect your job. Even though the 2018 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protects individuals seeking treatment for addiction, certain employers and FMLA requirements can influence the type of treatment you’re able to receive. For example, your employer may agree to a shorter length of treatment. If this is the case, you may take a leave of absence to recover, but seeking treatment close to home may best fit your timetable. Recovering at a local outpatient rehab center like ours at Meta, allows you to receive treatment and maintain your day-to-day work and family life.
Sometimes, insurance companies will only pay for a limited number of addiction treatment options. This might mean that your insurance company won’t be willing to cover out-of-state care or will only cover a portion of your out-of-state care. If you’re unable to cover all of the costs for addiction treatment and relocation, this can put you and your loved ones in a financial bind. Luckily, you can find effective professional addiction treatment programs in your state. Talk to your insurance company ahead of time to check your insurance policy and the type of treatment they will and won’t cover.
Receiving treatment out of state takes you away from home. This kind of uprooting can disrupt your loved one’s everyday life. Even though getting the help you need is important, you should certainly consider the logistics of your life as you seek treatment.
If you have young children, you may want to stay close to home so they can come and visit you often. If you’re seeking outpatient treatment to continue working, going out of state to recover may be counterproductive. If you’re in school and want to stay involved with your education, relocating to a different state will also mean changing schools. Take some time to consider all of these logistical factors before making a final decision about in-state or out-of-state treatment.
Here at Meta, we’re proud to call Massachusetts home. We love the Bay State’s rich history, cuisine, colonial landmarks, scenic landscapes, and picturesque villages. If you love Massachusetts just as much as we do, you don’t have to leave home to recover. Our outpatient programs can help you regain control of your life, remain close to your family, and maintain your day-to-day routine. Contact us today if you’re ready to get started or have any other questions about seeking treatment close to home.