Seeking addiction treatment can seem frightening, like biting off more than you can chew. It’s a big step, a potentially life-changing one, so it makes sense you might feel a bit unsure. But when you understand the process, it becomes easier.

It usually starts with a phone call.

If you haven’t submitted any insurance details, that first call will be for information. Friends, family, or sometimes the person struggling with a substance or alcohol use disorder, will contact the addiction rehab so they can better understand what to expect.

If you’ve provided your insurance information and it’s been verified, one of our addiction treatment experts will call you. We’ll ask more questions and talk to you about what you can expect for yourself or your loved one.

This is an important first step in getting the treatment you want or need.

What is the First Phone Call Like?

When you call us, our first goal is to get to know you better. Our customer service agents will ask you a number of questions, including:

• Who are you? (A concerned family member? A friend? The person with the substance use disorder?)
• What are you (or your loved one) struggling with? What substances are you taking? How often? For how long? If you are calling on behalf of a friend or loved one, it’s important to share as much as possible. Also, if you are calling for a friend or loved one, our staff also will be reaching out to them for more details.
• Do you (or your loved one) have any mental health issues?
• Is there any medication involved (for mental health issues in particular)?
• Have you ever been treated for addiction before?

Our customer service representatives will also collect some financial information, including about insurance coverage. Once that has been verified, we can begin searching for treatment programs that meet both your (or your loved one’s) financial needs as well as the specific treatment requirements.

The first call tends to be broad because our customer service representative will need to get as much information as possible. The more particulars we have, the better we can advise you and meet your needs.

Once we have the necessary information, then it’ll be time for you to work with an admissions counselor.

Talking to a Substance Use Disorder Admissions Coordinator

We will gather your insurance information and other details to determine whether inpatient rehab would be a good fit for you or your loved one. (You can also submit insurance particulars online to streamline the process, though it’s not necessary.)

Once we have your information, you’ll be put on hold for a minute as we transfer you to an admissions coordinator.

The admissions coordinator will summarize what you provided to the customer service representative. This is to ensure everything is accurate. That’s one of the best ways we can begin helping you, understand you, and learn your needs.

After our admissions coordinator confirms that the information we have on you is correct, we’ll ask more specific questions, including:

• What kind of treatment are you seeking?
• How long do you want to stay in rehab?
• If you’re relapsing, what led to the relapse?

If you are calling on behalf of a loved one, we may also ask about their family life, what they use, and how often. If they have relapsed, we’ll also ask if something has led to that.

The goal here is to get as many details as possible; that way we can better understand your situation and we can build a treatment plan to best suit your individual needs.

If you are calling for a loved one and they are now ready to get treatment, this is the point where you’ll hand the phone over to them. We’ll work with them to get them ready for rehab.

If you are calling for a loved one who refuses to get treatment, at this point you may need to stage an intervention to convince them to accept help.

What if My Loved One Does Not Want to Enter Rehab?

If your loved one is resisting rehab, an intervention might be necessary. If you’ve never arranged an intervention, it can seem like a huge, overwhelming prospect. Some of the tips — like making sure your loved one isn’t intoxicated for the intervention — may seem impossible to pull off. After all, if your loved one is always using drugs or drinking, how can you get them to attend when they’re not intoxicated?

Our staff is aware of how difficult it can be to try and get help for your loved one, and how tricky it can be to stage an intervention for them when they’d deep in the throes of their addiction. We have advice on how to put together an intervention, however. Learn more about it in our Intervention Guide.

What Happens After My Loved One Agrees to Seek Treatment?

Once your loved one begins speaking with our admissions counselor, the pre-admissions process begins. At this stage, they will be clinically and medically evaluated to ensure they are eligible for one of our treatment programs. This often is done on the same day, and it takes about 30 minutes to complete.

Once we finish the assessment, our admissions coordinator will review the results and contact your loved one (or you) about a treatment plan. From there, he or she will assist you in making arrangements to check you or your loved one into Mountain Springs Recovery.

After that, you’ll go to the center and begin the intake process.