Permit us to be philosophical with our approach to the question; “what’s the cost of opioid addiction rehab?” Let’s reply to it with another question; What will you give to be free of your addiction to opioids? Think about it, how much do you think is worth getting your health and life back from addiction? Your answer is the cost of getting treatment for your opioid addiction.
The cost of opioid rehab is subject to differing opinions and in some cases, some controversy. Many people believe they are victims of addiction and refuse to see it as the result of their actions. So, they feel they should not have to pay a lot of money to get treatment for their addictions.
We’re not going to judge their opinions as right or wrong, everybody has the entitlement to their opinions. Nonetheless, it won’t change the fact that there is a cost you have to pay for opioid rehab. There’s always a cost for a better healthier life and you’ll have to pay it regardless of your opinion. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re a victim or you think it’s a result of your bad decisions.
Here, we will discuss the various costs of opioid rehab. This discussion will cover all aspects of the pricing for opioid addiction rehab. But before that, we will look at the costs of opioid addiction. What are the things you’re losing to your opioid addiction?
The Costs of Opioid Addiction
Realizing that the continuous use of opioids is taking away more than it gives you is the first step to quitting. However, you’re probably yet to experience this, many opioid addicts fail to do until it’s quite late.
The good news is; no time is too late as long as you’re still alive and can make decisions for yourself. You will end up realizing it, sometimes with external help like we are about to provide now.
The monetary cost
This is the most obvious cost of addiction to opioids. For instance, it costs up to $40 to get 25mcg of fentanyl on the streets. Depending on the severity of the addiction, you may require between 150mcg to 200mcg per day. Doing the calculations, the cost can rack up to a sum between $300 to $500 per day.
Since it is a compulsive behaviour and you can’t help it, you will do whatever you can to get the money to buy the drugs. This is a major problem in Canada and the United States with a lot of residents already addicted to opioids. Recent data from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction indicates that we are in the middle of an opioid epidemic.
For opioid addicts, the need to constantly abuse opioids reflects in their bank accounts. You may have to spend your savings to get money for opiates.
It is often difficult for addicts to keep up with the cost of buying their daily fix. So you may start borrowing money or buying the drugs on credit which in turn leads to debt. This can lead you to a life of crime sometimes at the behest of the creditors to pay off debts. At the end of the day, addiction to opioids will most probably leave you in a financial crisis.
The adverse effect on your health
Ordinarily, the use of opioid medications for health conditions sometimes comes with side effects. Some of these side effects include; sedation, nausea, constipation and many others. These are conditions that generally affect the user’s health. However, the effects of the abuse that accompanies opioid addiction are greater.
First of all, opioid abuse has a huge psychological effect on the user. According to Healthline, anxiety and other mental disorders are common among people who abuse opioids. This is because the continuous use of the drug leads to dependency. So whenever you can’t get your daily fix, you experience fear, mood swings and anxiety.
According to Pubmed, opioid addiction can also have the following effects on the body:
- Respiratory depression
- Hyperalgesia
- Immunologic and hormonal dysfunction
- Muscle rigidity and many more.
Not to mention the possibility of dangerous tendencies such as self-harm that may result from the drug’s psychological effects. The health effects of opioid addiction are numerous, these are just a few of them. You may not experience some of these effects until later in life. This is more reason for you to quit and get treatment as soon as possible.
Heavy disruption on social life
This is an effect that is very common to all forms of unhealthy addictions. Your opioid addiction will affect your social life and relationship with others. For one, addicts are usually secretive about their addictions. You will always try to hide your addiction from people close to you by withdrawing from them.
You will spend more time alone by yourself, and you will always find excuses to spend time alone. Due to the psychological effects of the drug, you will often be angry and on the edge. You will become antisocial and it will feel like nobody cares about you. Because of this, you will find comfort in your pain eraser (opioids).
These are the symptoms and costs of opioid addiction. If you find yourself doing these things, you may end up losing friends and relationships because of it. You may lose your job, lose your loved ones and social status to your addiction. Do not let that happen to you, and if it has happened, decide to pay the cost of opioid rehab and get it all back.
Loss of productivity
Lack of or reduced productivity is another side effect of opioid addiction. Think of it as a situation when you are yet to have your morning coffee. You’ll probably feel lethargic and lacking motivation until you get that cup of coffee. That is only when you can finally start your day and be productive.
That’s how it works with opioid addiction too. If you’re an addict, you can’t start your days without your morning dose. And at midday, when things get tense, you need another dose to keep going. The same happens at night — you need another dose to be able to sleep peacefully. You will find out that without the drugs, your productivity reduces or disappears.
However, with time, excessive intake of the drugs also affects your productivity. This often happens when you take so much that you start experiencing the side effects. They will hinder your work and negatively impact your productivity.
Loss of life and other dire consequences
According to the Government of Canada, we recorded more than 17,000 deaths resulting from opioid toxicity between 2016 and 2020. This represents an increase from 54% in 2019 to 58% in 2020.
Not to scare you but, you must know that opioid addiction can lead to death. Overdosing on opioids usually has dire consequences and the worst is death. Some people can be lucky to escape with their lives but they usually end up with permanent scars. These come in the form of mental health disorders that they will nurse for life.
We do not want any of these conditions to happen to you. We sincerely hope that you get rehab as soon as possible. To help you, we will talk about the cost of getting opioid rehab. We will also talk about how you can afford the cost if it seems overwhelming for you.
Related Article: 6 Warning Signs of Opioid Addiction
Cost of Opioid Rehab: How Much Can You Expect to Pay.
It’s great that you decided to get clean, it is brave and worth commending. Now it’s time to answer the big question “how much does opioid rehab cost?”.
To understand the overall cost of opioid rehab in Canada, you have to understand what constitutes the cost. These are what you may call the main factors that influence the cost of opioid rehab.
Type of opioid rehab
This is the most important factor that determines the cost of opioid rehab. It plays a major role in determining the amount you will have to pay for your treatment. Various types of opioid rehab employ different elements and methods of treatment. Each is quite effective and it’s difficult to pick which one is best.
However, there are two broad categorizations for the types of opioid rehab available. These are the in-patient opioid rehab and outpatient opioid rehab.
In-patient rehab involves admitting the patient into a care facility for the period of treatment. This care facility may or may not be a designated hospital or clinic. However, it will have the necessary equipment for your accommodation and care.
In-patient opioid rehab employs elements of detox, medication and various therapies to care for patients. The most popular therapy it employs is group therapy. Group therapy is useful for providing support, feedback and encouragement for the patients. There, you will get the support you need every step of the way to your recovery.
Due to the accommodation, feeding and treatment fees, the cost of this type of opioid addiction treatment is on the high side. The cheapest ones often cost around $6,000 for a 30-day program. But some programs charge up to $20,000 for 30 days of treatment. The long-term programs that last for 60 to 90 days can cost between $12,000 to $60,000.
The outpatient program is however pretty different from the in-patient program. While also very broad, it employs a common premise that involves no admission of patients for treatment. During the duration of treatment, you will be free to go about your other businesses. You will only need to come in for your treatment per the schedule with your treatment care providers.
You should opt for this type of opioid addiction treatment if you need to go about your daily business while receiving treatment. However, this type of treatment is most effective for mild to moderate opioid addiction. It may not be effective for extreme addiction.
Since there’s no accommodation fee, it’s cheaper than inpatient treatment. You will often find this type of treatment for $5,000 for a duration of three months. The high-end outpatient treatments may cost you up to $10,000. Keep in mind that other factors also contribute to the cost.
There are other types of treatments such as detox, individual therapy and many more. They also influence the cost of opioid rehab but not to a large extent. If you’ll be going for inpatient treatment, prepare to spend a lot of money. The outpatient program is cheaper, however, it may not be effective for extreme addiction.
The method of treatment
The cost of opioid rehab will also depend on the method of therapy your treatment provider recommends. There are different ways to treat addiction issues. But most facilities use a variety of combinations of these different methods. Typically, opioid rehab can involve the use of therapy and even medications.
Usually, therapies provide the cheapest ways of treating addiction. However, they only work best for mild addictions. They work best for new addicts who are yet to develop a lifestyle around substance abuse. The cost may range from around $50 to $300 per session depending on the therapist.
There are other types of treatment that work for severe addictions. They may involve the use of medication, detox, alternative therapies and many more. All these methods of treatment vary in their effectiveness. So what works for someone else may not be effective for you.
Most in-patient rehab centers use a combination of all the methods of treatment. While outpatient centers rely a lot on therapy and medications. Of course, this disparity also reflects in the cost of opioid rehab.
The level of facilities available
The facilities and amenities the treatment centers provide don’t come for free. You should not expect to have access to them for free. The cost of purchase, operation and maintenance of these facilities are all part of the total cost of opioid rehab.
Some of these facilities and amenities include; physical therapy centers, pools, sports facilities and many more. They are usually provided by in-patient treatment centers as alternative treatments for the patients. Some outpatient centers also offer some of these facilities to provide an alternative treatment to patients.
You can expect to find all these facilities and more at luxury rehab centers. These high-end treatment centers are for people who can afford a luxurious lifestyle. Sometimes, they feature beaches, mountainside views, and even exquisite cuisine by popular chefs. You can expect to pay tens of thousands every month for opioid addiction treatment at these centers.
Detox and medication
Detox and medication are more expensive than therapy. This is because they’re more intensive and also require the use of drugs. Detox is a process of getting rid of the drug from the body. For cases of severe opioid addiction, it takes a while to remove all traces of the drugs from the body.
Medications are useful for making the detoxification process faster and less painful. Doctors use various drugs to reduce the effects of withdrawal and the risk of a relapse. As you can already guess, these drugs are a little bit expensive. You can only get them with a prescription from a qualified doctor, so they’re not easy to get.
Some of these drugs include:
- Methadone: The main effect of this drug is that it reduces drug cravings and eliminates withdrawal symptoms. It does this by creating a similar effect to the opioid on the receptors in the brain. This way, it gives users what they want minus the euphoric effects of the opioids. This drug often costs about $159 for a weekly dose.
- Buprenorphine: This works similarly to methadone. You can even call it an alternative or complementary drug to methadone. It also works on the opioid receptors in your brain and reduces withdrawal symptoms. Taking this drug twice a week, you will be spending around $115 every week.
- Naltrexone: This is the strongest and most expensive of the medications on this list. It also has a stronger effect than the two other drugs on the list. It works by blocking the activation of opioid receptors in your brain, effectively shutting down all cravings for opioids. You will spend an average of $1,180 per month for this drug.
You have to pay for the purchase of the drugs and the support during the detoxification process. If you’re at an in-patient facility, the medication and detox costs are part of the total cost for the program. However, for the outpatient program, the cost of medication is often separate from the treatment cost.
When you consider all the factors we stated, you can easily deduce what the cost of opioid rehab will be. It is easier if you view these factors as a pricing guide for opioid rehab. Take them into consideration and decide how much you can expect to pay for opioid rehab.
How to Afford the Cost of Opioid Addiction Rehab
Yeah, we’ve been going on and on about the cost of opioid rehab for a while now. And we keep mentioning amounts in thousands of dollars. You’re probably thinking “ I know how much I should pay for opioid rehab but how can I afford that?” The cost seems like a daunting prospect. Well, it won’t be with the financing aids we will explain below.
Use existing health insurance
Good news! You can use your existing health insurance to cover the cost of your opioid addiction rehab. Health insurances usually provide cover for substance abuse treatment just like every other treatment.
Yes, there will be a little bit of bureaucracy and formalities with the process. But your health insurance should provide the cover you need for your opioid addiction treatment.
However, note that your insurance may not be sufficient to cover the entire cost of your treatment. In this case, you will need to seek alternative means to get the remaining fees. Also, insurance may not cover some types of treatments depending on the insurance contract. For example, some insurance may not cover the cost of holistic forms of opioid therapy.
Apply for rehab scholarships
Many clinics provide rehab scholarships to patients. These are clinics that receive grants from various organizations to help with the fight against substance abuse. All you need to do is to seek out such clinics and apply for treatment with them. They will provide free treatment for your opioid addiction.
Don’t worry, you won’t need to file for insurance to get treatment at the clinics. The sole aim of these clinics is to support people who can’t afford the cost of opioid rehab. You’re sure to get free treatment as long as they have free scholarships available.
Apply to Government-funded facilities
There are various state and federal government-funded programs for addiction treatment. You can apply to any of those through the public health department. However, you may need to meet certain requirements to be eligible for treatment under these programs.
Also, keep in mind that government-funded programs may not be entirely free. You may also need to cover some of the cost by yourself. Nonetheless, they provide sufficient subsidies on the cost of opioid rehab and treatment.
Related Article: The Timeline for Opioid Addiction Treatment
Conclusion
The cost of opioid rehab shouldn’t scare you off deciding to get help. It may seem daunting at first, but when you consider it, it’s not. Compare it to the impact of addiction on your life and you will see that it is negligible.
Do you or anyone you know need help getting rid of opioid addiction? Please feel free to contact us or check out our opioid addiction rehab services. Here at 1000 Islands Rehab Centre, we have the mandate to assist and support you throughout your recovery journey. Your wellness is of paramount priority to us. Get in touch with us today!