Montgomery, AL Alcohol and Drug Use Statistics
Alabama has had an increasing rate of drug-related crime, overdoses, and admissions to the ER. Recent community health information from the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council and the CDC data shows:1,2
Drug-induced deaths rose 30% in Montgomery County between 2018 and 2020
Montgomery County had a drug overdose death rate of 59.7 in 2020.
Montgomery County has the lowest overdose rate of all counties in Alabama.
In 2020, Alabama saw a 20% jump in its overdose rates.
While these statistics are alarming, they boost exposure to the issue and help federal and local governments find ways to route funds to high-risk localities to provide residents access to addiction treatment.
How Much Does Drug Rehab in Montgomery Cost?
Multiple factors contribute to the cost of rehab, such as what type of facility you want to use, whether you have health insurance coverage, and what the cost of living is in the area you’re looking to attend treatment. Many ways exist to raise funds for treatment, such as crowdfunding, taking out a loan, or asking friends or family for help. If those options don’t work, you can look for rehabs and programs that offer services to those without the resources to pay for treatment.
How Can I Find Low-Cost and Free Rehabs in Montgomery?
In Alabama, there is a wide range of treatment services offered by organizations partnering with the state, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT) clinics, residential and outpatient rehabs, and services for adults, adolescents, women, and people with a dual diagnosis of mental health disorder and substance use disorder (SUD).
These programs operate across the state, made to help people who are low-income and struggling with finding services to treat their addiction. You can find these programs by contacting the Alabama Department of Health or calling 211 for immediate assistance finding local state-funded rehabs.
Does Health Insurance Cover Drug Rehab in Montgomery, AL?
Yes, insurance companies must pay for medically-necessary services, including those to treat behavioral health issues like substance use disorder (SUD). This is largely due to regulation from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act that named SUD as a behavioral health disorder requiring treatment.
Medicaid
Medicaid is a program available to people whose income meets or is below federal poverty standards that provide needed health insurance coverage. If you live in a home with small children or are a pregnant woman, you may also qualify for Medicaid if your income is at 133% of federal poverty standards.3 This coverage includes services to treat SUD, such as therapy and evidence-based treatments. Many rehabs accept Medicaid, with SAMHSA reporting three within 15 miles of the Montgomery city center, with 2 in the southeast part of town.4
Medicare
Medicare is a government-sponsored health insurance program for people over the age of 65 and/or who have a disability. This program has several parts that pay for various services, including inpatient rehab, therapy, and medication. Unlike Medicaid, Medicare has deductibles and copayments you would need to pay for services rendered. Reach out to a Medicare advocate for more details on what you could qualify for and to apply for.
Private Insurance
Private health insurance, such as the kind you get through your employer, pays for medically necessary services, including substance use disorder treatment. However, every policy has different fees, policies, and in-network providers. To find out the exact details of your health insurance coverage, including your copayments and covered services, call the number on the back of your insurance card.
Popular Alcohol and Drug Rehab Centers in Montgomery
Here is a brief overview of a few popular Montgomery drug rehabs and alcohol rehabs.
Aletheia House Outpatient Treatment Montgomery
Aletheia House Outpatient Treatment Montgomery offers residential treatment for men and women, as well as postpartum women who need specialized services and help with their babies. They have programs for youth and veterans as well, and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to manage opiate use disorder (OUD) using suboxone. They also provide help with and make referrals for housing assistance and medical care and have a program for those with HIV.
Oxford House Catalyst Montgomery
Oxford House Catalyst Montgomery offers supportive, self-directed housing to people who want to live in sober communities. Oxford Houses are also known as sober living homes, and you can be admitted with a referral from a substance use disorder treatment provider or a social worker.
Bradford Health Services Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center in Montgomery
Bradford Health Services Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center in Montgomery has a wide selection of premium substance use recovery centers across the southeast, with a full continuum of care. They also have a variety of specialty rehab programs, including those for veterans, aviation and railroad professionals, young adults, executives, and long-term segregated residential programs. In addition to 9 other locations across Alabama, Montgomery is an outpatient location with standard and intensive outpatient services.
New Season Montgomery Metro Treatment Center
New Season Montgomery Metro Treatment Center has a team of opiate recovery specialists to offer residents of Montgomery and surrounding areas MAT and OUD therapy. They have financial assistance for low-income clients and a 24-hour hotline for people in need of help. Their services list includes individual, family, and group therapy, referrals, assessments, medical supervision, and take-home benefits.
Inpatient vs. Outpatient Drug Rehab in Montgomery, Alabama
Inpatient and outpatient rehabs have many similarities as well as differences. The similarities lie in the types of evidence-based treatments provided, such as counseling and medication-assisted treatment (MAT). What separates these types of programs is the length of time spent per day in treatment, essentially. Inpatient, or residential care, requires clients to stay in the facility 24/7 for the duration of their stay, which can last for a month or longer.5
Outpatient programs are offered in a clinical setting where patients use treatment at the office for several hours a day, whether it’s counseling, group therapy, or medication administration. Standard outpatient programs (SOPs) only ask you to visit the clinic once per week, with a monthly phone call with your addiction support and therapy team.
More stringent outpatient programs include IOPs (intensive outpatient programs) and PHPs (partial hospitalization programs) requiring more visits per week, with PHPs providing daily services and IOPs requiring nine days of therapy per week minimum.5 In addition to the required therapy appointments, outpatient programs recommend participation in community support and offer referrals to appropriate meetings for an added layer of encouragement to remain sober.
Pros of Inpatient Addiction Treatment
An upside to inpatient rehab is the amount of structure and supervision offered. With the help of a team of licensed counselors, medical professionals, and mental health and addiction specialists available around the clock, you can focus completely on your recovery during your stay. Inpatient rehabs might also provide care for daily needs such as cooking your meals, though many facilities will ask you to cook for yourself as a way to learn healthy eating and self-care habits.
Cons of Inpatient Rehab
The disadvantage to inpatient care might be the cost point, depending on your circumstances and what type of rehab center you’re looking into. Some inpatient facilities can offer luxurious accommodations and high-tech treatments but at an added cost. There may also be amenities that aren’t covered by insurance, even if you do have adequate coverage, such as food and housekeeping services.
Benefits of Outpatient Drug Rehab
Among the greatest advantages to outpatient rehab is the level of flexibility, with different programs created to accommodate various lifestyles as well as levels of care. Intensive outpatient programs, for example, provide the same types of evidence-based therapy as inpatient treatment but require only 9 hours per week of therapy time.4
Disadvantages of Outpatient Rehab
A downside to outpatient rehab is that you aren’t as protected from outside influences that could trigger cravings, and it might be easier to relapse. Outpatient rehab is set up to offer continual support through scheduled meetings but might not be able to answer the phone if you’re caught in a compromising (or tempting) situation after clinic hours. Inpatient rehab provides a structured, heavily monitored environment to minimize the risk of relapse.
Types of Drug and Alcohol Rehabs in Montgomery, AL
Depending on your personal preferences and background, you might have a better time at a specialty rehab designed for people similar to you. These can be rehabs that only accept a specific gender, those with therapy and support groups specifically for those in the LGBTQ+ community, or those for veterans and current service members that need trauma-focused therapies.
Holistic Rehab
Holistic rehabs tend to feature more alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, animal therapy involving horses, dogs, or cats, and art therapy utilizing various mediums. These facilities tend to feature a serene environment and involve meditation in their treatment programs. A holistic rehab aims to help clients learn mindfulness and use a whole-person approach to healing from addiction for lasting recovery.
Faith-Based and Christian Rehab
A Christian, Baptist, Jewish, or another faith-based rehab can be a great option for those that have a strong spiritual foundation. Such programs include prayer, religious symbolism, and traditional ceremonies to facilitate more holistic healing. For example, native American rehabs include peace pipe rituals and sweat lodge sessions in their programming.
Luxury Rehab
When you want fewer daily worries and a higher level of comfort and convenience, look for a luxury drug or alcohol rehab in Alabama. These centers tend to offer more high-end amenities such as spas and salons on-site, alternative therapies like equine therapy, and roomy suites with lovely views of nearby natural attractions.
Executive Rehab
For those in law enforcement, teachers, doctors, and other professionals, executive rehabs offer a higher focus on privacy and confidentiality, understanding your need to protect your reputation and career. These facilities might also offer more VIP amenities such as a masseuse on staff in the on-campus spa and state-of-the-art technology to treat addiction. Given the higher level of quality, these centers tend to cost a bit more than standard rehab programs.
Dual Diagnosis Rehab
Dual diagnosis rehab centers are made to help people that have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Whereas a person might be turned away in the past for having a dual diagnosis, we now have rehabs that staff mental health professional therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists capable of managing medications, symptoms, and therapies across both disorders concurrently. According to SAMHSA, there are two dual diagnosis rehab centers in Montgomery, and one of them is run by the VA.4
Medication-Assisted Treatment
MAT, or medication-assisted treatment, uses a comprehensive individualized treatment plan that includes both addiction medication and therapy for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opiate use disorder (OUD).6 This treatment can radically enhance your rehab success, lowering relapse rates and improving your overall quality of life as you go through recovery. MAT can be beneficial if you need more help than just counseling to succeed at recovery and can expedite the process. Other benefits include:6
- Higher rate of job retention
- Longer times spent adhering to rehab programs and higher graduation rates
- Healthier pregnancies and better outcomes for babies born to women with addiction
Some medications are intended to relieve withdrawal symptoms and reduce the urges for opiates by binding to opiate receptors and giving your body enough of a dose of opiate-based medications to dampen withdrawal. Other medications block receptors from being activated, preventing any euphoric effects or sedation in the event of a relapse or causing the body to react negatively if a drug or alcohol is consumed.
There are also various methods of receiving medication, such as taking a pill every day or spending an hour or so in a clinic receiving your dose. A certified MAT clinician can administer these highly-regulated medications in the office via a film or tablet to go under your tongue or by injection. Read on to learn more about some FDA-approved addiction medications.
Finding a Methadone Clinic
If you have a severe opiate dependency, look for a drug rehab in Montgomery that offers OUD treatment with methadone to reduce your urges to use opiates, as well as withdrawal symptoms.7 This medication is a full-on opiate agonist and does have some side effects, including feelings of euphoria and sedation, and can only be prescribed by certified MAT providers at a methadone clinic.
Finding a Suboxone Doctor
Suboxone is a partial opioid agonist that works by activating opiate receptors, reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms for those with OUD.8 It works similarly to methadone but with lower levels of side effects such as sedation. Of the many benefits of using suboxone sublingual films or other forms of buprenorphine, is the lowered risk of death by relapse if a user does return to illicit drugs after using suboxone. Being an opiate-based medication, suboxone is heavily regulated and can only be prescribed by a certified OUD treatment provider.
Naltrexone for Alcohol or Opioid Addiction
Approved by the FDA to treat both AUD and SUD, Naltrexone works by blocking the activations of receptors in your brain that create feelings of euphoria, sedation, and pleasurable symptoms that lead a person to use opiates and alcohol.9 This medication is rated for long-term use, and is available as a pill for daily home use for AUD, or as an extended-release injection for either OUD or AUD.
Antabuse (Disulfiram) for Alcoholism
Antabuse is FDA approved to fight alcohol use disorder (AUD) and works by blocking your body’s ability to break down alcohol.10 This means that if you drink alcohol while on this medication, you would face a series of uncomfortable symptoms such as gastric upset and body pain.
Acamprosate for Alcoholism
Acamprosate is a daily medication that works to relieve your urges to drink alcohol.11 It doesn’t affect withdrawal symptoms, and if you relapse while taking this medication you should continue to take it as prescribed, but call your addiction treatment provider for further advice. Acamprosate can cause kidney issues, so it might not be appropriate for you for long-term use, or at all if you have existing kidney problems. Speak with a Montgomery alcohol rehab counselor to find a certified AUD medication provider.
Should I Travel to Montgomery, AL for Alcohol and Drug Treatment?
If you love a rural neighborhood with plenty of trees and outdoor adventures to be had, then Montgomery might be the perfect spot for you.
Neighborhoods in Montgomery to Consider for Drug Rehab
When moving to Montgomery, look for a neighborhood to live in that appeals to your interests (and price point). The central portion of the city, including the Garden District and Capitol Heights, features Alabama State University, as well as Baptist Medical Health Center. There’s also a range of other convenient locations like shopping and dining.
Museum-lovers might enjoy the east side of town like Green Acres, home to the Montgomery Museum of Art, as well as large shopping centers like Costcos. This is also a great area from which to enjoy that natural beauty, with several nearby parks and walking trails.
The northwest part of the town lies on the edge of the Alabama River, across from Gun Island. This area is home to the Maxwell Air Force Base Historic Air Park, as well as the civil rights-focused Legacy Museum, and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice.
Drug and Alcohol Laws in Alabama
The state of Alabama is home to myriad organizations to battle drug-related overdoses and crime and has taken steps to enable citizens and emergency responders to join in the fight.
Compact to Fight Opioid Addiction Initiative: In cooperation with 45 other governors, including those of Guam and Puerto Rico, Alabama, on July 13, 2016, created a series of policies to stop opiate misuse.12 These policies include stricter prescription regulations, providing drug education to communities across the nation, and creating routes to recovery for people struggling with addiction, such as funding rehab scholarship programs.
HB208 Naloxone Dispensing Initiative: In order to enable community members to help each other when witnessing or experiencing an overdose, the state enacted HB208. This law allows doctors and pharmacists to prescribe naloxone to anyone related to a person addicted to opiates or prescribed opiate medication to be dispensed in the event of an overdose.13
Pharmacists are required to provide basic administration education, and the law sets aside extra training for law enforcement officials as to how to administer naloxone. This law was amended with HB379 the following year to add registered nurses and firefighters to the list of approved individuals to be supplied with and administer naloxone.14
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction and seeking drug rehab in Alabama, call us at
800-926-9037
(
Who Answers?)
anytime for help verifying your insurance, discussing financing options, and answering the question, “where can I find a drug rehab near me?”
Resources
- Center for Disease Control. (2022). CDCWonder.
- Alabama Department of Mental Health. (April 21, 2021). Press Release: OPIOID OVERDOSE DEATHS INCREASE IN 2020.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2022). Eligibility.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. (2022). Treatment Locator.
- Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Substance Abuse: Clinical Issues in Intensive Outpatient Treatment. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); (2006). Chapter 3. Intensive Outpatient Treatment and the Continuum of Care.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). Medication-Assisted Treatment.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). Methadone.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). Buprenorphine.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). Naltrexone.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2022). Antabuse.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2022). Acamprosate.
- Alabama Office of Inspector General. (November 2019). FACTSHEET: Alabama’s Oversight of Opioid Prescribing and Monitoring of Opioid Use.
- Alabama Department of Public Health. (March 10, 2015). HB208.
- Alabama Department of Public Health. (March 8, 2016). HB379.
