Virginia Alcohol and Drug Use Statistics
According to the United Health Foundation, Virginia ranks as one of the healthiest states in the country for its socioeconomic factors and physical environmental health.1 However, the state is no stranger to ongoing substance misuse. This is especially true when it comes to opioid use; the rate of overdose-related deaths per year involving opioids rose significantly to 1,193 between 1999 and 2018.2
Here is a quick overview of growing substance use issues in Virginia:3, 4
By 2015, the number of illicit opioid-related deaths surpassed that of prescription opioid-related deaths.
Fentanyl is now the leading cause of opioid-related deaths, causing 59.3% of all fatal overdoses in 2019
Fatal cocaine overdoses increased to 9.4% and fatal methamphetamine overdoses rose to 55.9% in 2019
Alcohol-related fatal overdoses have increased since 2007 to roughly 1.5 annual deaths per 10,000 people
Costs of Alcohol and Drug Rehab in Virginia
The cost of alcohol and drug rehab in Virginia depends on several factors. Of course, the type of treatment program is arguably the most prominent factor in pricing.
When it comes to figuring out a budget for potential rehab in Virginia, here are the things you should consider:
- Treatment types: Will you need residential treatment or outpatient care?
- Duration of the treatment program: This can range anywhere from 30 to 90 days, or longer depending on the severity of your substance use.
- Amenities offered: These range from necessities, such as toiletries, to luxury-style accommodations, which alter costs significantly.
- Location: Costs may vary significantly in the mountains, beach, or metropolitan areas.
- Insurance coverage: Insurance can significantly lower the costs of drug and alcohol rehab in Virginia.
- Alternative funding: You may be eligible for state funding, scholarships, or financing plans.
Keep in mind that rehab is attainable, even if you do not have insurance or financial means to cover costs on your own. There is a drug and alcohol rehab in Virginia for all levels of income, but you just must do a little digging to find them.
Among the 249 facilities for drug and alcohol rehab in Virginia that responded to the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment and Services in 2020, these payment options were accepted:9
237 accepted self-payments or cash
143 offered sliding-scale fees
198 accepted Medicaid
155 accepted Medicare
210 accepted private health insurance
83 offered free or minimal payments for treatment
111 accepted state-financed health insurance (not Medicaid)
8 accepted HIS/Tribal/Urban (ITU) funds
4 offered completely free treatment to all clients
145 accepted federal military insurance
How to Find Free Drug or Alcohol Rehab in Virginia
Free or state-funded centers for drug rehab in Virginia are full-service facilities offering free or low-cost treatment. These facilities get their funding from both state and federal governments; in some cases, local governments make contributions. Local governing bodies include grant money, insurance programs like Medicaid, and corporate donations.
A free drug and alcohol rehab in Virginia operates the same as any other rehab in the state. In other words, they will offer medical detoxes, interim care if the facility is full, various forms of therapy, recovery housing, support groups, and even virtual care.
However, it is important to note that state-funded care is given to persons who must be eligible for admittance. For example, you would need to provide the following information to be considered for state-funded care:
- Proof of citizenship and state residency
- Proof of income (or lack thereof)
- Your family size
- Proof of not having any health insurance
Does Insurance Cover Alcohol or Drug Rehab in Virginia?
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 requires that healthcare insurers in all states provide plans that include both substance use disorder and mental health benefits.5 Therefore, if you have insurance, you should receive some level of coverage for most Virginia drug and alcohol rehabs.
Here are the different types of insurance and what they cover regarding alcohol and drug rehab in Virginia.
Private Insurance
Private health insurance plans should always cover at least the general costs of rehab and any mental health conditions for which you need treatment. If insured by providers such as United Healthcare, Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), Humana, Aetna, or even COBRA, then you should have coverage for treatment.
However, the amount of coverage you receive and the amount you must pay out of pocket will vary based on your provider. It also varies based on your specific insurance plan. So, you should check with your health insurance provider to explore the specifics of your coverage before entering a treatment program.
You should verify that the facility you choose is 100% in-network with your insurance provider. Otherwise, you could end up having to pay the full price for treatment if you choose a facility that is out of network.
Medicaid
Medicaid is both a state and federal insurance program that offers healthcare to low-income families. When it comes to alcohol and drug rehab in Virginia, Medicaid typically covers the basics of SUD treatment. This includes intervention assistance, medical detox, inpatient and outpatient care, family counseling, cravings medication and maintenance, and various other mental health treatment needs.
Keep in mind that not all Virginia drug and alcohol rehabs accept Medicaid. This means you should verify with each treatment facility on your list before making official arrangements.
Medicare
Medicare is a federally funded health insurance program designated for seniors over 65 and disabled individuals. Medicare is not free, as it comes with a monthly premium. That premium is based on the yearly income of a person.
Medicare is structured in four Parts, ranging from Part A to Part D. Each Part determines the type of treatment benefits your plan falls under, which means you may not get the coverage you need, or you may get everything you need.
Medicare Part A has listed deductible and coinsurance costs for the various time periods in which you stay at an inpatient rehab. As of this writing, the benefit period reflects these costs for medically necessary care:10
- $1,556 deductible for Days 1-60
- $389 coinsurance per day for Days 61-90
- Days 91 and beyond: $778 coinsurance every “lifetime reserve” day for each benefit period (up to a maximum of 60 reserve days over your lifetime)
Medicare does not cover certain services, such as:10
- Private duty nursing care
- In-room television or phone
- Personal amenities (toothpaste, socks, etc.)
- Private rooming unless it is established to be medically necessary
You will want to check which Part your plan contains, as well as which treatment programs accept Medicare as payment.
Does My Insurance Plan Cover Drug or Alcohol Rehab?
If you are unsure whether your insurance plan will cover your treatment needs, the first thing you need to do is call the number on the back of your insurance card. By speaking directly with your insurance provider, you can find out everything you need to know about your coverage, including what centers for drug rehab in Virginia are in network.
You also can call
800-926-9037
(
Who Answers?)
to speak to a treatment specialist. Our support specialists are always available to guide you through every possible option, whether you have insurance or not. This includes finding a drug or alcohol rehab in Virginia that works in-network with your insurance provider.
How to Finance Alcohol or Drug Rehab in Virginia
Often, insurance is not enough depending on what you must pay out-of-pocket for associated treatment costs. Whether you need supplemental funding for drug rehab in Virginia or do not have any insurance at all, these are your other options.
State-Funded Rehabs: Many centers for alcohol or drug rehab in Virginia also offer monthly payment plans to accommodate your financial situation. These payment plans work like a loan, where you can pay incrementally for your treatment rather than in one lump sum before or after the treatment.
The only caveat is that you likely must pay interest or fees associated with the payment plan. Each center has its own payment system, so it’s important to verify the details with them.
Apply for a Rehab Scholarship: Rehab scholarships and grants typically are provided by the treatment facility; they apply to inpatient and outpatient centers. However, this type of funding often is funded through corporations that manage private facilities. Nonprofit foundations also contribute to rehab scholarships, which means you have several resources to find financing.
Rehab scholarships and grants are offered on an individual basis. This means your financial situation and condition will be evaluated before deciding how much you need this type of funding compared to others.
The most direct way to find rehab scholarships is by contacting the treatment facility. You can find grant opportunities by using the SAMSHA website, as well.6
Find a Sliding-Scale Rehab Program: Sliding-scale rehab programs are more common than most people realize. These programs offer people more flexibility because the system lets you pay based upon your personal income and several other factors. These factors include your financial resources, the type of treatment you require, and your ability to make consistent payments.
Popular Centers for Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Virginia
Virginia is home to many excellent drug and alcohol rehab centers. As a result, narrowing your search can be challenging. Here are some of the most popular facilities in the state.
Bridging the Gaps in Winchester, Virginia
Bridging the Gaps offers partial hospitalization, residential treatment, and intensive outpatient programs (IOPs). This rehab facility focuses on the evidence-based 12-step principles for treatment, which occur in several phases. Bridging the Gaps is a CARF-accredited facility that aims to get to the root cause of substance use disorders. Each program is personalized to fit your needs, with aftercare planning and more.
Bethany Hall in Roanoke, Virginia
Bethany Hall is a private, nonprofit facility that provides long-term residential treatment specifically for women with substance use dependencies.
This rehab facility takes a holistic approach to healing and long-lasting wellness with three programs suited for women with children, pregnant women, and standard residential stays. Each program lasts anywhere between 30 and 90 days. For 45 years, Bethany Hall has successfully helped women rebuild their lives and reestablish positive relationships with aftercare planning.
The Farley Center in Williamsburg, Virginia
The Farley Center is another accredited rehab facility based on the 12-step principles of recovery. Here, individuals receive treatment based on working through emotions and issues that contribute to their substance use disorders. They also learn coping skills and how to build positive relationships with therapists, their family, and their peers.
The Farley Center offers several different treatment options, including intensive outpatient care and extended care for individuals who experience chronic relapse, have a co-occurring condition, or require long-term pain management.
Life Center of Galax in Galax, Virginia
Life Center of Galax offers individualized treatment in both inpatient and outpatient settings. They also cover gender-specific group settings, Christian-based treatment programs, reality therapy, family workshops, cognitive therapy, and more. They also focus on learning to enjoy life without substances, especially for individuals with dual diagnoses requiring co-occurring mental health treatment.
Addiction Treatment Settings
If you never have experienced drug or alcohol rehab in Virginia, then you probably are not sure what to expect from the various programs. Keep in mind: These facilities are run by licensed and experienced professionals, which means you will be in good hands wherever you decide to go.
Of course, each alcohol and drug rehab in Virginia differs, as they operate under varying treatment philosophies and utilize different evidence-based therapies. Here is what you generally can expect from the different types of treatment programs in the state.
Inpatient Rehab
Inpatient alcohol and drug rehab in Virginia is residential care for stays of 30, 60, or 90 days. Depending on your condition, it could be longer. During your stay at an inpatient treatment facility, you will get a bed to sleep in, meals throughout the day, and a schedule to abide by. You also may get certain amenities, like a pool or rec room, depending on the facility.
Upon arrival, you can expect to have your personal belongings searched while you fill out the required intake forms. This is to ensure you are not trying to sneak in illicit substances or contraband. Other than that, you will find that inpatient facilities are designed to make people feel at home.
Once you have been given a tailored care plan, you will be required to attend various therapies as well as classes regarding drug and alcohol education, relapse prevention, and aftercare planning.
Partial Hospitalization Programs
Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) are outpatient treatment programs that can function as a step down between inpatient and standard outpatient care. They run on stringent schedules involving several hours of treatment attendance each day. This means you will be expected to commit time outside of your daily obligations to treatment at a designated facility. However, you can return home afterward.
PHPs often serve as a transitional part of treatment, meaning they may be required after inpatient care. They also serve as the next best treatment solution for individuals who cannot take time away from their jobs, families, or education.
Intensive Outpatient Programs
Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) work similarly to PHPs in that they require several hours of treatment or therapy daily. However, rather than requiring seven days of commitment a week, treatment typically starts at only five days per week.
Standard Outpatient
Standard outpatient treatment only requires a few hours of therapy and treatment each week, making them the least intensive of all outpatient options. For those utilizing standard outpatient treatment, attending support group meetings such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA) or Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) usually is required.
While all types of treatment require peer support in some shape or form, support group meetings are not a substitute for actual treatment. However, they help you build a strong foundation of guidance, understanding, and friendship with people going through similar experiences.
Telehealth and Online Addiction Treatment
Telehealth and virtual therapy make treatment much more accessible. These virtual services make it easy for individuals who live in isolated locations or have disabilities and cannot physically attend treatment to get specialized care. However, if you require medical detox and inpatient care, virtual drug rehab in Virginia cannot offer the services and medical attention you need to recover.
Medical Detox
Most persons with substance use disorders require medical detox to help them overcome their chemical dependence. This is because most substances chemically alter neuropathways in the brain. Eventually, the body requires certain amounts of the substance to function. Without them, the user will go into withdrawal.
Withdrawal can be a very painful, stressful, and potentially life-threatening experience. This is especially true for those dependent on alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines. The entire process can last several weeks, with the severity and duration depending on the following factors:7
- Types of substance(s) being used
- Duration of substance use
- The amount of substance(s) used at one time
- Any other co-occurring health or mental health conditions
Medical detox typically involves round-the-clock care and supervision, plus certain medications to aid in symptomatic relief. Detox typically is the first step in drug and alcohol rehab in Virginia, regardless of the type of substance being used.
Specialized Alcohol and Drug Rehab in Virginia
There are also options for specialized care in alcohol and drug rehab in Virginia. Each program is purposefully designed to cater to certain populations to ensure the recovery outcomes for individuals that fall into these special populations.
Holistic Rehab
Holistic Detroit drug rehabs focus on treating both the mind and body to provide a comprehensive, “whole-person” approach to addiction recovery. These facilities typically offer a variety of non-traditional therapies, such as yoga, nature therapy, meditation, animal therapy, and others. These rehabs also provide more standard, evidence-based therapies in addition to their holistic offerings.
LGBTQ+ Rehab
Rehabs that specialize in treating members of the LGBTQ+ community provide a safe space for patients to recover from drug and alcohol addiction. Providers also understand challenges unique to this community, such as internalized homophobia and transphobia, family rejection, social exclusion, and discrimination.
Men-Only and Women-Only Rehab
Men and women are mentally, emotionally, and physically affected by substance use disorders in different ways. Therefore, men and women also recover differently, which requires different treatment approaches.
Women-only and men-only rehab facilities allow individuals to receive treatment based on these different contributing factors leading to substance use disorders regarding the gender specifics.
Teen Rehab
Teen rehab focuses on the significant changes—psychological, physiological, and social that adolescents experience that often contribute to their ongoing substance use.
These types of facilities are designed to address teenagers on an individual level to provide proper treatment along with the tools to cope with the various pressures that tend to trigger them to become dependent on substances.
Should I Travel for Drug or Alcohol Rehab in Virginia?
Sometimes, finding treatment within your own state is more difficult than expected. In some cases, traveling to a new state is much more beneficial as it allows individuals to get far away from the environment that made them dependent. In other cases, it means moving closer to the family for an added layer of support.
Is Virginia the right destination for your treatment? Here is something to consider.
Regional Considerations for Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Virginia
Virginia has a lot of geographical variety, from its mountain ranges to metropolitan areas to the coast. More specifically, Virginia is made up of the Coastal Plains (Tidewater), Piedmont, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Valley and Ridge, and the Appalachian Plateau. The most populous cities include Richmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Newport News.
One of the most important things to consider when searching for drug and alcohol rehab in Virginia is which setting is most conducive to your recovery. For example, if you think being surrounded by nature will bring you more peace, then you should consider the northern or northwestern parts of the state.
Substance Laws in Virginia
With the ongoing increase in substance use and its subsequent rise in overdose-related deaths, there is a serious stigma to contend with. It is enough to keep people from seeking treatment for themselves or from helping others when a serious situation arises.
Fortunately, Virginia legislation is working to combat this stigma so persons with SUDs feel safe enough to get help—and a second chance.
The Virginia State Good Samaritan Law: As of 2015, Virginia passed its Good Samaritan law alongside many other states. This law protects individuals who use illicit substances from legal prosecution should they call emergency services for medical attention for themselves or someone else in the event of an overdose. This law is designed to prevent the increasing number of overdose-related deaths due to bystanders being afraid of punishment.
Employee Protections for Addiction Treatment: In Virginia, substance use disorders are considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Therefore, employees with substance use disorders are protected from being discriminated against or fired for having a substance use disorder in the present or the past.
However, the ADA will not protect individuals who use substances during work hours, which is grounds for disciplinary action at the discretion of the employer.
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act: The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act passed in 2008. As with all the other states, Virginia has been expanding health coverage and working out the finer details of its implementation.
This law ensures that substance use treatment and mental health treatment are both covered by insurance. In addition, under this law, insurance providers are prohibited from limiting the benefits associated with mental health care and substance use programs so treatment is more accessible.
Aftercare Options for Post-Rehab Success
Life after rehab can be a difficult adjustment. Once you complete your inpatient treatment, returning to your daily routine means returning to work, friends, family, school, and so on. Unfortunately, all these things can trigger cravings, tempting you to relapse. However, that is what aftercare is for.
Aftercare is any type of ongoing care you receive once you leave rehab. During your inpatient treatment, you will come up with an aftercare plan to support your early recovery and help to prevent potential relapse. As you anticipate the future challenges, you will encounter a ready solution to keep you on the right path.
Aftercare is different for everybody. It can include any one of the following elements:
- Residing in a sober living home as you transition out of residential care into daily life
- Attending local support group NA or AA meetings
- Continuing individual counseling
- Participating in alumni programs at your rehab facility
If you seek alcohol or drug rehab in Virginia or near you, you may feel overwhelmed by your choices. Speak to our treatment specialists at
800-926-9037
(Who Answers?)
to see which option works best for you.
Resources
- United Health Foundation. (2017). America’s Health Rankings Annual Report: Virginia 2021.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020). Virginia: Opioid-Involved Deaths and Related Harms.
- Virginia Department of Health. (2020). Fatal Drug Overdose Quarterly Report: Q1 2020 (Edition 2020.1). Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
- Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. (2017). State of Virginia Epidemiological Profile: Alcohol. Commonwealth of Virginia.
- Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. (2021). Mental Health and Substance Use Insurance Help. U. S. Department of Health & Human Services.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Grants.
- Shah, M., & Huecker, M. R. (2022). Opioid Withdrawal. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
- Marshal, M. P., Friedman, M. S., Stall, R., King, K. M., Miles, J., Gold, M. A., Bukstein, O. G., & Morse, J. Q. (2008). Sexual orientation and adolescent substance use: A meta-analysis and methodological review. Addiction, 103(4), 546-556.
- National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS). (2022). 2020 N-SSATS State Profile: Virginia. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality.
- Medicare.gov. (n.d.). Inpatient rehabilitation care. U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
