Addiction is a serious disease that if left unchecked can quickly spiral out of control. You could end up jeopardizing your job and relationships, including the one with your family.
Accepting that you have a problem is the first step to recovery and getting your life back on track. The next step is seeking suitable help to beat your addiction. This involves getting addiction treatment at a rehab facility. Going to rehab presents different challenges, especially if you’d like to keep this part of your life secret from your family. Fortunately, you’re not in the minority and there are plenty of people who seek to attend rehab anonymously.
There are several reasons why an individual would like to attend rehab without their family knowing. The main one is the stigma associated with addiction. Maybe you feel ashamed and guilty about your substance use disorder and wouldn’t like to burden your family any more than necessary. Perhaps you feel that you’re sparing your family the shame or embarrassment associated with addiction or maybe you’re worried about what they’ll say when they find out you’re going to rehab.
Regardless of the reason, you’re now looking for ways to get help for your addiction without your family finding out about it. Here are three available options:
1. Traveling for rehab.
One way you can receive drug addiction treatment while keeping it from your family is to choose a rehab facility that’s far from home. This way you can focus on your treatment without worrying about bumping into anyone you know. Traveling to a different location for rehab can give you a sense of starting over and leaving old habits behind. On the downside, it can be quite expensive and you may also face difficulties coming up with an aftercare plan once you return home.
2. Attending outpatient rehab
Another option that could work for you is attending rehab on an outpatient basis. Many rehabs offer outpatient addiction treatment programs to clients who meet certain criteria. This includes only having moderate to mild addiction, having no co-occurring mental health issues, and no history of relapse. Since outpatient programs don’t require you to sleep at the treatment facility, you can continue meeting your normal obligations. This saves you from taking a break from your life to attend rehab, raising questions in the process. You only attend rehab at stipulated times, on specific days of the week, and can work these sessions into your schedule.
3. Checking in to an addiction treatment center.
If the other two options don’t appeal to you, you can always check in anonymously at a rehab facility. It may come as a surprise, but there are laws in place to protect and guarantee your privacy when seeking treatment at an addiction treatment center. These laws include:
- The Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
This law outlines the protections and privacy rights you have over your medical records and other health information. This includes giving you control over setting boundaries on how your health records can be used and released. Thanks to this law, rehab centers can’t release any of your private information without your authorization unless required by law or by a court order.
- The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records Privacy Law
This law puts restrictions in place regarding disclosing or using patient records, including any information on substance abuse or related services. These restrictions are stricter than the ones that bind doctor-client privilege, ensuring that your records remain private. Any rehab facilities that violate this law by disclosing any information you entrusted them with, without your authorization, are liable to pay heavy fines.
- Different State Laws
Additionally, different states have statutes and laws that aim to protect patients’ privacy and confidentiality, especially where their substance abuse records or mental health records are concerned. This was deemed necessary to protect people from discrimination based on mental health or substance use disorders. These laws vary from state to state and you can familiarize yourself with the ones relevant to your state.
As you can see, you don’t have to be worried about your privacy when attending rehab. These treatment facilities are bound by several laws not to release your records or information unless you explicitly authorize it.
However, you need to keep in mind that it may be impossible to be completely anonymous when seeking rehab treatment. If you’re paying for treatment using insurance, for instance, you’ll have to provide proof of identification such as a photo ID for the payment to be processed.
Privacy and Anonymity at Evolve Indy
At Evolve Indy, we take our clients’ privacy, confidentiality, and safety very seriously.
We want our clients to relax and focus on their treatment and recovery without worrying about their privacy. All the information you entrust to us, both during admission to our treatment programs as well as during your treatment, is considered confidential. Furthermore, all our addiction treatment specialists are experienced professionals in their fields and know the importance of maintaining their clients’ privacy and confidentiality.
Some of our treatment programs such as the Intensive Outpatient Program or the Partial Hospitalization ones may require you to attend group therapy sessions. You can rest assured that your privacy won’t be compromised as we insist that all our clients sign a rehab policy and agreement that partly stipulates they have to maintain other patients’ confidentiality during and after treatment at the facility.
While we promote and encourage families to get involved in their loved one’s recovery by participating in our family therapy program, we also understand that this isn’t possible for all our clients. If you’d like to receive drug addiction treatment without your family being aware of it, you don’t have to worry. We’ll maintain your privacy.
Get in touch with us today and let us help you rebuild your life, free from addiction.