When you get arrested for a drug charge, it can be very scary. The penalty for being arrested for drug charges can be very serious and have lifelong ramifications. There are many people who are given the ultimatum to go into drug rehabilitation treatment or go to jail. If you are given this option, you need to jump on it and go to treatment.
Going to drug rehabilitation allows you to not only avoid going to jail but also provides you with the opportunity to get the help you need to stay clean for the rest of your life. The following guide walks you through the steps you need to take after a judge orders you to go into drug rehabilitation treatment.
Types of Treatment the Orders Require
The first thing you need to do is find out what the stipulations of the order are. You need to be sure you know what constitutes as drug rehabilitation to the court, how long you need to go to treatment and what information the court needs to get in order for you to meet the stipulations of the order. There are many times when courts will not recognize outpatient treatment as being enough treatment. Outpatient treatment allows you to still carry on with your normal life while having to go in for treatment every once in a while.
Many courts require people to go into an inpatient treatment facility for at least thirty and oftentimes up to 90 days in order to get the treatment that they need. The courts often view inpatient treatment as being intense therapy where people can not only get off of drugs safely but also get help with their addiction recovery so that they can stay clean after they finish the treatment. There are certificates or diplomas that are given upon completion of the treatments and you need to find out if you need to bring the certificate to the courthouse upon completion or if the treatment center sends it in for you.
How Long Do You Have to be in Treatment?
You also need to find out how long you have to get into a treatment program. Many programs have a limited number of openings into their treatments programs. You may have to travel in order to find an opening.
Most judges want you to get into treatment as soon as possible and most will give you a very small window of time to get enrolled in a treatment program. You need to know the exact amount of time that you have to find the program so you can find a facility with an opening within that amount of time.
Can You Travel for Treatment?
You need to find out if the judge will allow you to travel to get the treatment that you need or if he or she will require you to stay locally in order to go the treatment. Some judges cannot you to stay within their jurisdiction so that your treatment can be completely monitored.
If you are allowed to travel, you need to find out how you can alert the court that you have enrolled in the program, are there and when you complete it and are ready to head home.
How do You Have to Pay for the Treatment?
There are some jurisdictions where court-ordered treatment is covered by the state, but some areas require the addict to pay for the treatment on their own. You need to find out if you are required to pay for the treatment or if the state covers it. If the state covers it, there will only be a few facilities that you can go to. If you have to pay for the treatment yourself, you need to find a facility that offers treatment you can afford.
If you do not have the money to pay for treatment, your insurance may cover it. If you don’t have insurance, you may have to find a facility that allows you to pay for the treatment through a payment plan or take out a loan to go to the treatment. Inability to pay for the treatment isn’t an excuse not to go. If you don’t go when you are ordered to seek treatment, you can be incarcerated for violating a court order.
Take All You Can Get from the Treatment
When you go into treatment, be willing to take all of the training to heart. You will get to talk to a counselor about how you are feeling and what is going on in your life. You can talk about why you started using drugs, why you want to stop using them and any efforts you have made to stop using in the past. You want to be sure that you take all of the counseling that is offered to you.
You’ll also be able to detox from the drugs with medical assistance, which can make the detox process much more tolerable than if you tried to do it on your own. It allows your detox symptoms to be minimized so that you can withdrawal safely and to help you from craving the drugs as you detox, which makes withdrawal much easier.
Once you finish the treatment program, it doesn’t mean you are out of the woods though. The judge can order you to join a program that provides outpatient treatment or to join a group where former addicts work together to make staying sober easier. It will be a long battle, but once you are clean you need to take every step you can to stay clean and live the best life that you possibly can.
