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The Price of Addiction Treatment: An Alcohol Rehab Cost Analysis

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The average alcohol rehab cost for treatment varies between each facility and program type. Some treatment center programs are free of cost, while others cost thousands of dollars a day. Regardless of your budget, affordable treatment is available. The opportunity to recover is accessible if you are aware of the available helpful resources.

In this article:

How Much Does Alcohol Rehab Cost?

It is difficult to answer this question with one set answer due to the wide variance in program types and health insurance coverage. As such, there is generally a range in the average cost of alcohol rehab and what is offered in certain programs. While this list is by no means all-inclusive, it is comprehensive and explains various options for alcohol rehab and things that would impact a program’s cost.

Several types of treatment options may be appropriate for your situation.

Detoxification (Detox)

During this phase of treatment, medical personnel manage the detox process to ensure your safety during withdrawal. These programs vary in length according to the person’s needs, but on average, last between two weeks and 30 days.1

The average cost for a detox program may range from:

  • $250 to $800 per day

Inpatient Treatment

This is short-term, intensive treatment. Inpatient rehab centers provide counseling, medication management, meals, and lodging.2 While inpatient alcohol cost is higher than outpatient programs, these inclusive environments provide the most success for those with acute or long-term alcohol addiction.

Depending on the length of your inpatient program, costs can range from the following:

  • $12,000 to $21,000 for a 30-day program
  • $12,000 to $80,000 for 60- to 90-day programs

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is a structured mental health treatment program you can take part in through visits to a hospital while living at home. It typically runs for most of the day, three to five days per week, and will last one to three months.3,4,5,6

Partial hospitalization treatment may cost:

  • $523 to $633 per week

Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IoT)

IoTs are usually three days per week and three hours per day. Depending on the center’s capacity and client needs, many IoT programs will offer a day or nighttime option. Night IoTs tend to be more popular and in-demand because clients can work during the day and attend therapy at night.1,7

Intensive outpatient treatment typically costs about:

  • $3,000 to $10,000 for a 30-day program

Outpatient/Continuing Care (OP/CC)

OP/CC usually consists of one hour per week, one time per week group sessions. You will also be assigned a primary therapist and usually have one individual session with them per month (or more as needed).2,8

Continuing care ranges from:

  • $5,200 to $7,900 per program

Home Program

A home program is when credentialed professionals come to your home to provide treatment. Based on your appropriateness for this level of care, the professionals coming to your home could include a counselor, doctor, psychiatrist, behavioral health technician, and other support staff as needed. Some parts of the Home Program could also be done via a secure, HIPAA Compliant virtual platform (telehealth).7

  • As this is a newer treatment modality, the most effective way to find price ranges is to contact the program you are thinking of enrolling in.

Additional Treatment Options and Amenities

Regardless of your level of care, you may need “a la carte” treatment. For example, if you are having challenges with your marital relations, the rehab you attend may offer marriage counseling that is not covered in their primary treatment package. You and your spouse can opt for these sessions and would pay for them separately. Other extra treatments may include medication management for co-occurring conditions.9

Average costs for various therapies may include:

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Factors Affecting Cost Variances

Beyond the format you choose to seek treatment in, the cost of your rehab can vary greatly depending on certain aspects of the program.

Amenities Offered by the Treatment Facility

Amenities at treatment centers will usually increase the amount you will pay for treatment. Amenities at a rehab could include tennis courts, swimming pools, in-house chefs and prepared meals, sizeable individual rooms, video streaming options and cable, hi-speed WiFi, or fitness centers.

Typically, the more amenities that are available, the higher the alcohol rehab cost.

Complementary and Adjunctive Treatments

Some rehabs offer treatment modalities that supplement their primary treatment programs, such as:

While some treatment centers will include yoga, play, art, and music therapy, they may not include acupuncture and massage. Any modalities that are not in the primary treatment programs of the rehab will cost an additional fee. Some may include it as an add-on, or some may charge per session or service that you use.11

Length of Treatment

Since the length of treatment is impacted by your needs and planning with your primary therapist at rehab, the cost of your treatment will vary based on how long you remain in treatment. For example, if the average IoT is six weeks long and you end up needing extra weeks for additional support, then your cost for IoT treatment would be more since you are in the program longer.7

Detox programs can also greatly vary in cost. While there are average lengths of time for detoxification from alcohol, the necessary length for detox has many variables, including your age, weight, or length of alcohol use. If you need a medically monitored detox and it takes less time than the average program length, your cost for detox would be less.1,2

Geographic Location

Alcohol rehabs in some areas of the country are more coveted, such as those on a waterfront or scenic property. The facilities tend to be luxury rehabs with higher-cost amenities and more personalized programs. The average alcohol rehab cost is much higher for these programs than rehabs in other areas with fewer amenities.

Further, rehab facilities in states and areas with higher living costs can be more expensive than areas with lower costs of living.10

Format of Rehab

An inpatient program will tend to cost you more than an outpatient program largely because, in an inpatient program, you would be staying and eating there, so the cost of food and lodging would be incorporated.

Some rehabs are privately owned, and some are public. If a public facility is subsidized by taxes or the government, it would cost you less than a private facility.

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Insurance or Cash Pay

Payment may vary based on your insurance coverage. Contact your insurance company for the most accurate insurance coverage information (the phone number is usually on the back of your insurance ID card). Or, if you know which rehab facility you will be going to, you can call them in advance and provide your insurance information so they can run it and give you a payment breakdown.

If you are paying cash and are in a position to make a down payment, many facilities will finance the rest or have a payment plan. 5,10,11,12

The various types of insurances typically accepted by alcohol rehabs are:

  • Medicaid/Medicare
  • State-financed health insurance
  • Private insurance
  • Military insurance
  • Disability insurance

Alternative Financing Options

If the price for alcohol rehab is cost-prohibitive, you can find other ways to afford treatment. Treatment centers can have a sliding scale fee that would base the amount you pay on your income. Rehabs also may have different payment options so you may be able to make installments. Some rehabs will have scholarships or grants available, so you can ask admissions or your intake counselor about them.11,12,13

The cost of rehab might create some reservations or trepidation for you, but it might help if you can view it as an investment in your health and your future. Getting and staying sober may even be cheaper in the long run, as you will no longer be spending money on alcohol. If you were having career difficulties and other life struggles due to drinking, once you become sober and l make changes to support long-term recovery, you will feel the full effects of your investment in treatment.

While it may be humbling to ask for financial help or payment options, by weighing your options and asking for help, the financial barriers you may be facing toward entering treatment could be lowered or removed. Asking for help and receiving it could make a large difference in your ability to receive treatment.

If you or a loved one feel treatment is a right fit or you’re unsure of where to start, contact a treatment specialist at 800-948-8417 Question iconSponsored .

Resources

  1. French, M.T., Popovici, I., & Tapsell, L. (2008). The Economic Costs of Substance Abuse Treatment: Updated Estimates and Cost Bands for Program Assessment and Reimbursement. J Subst Abuse Treat. 35(4), 462-469.
  2. Mojtabai, R. & Zivin, J.G. (2003). Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Four Treatment Modalities for Substance Disorders: A Propensity Score Analysis. Health Serv Res. 38(1 PT1), 233-259.
  3. The National Association of Private Psychiatric Hospitals and the American Association for Partial Hospitalization. Definition of Partial Hospitalization. Psychiatr Hosp. (1990). Spring;21(2):89-90.
  4. Bateman, A., & Fonagy, P. (1999). Effectiveness of Partial Hospitalization in the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Psychiatry, 156:(10), 1563-1569.
  5. Medicare (n.d.) Mental health care (partial hospitalization).
  6. Kastkutas, L.A., Zavala, S.K., Parthasarathy, S, & Witbordt, J. (2008). Costs of day hospital and community residential chemical dependency treatment, J Ment Health Policy Econ. 11(1), 27–32.
  7. Substance Abuse: Clinical Issues in Intensive Outpatient Treatment. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 47. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2006.
  8. McKay, J.R., Carise, D, Dennis, M.L., Dupont, R., Humphreys, K., Kemp, J., Reynolds, D., White, W., Annstrong, R., Chalk, M., Haberle, B, McLellan, T., O’Connor, G., Pakull, B., & Schwartzlose, J. (2009). Extending the Benefits of Addiction Treatment: Practical Strategies for Continuing Care and Recovery. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 36 (2009), 127- 130.
  9. Okamura, K.H., Wolk, C.L.B., Kang-Yi, C.D., Stewart, R., Rubin, R.M., Weaver, S., Evans, A.C., Cidav, Z., Beidas, R.S., & Mandell, D.S. (2017). The Price per Prospective Consumer of Providing Therapist Training and Consultation in Seven Evidence-Based Treatments within a Large Public Behavioral Health System: An Example Cost-Analysis Metric. Frontier of Public Health. 5, 356.
  10. S. Department of Human Health Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2008). Substance Abuse Prevention Dollar and Cents: A Cost Benefit Analysis.
  11. Breithaupt, D. (2001). Why Health Insurers Should Pay for Addiction Treatment: Treatment Works and Would Lead to Net Societal Benefits. Western Journal of Medicine, 174(6), 375-377.
  12. Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health (n.d.). Time for a Change.
  13. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2018). Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide (Third Edition).
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