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The search for the right alcohol addiction treatment program doesn’t need to be overwhelming. There are plenty of options for alcohol rehab in Columbus, Ohio, including free rehabs, holistic rehabs, dual diagnosis treatment, luxury and executive care, Christian rehabs, and more. No matter your needs or situation, there is a Columbus alcohol rehab that’s right for you. And cost doesn’t need to be a barrier to care either—many treatment facilities in Columbus and across Ohio accept private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare.

Columbus, Ohio Alcohol Use Statistics

According to the 2020 Columbus & Franklin County Addiction Plan, Columbus, Ohio, is one of the many cities in the midst of a crisis, as addiction rates remain high.³ According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in 2010, more than 20% of people aged 12 to 20 in the county of Franklin reported some form of alcohol misuse, including binge drinking or drinking more than the recommended limit of 2 drinks a day for men and 1 for women.⁴ In the same report, more than 8% of the population in Franklin County, which includes Columbus, reported alcohol dependence or misuse in the past year, with 7% of that population needing treatment but not receiving it.⁴

That means that 105,904 out of the 1,323,807 residents of Franklin County have some form of alcohol misuse, and more than 7,000 of these residents have not received the treatment they need.⁵ This is why Columbus and Franklin County started their 2020 Action Plan to help those in need receive the treatment that they deserve for alcohol and drug addiction. If you feel like your alcohol use has negatively impacted your life and decide to seek treatment for alcohol misuse, or you have a loved one who has decided to seek treatment, this article will review some of the resources you will need to start your recovery journey.

What is the Cost of Alcohol Rehab in Columbus, Ohio?

The cost of rehab will vary from person to person since each treatment plan in rehab is individualized. The great thing is that Ohio is committed to helping those in need struggling with alcohol misuse, with more than 78% of all treatment centers in Ohio accepting private insurance, 57% accepting Medicare, and 93% accepting Medicaid.⁶

Here are a few things to consider when reviewing rehab programs in Columbus, Ohio:

Will your rehab need inpatient or outpatient treatment?
Will you need to detox?
What amenities are offered?
How long will treatment be?
Does the rehab center or treatment providers accept your insurance?

Most treatment centers in Columbus, Ohio, accept all major forms of insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid.⁶ Therefore, there is a good chance that most of your treatment services will be covered by insurance.

How to Find Free Rehabs in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus residents have access to resources from the office of Public Health for alcohol and drug treatment programs.⁷ The cost of rehab for alcohol misuse can cause tremendous financial angst, and you may need financial assistance to pay for rehab after deciding to get the help you need. Fortunately, If you live in Columbus, you can choose from the following types of free or low-cost rehab programs.

With Ohio’s Medicaid Program, your coverage can pay for state-funded rehab programs.⁹
If you can’t find a rehab in Columbus that offers free or low-cost treatment for alcohol misuse, Ohio offers 28 rehab centers with funding from government programs.⁶
Some treatment centers in Columbus offer payment assistance and scholarships that may cover some or the entire cost of rehab. You will need to do some research and inquire about the rehab you’re interested in Columbus if this service is offered.

If you can’t find a rehab center in Columbus that offers free treatment, 305 programs in the state offer no charge or minimal payment for clients who cannot pay for alcohol and drug misuse treatment.⁶

Does Insurance Cover Alcohol Rehab in Columbus?

When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect in 2010, it expanded coverage for the treatment of mental and substance misuse disorders.⁹ If you live in Columbus, Ohio, are a resident of Franklin County, and have insurance, whether private, state Medicaid, or Medicare, rehab for alcohol misuse is covered.⁷ In Columbus, the state of Ohio, and in the US, if you have insurance, you are entitled to receive treatment for alcohol or substance use disorder.⁷ Call the toll-free number on the back of your insurance card to discuss the extent of your coverage and speak with your rehab center to discuss all copays.

Private Insurance

Under the ACA, if you have any form of insurance, whether private, Medicaid, or Medicare, you have the right to seek addiction treatment services.⁹ There are 484 rehabs in Columbus and Franklin County that accept private insurance.⁶ Some of the private insurance plans in Columbus, Ohio, include:¹⁰

Paramount Insurance Company
Aetna Life Insurance Company
United Healthcare Insurance
Cigna Health
Community Insurance / Anthem Blue Cross

Medicaid

As of July 1, 2018, the Ohio Medicaid program redesigned its behavioral health services, integrating them into managed care.⁸ The goal of this program was to develop new services for individuals with high-intensity service and support needs and improve health outcomes through better coordination.⁸ Ohio’s Medicaid program is health insurance for eligible low-income US citizens, children, infants, elderly adults, pregnant women, and people with disabilities that offers comprehensive coverage to many in Franklin County.¹¹ Many treatment centers in Columbus, Ohio, accept Medicaid. Some of the services covered include detox, inpatient rehab, residential, and outpatient programs:⁸

Medicare

Medicare is the federal health insurance program available to US citizens 65 years of age or older, people with certain disabilities, and individuals with end-stage kidney disease, on dialysis, or in need of a transplant.¹² In Columbus, 352 facilities accept Medicare insurance.⁶

Does My Insurance Plan Cover Alcohol Addiction Treatment?

Make sure to call the toll-free number on the back of your insurance card to ask about your coverage before entering treatment. After taking the first step to seek help for alcohol misuse, your search for a rehab in Columbus that provides the best-individualized plan for you can begin.

How to Finance Alcohol Abuse Treatment in Columbus, Ohio

If you are struggling with your financial situation or your insurance doesn’t cover all of your treatment, there are several options for financing your alcohol abuse rehab in Columbus, Ohio, or in the county of Franklin.

Apply for a Rehab Scholarship

Rehab scholarships are awarded based on people’s individual needs and may even cover all treatment costs. More than 20 rehabs in Columbus, Ohio, offer some financial aid, and these can be in the form of scholarships or payment plans.¹³ If you can’t find a treatment center in Columbus that offers a scholarship, 135 rehab programs in Ohio offer financial assistance.¹³ When searching for a rehab that offers scholarships, call to inquire about this opportunity, and ask what the scholarship requirements and application instructions are.

Find a Sliding Scale Rehab Program

A sliding scale offers a flexible payment that can be adjusted based on a person’s ability to pay. Many treatment centers understand that alcohol use disorder or substance use disorder can lead to financial difficulties, which is why most can work with you to accommodate any financial needs that you may have when seeking treatment. The SAMHSA Find a Treatment Center online tool is constantly updated, and currently shows 20 rehab centers that offer sliding-scale payments in Columbus and in Franklin County.¹³

Choose a Program That Offers Payment Plans

Financing your treatment allows you to pay off the amount owed in installments. Payment plans can also be done in the form of loans provided by the treatment program. Remember to discuss financial terms with the lending company as interest rates may apply and vary if you are choosing to do a payment plan. The best way to find a program that offers a payment plan, or any other form of financial assistance is through your search engine and typing “SAMHSA Find Treatment Tool.” ¹³

Popular Alcohol Rehab Centers in Columbus, Ohio

House of Hope

The House of Hope provides alcohol and drug treatment services to those in need in the Columbus area. It offers residential treatment, outpatient services, and recovery residencies. It offers evening intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) geared for men only and a women’s outpatient program.

Ohio Addiction Recovery Center

The Ohio Addiction Recovery Center in Grove City, just southwest of Columbus, offers individual care plans designed around your specific needs. It is a private rehab that helps people uncover the underlying cause of their alcohol misuse or drug use disorder. It offers drug and alcohol detox, inpatient rehab, outpatient rehab, and sober living.

Milestone Addiction Counseling

Milestone Addiction Counseling offers services that help you maintain your recovery. It offers IOP, individual counseling, medication-assisted-treatment, group counseling, and mental health counseling.

The Recovery Village Columbus

The Recovery Village Columbus offers comprehensive addiction treatment that includes detox and inpatient treatment. It offers individualized programs that include residential treatment, outpatient treatment, and even teletherapy. It offers customized payment plans and options for clients who need help financing treatment if they do not have insurance.

Alvis Recovery programs

The Alvis recovery program in Columbus has population-specific recovery programs. Amethyst offers treatment for women and women with children, and Recovery Choices offers holistic and long-term outpatient services for men and women. It also offers workforce development and family and children programs.

Comparing Alcohol Rehab Settings: Inpatient vs. Outpatient

Lasting neurobiological changes in your brain can result from long-term alcohol misuse, leading to people craving more alcohol or a substance, feeling like they’re unable to stop, and needing greater amounts to achieve the desired effects.¹⁴ Many believe that alcohol use disorder is due to a person’s lack of will or self-discipline, but this stigma is wrong since alcohol user disorder and addiction are diseases of the brain.¹⁴ If you try to stop using, you may experience symptoms of withdrawal suddenly.¹⁴ That is why treatment for alcohol misuse is tailored to your needs, which will be determined at the time of your intake.

The first step of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is admitting that there is a problem, that you are powerless over alcohol, and that you need help.² This step is usually what drives many to start treatment, which usually starts with detox in either an inpatient or residential setting.¹⁵ After detox, you may then graduate to a partial hospitalization program, or PHP, where you may attend outpatient rehab usually for at least eight hours per day.¹⁵ You will be regularly evaluated to determine if you are ready to transition to the next step — an intensive outpatient program, followed by standard outpatient. Then, when you are ready, you’ll transition into aftercare programs.¹⁵ It is important that remember that not everyone will follow these specific steps. Your treatment plan may start with IOP or PHP, residential treatment, or as an outpatient. All of this will depend on the amount of misuse, and your intake evaluation since it will determine the level of treatment needed depending on the severity of your alcohol misuse.

Inpatient Alcohol Rehab

As part of your inpatient treatment, you should expect your withdrawal symptoms to be closely monitored as these can lead to serious consequences if not managed according.¹⁵ You may receive psychotherapy, attend 12-step AA meetings, and participate in group therapy, and counseling sessions during the inpatient rehab phase of your treatment.¹⁵ Inpatient rehab is the step after detox that provides alcohol use disorder treatment under medical supervision in a hospital, psychiatric facility, or free-standing rehabilitation center.¹⁵

Partial Hospitalization Programs

You can partake in a PHP in the same place as an inpatient treatment program, as long as it is held in a free-standing rehabilitation center.¹⁵ A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is a step below inpatient rehabilitation. It is the next step in the treatment process for alcohol misuse. It’s a rigorous outpatient program due to the hours of commitment required. It provides counseling services during daytime hours, but you are welcome to go home at night.¹⁵

Intensive Outpatient Programs

Intensive outpatient programs, or IOPs, differ from PHPs in that they have a more flexible time commitment requiring anywhere from six to nine hours per day two to three times per week.¹⁵ IOPs are great options if you are taking the afternoon from work to seek recovery treatment or have other responsibilities. Some of the services offered to clients in IOPs include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, psychotherapy, counseling groups, and 12-step meetings.¹⁵

Standard Outpatient

Standard outpatient treatment is usually the first level of treatment if you have mild alcohol misused and offers the most flexibility when it comes to the commitment required for treatment.¹⁵ Usually treatment is provided by counselors in a clinic or office setting and generally requires only a few hours of services compared to either PHP or IOP.¹⁵

Telehealth and Online Alcohol Rehab

Many rehab centers have started to offer telehealth treatment programs. Ohio Medicaid also covers telehealth alcohol misuse treatment programs if they are right for you.⁹ Telehealth substance use disorder treatment is a new form of treatment that uses telephone or videoconferencing to help provide recovery treatment care without you having to go to the clinic or treatment center.¹⁶ Be honest about your alcohol abuse during your intake to get your individualized treatment plan, as telehealth recovery programs may not be ideal for all seeking treatment.

Medical Detox Services to Manage Alcohol Withdrawal

Managed by a licensed medical provider, medical detox is essential to help your body flush the drugs or alcohol causing the desired effect and manage the withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping substance misuse. This helps minimize the dangerous side effects that suddenly stopping alcohol consumption can bring.¹⁵ Medically managed detox normally takes place in the intensive inpatient acute care setting with a healthcare provider monitoring you to manage any symptoms and provide some comfort as withdrawal symptoms can be uncomfortable.¹⁵

Mild withdrawal symptoms can present within a few hours to a day from the time of your last drink, these include:¹⁵

Insomnia
Anxiety
Gastrointestinal discomfort
Emotional instability
Clammy skin
Headaches
Rapid heart rate

If you suffer from severe alcohol use disorder you can experience more serious withdrawal symptoms, which can include seizures and even hallucinations known as delirium tremens.¹⁵ Without adequate medical supervision, alcohol withdrawal may be fatal.

Specialized Alcohol Rehab in Columbus

Treatment for alcohol misuse needs to be individualized to the person, matching treatment setting, interventions, and services to the person’s particular situation.¹⁷ This is critical to establishing long-term recovery since the opposite of addiction is connection and it is important to have a group of people that you feel you can relate with. Therefore, Columbus and the entire state of Ohio offer rehab programs geared to specific communities.

Veteran Rehab

Veterans have sacrificed so much for this country, and because of their sacrifice, their needs regarding treatment for alcohol or drug misuse can be different from the rest of the public. That is why Ohio offers many rehab programs tailored to veterans’ needs. Seven rehab centers offer treatment programs for veterans in Columbus.¹³ If none of the programs in Columbus offer what you want, more than 107 programs in Ohio offer rehabs specifically designed for veterans.⁶

LGBTQ+ Rehab

The LGBTQ+ community shares unique circumstances that require a program with the tools and training to provide an inclusive approach to treatment filled with understanding of the many struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. This allows for a more effective treatment, which will set you up for long-term recovery. This is why Columbus is dedicated to offering inclusive treatment for all.⁷ Eleven rehab centers offer treatments tailored to the LGBTQ+ community in Columbus, and 114 offer these services in the state of Ohio.^6,13

Men-Only Rehab

Men-only rehab can offer a greater sense of belonging as you may feel more comfortable attending group therapy and sharing specific struggles unique to your own gender. In Columbus, 22 treatment centers offer rehab specifically for men.¹³

Women-Only Rehab

Women may prefer to enter rehab programs that meet their specific needs and provide a sense of belonging, protection, and care unique to women. Therefore, Columbus offers 24 rehab programs geared to help only women.¹³ In Ohio, more than 500 rehab centers offer gender-specific tailored programs.⁶

Teen Rehab

Teens may need a specific treatment plan as their brains are still developing and may need a different approach to understand the implications of alcohol misuse and to learn the tools of recovery. Your teen’s pediatrician may be a good source to start with for help, and 133 rehab programs in Ohio and nine in Columbus offer treatment programs geared specifically toward teens.^13,6

Should I Travel to Columbus, Ohio, for Alcohol Rehab?

Columbus is diverse and inclusive, with rehab programs located throughout the city and the county of Franklin. You should consider many factors if you are thinking about deciding to travel to Columbus such as:

The weather can be rough for some in Columbus
Columbus is a smaller city, slower-paced compared to other cities
There is a rehab program in Columbus that meets all your treatment goals
You have family in Columbus that support your path to recovery
Your insurance covers treatment in Columbus

Neighborhoods in Columbus to Consider for Treatment

Columbus is a city of more than 900,000 and continues to grow.⁵ There are many neighborhoods in Columbus with rehab treatment centers that can meet your needs. Some of these neighborhoods include Upper Arlington, Bexley, Short North Arts District, and Merion Village, with rehab centers nearby.

Alcohol and Drug Laws in Columbus, Ohio

As of September 13, 2016, the “911 Good Samaritan Law” went into effect in Ohio. The law grants immunity from arrest and prosecution to certain individuals under certain circumstances that include:¹⁸

Making a 911 call.
Contacting on-duty officer in person or by phone.
Transporting a person who has overdosed on drugs or alcohol to a healthcare facility.

You must act in good faith and obtain medical assistance for another person experiencing an overdose. To not be arrested, the following items must apply:¹⁸

Law enforcement found drugs when providing medical assistance for a drug overdose.
The person received a drug test and is referred to treatment with an accredited addiction treatment program or professional within 30 days.
When confronted by a prosecutor, the person can provide documentation that verifies the date and time of the drug test and receipt of a referral.

Aftercare Options for Relapse Prevention

Recovery is a lifelong process, and people with alcohol use disorder can and do recover if they are committed to their recovery.¹⁴ The tools you learn in rehab will help you cope in different ways than you used to in the past, but to continue, it is important to consider aftercare as a continuation of treatment. The goal is to maintain sobriety, stay in remission, prevent relapse, and maintain a solid support system since the opposite of addiction is connection.

There is no set cure for alcohol use disorder, but with treatment, you can maintain long-term recovery. Many facilities offer aftercare programs (often termed alumni programs) that coordinate sober gatherings, 12-step meetings, and group counseling sessions. Another way to continue your path to sobriety is by regularly attending AA meetings, getting a sponsor, working the steps, passing it on to others, and building relationships with the members from these meetings. Sober living homes and other forms of group counseling are also great ways to keep yourself on track. The path to recovery can feel daunting, it may feel like it moves slowly, but if you continue to work at it, you will find yourself being a different, better person in recovery.

Resources

Journal of American Medical Association. (2021). Unhealthy Alcohol Use.
Bill. (1981). Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions: A co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous tells how members recover and how the society functions. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Columbus and Franklin County. (2020). Columbus and Franklin County Addiction Plan. Bridging the Cap for Opiate & Drug Recovery.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Ohio.
United States Census Bureau. (2020). Franklin County, Ohio: Columbus City, Ohio.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2020). 2020 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Series State Profiles Executive Summary.
The City of Columbus. (2022). Columbus Public Health. Alcohol and Drug Program.
Ohio Department of Medicaid. (2022). Medicaid Behavioral Health.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2016). Paying for Behavioral Health Treatment: The Role of the Affordable Care Act.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance. (2019). NCQA Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2019 – 2020.
Ohio Department of Medicaid. (2022). Who Qualifies.
US Department of Health & Human Services. (2014). Who Is Eligible for Medicare.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). Find Treatment.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2021). Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2006). Detoxification and Substance Abuse Treatment.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Using Telehealth or Telemedicine.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2018). Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment. A Research-Based Guide. Principles of Effective Treatment.
The Ohio State University. (2019). Drug Overdose and Ohio’s Good Samaritan Law.