21 Jul How Addiction Services In Calgary Can Help You Overcome Addiction
Addiction is an issue that affects Canadians across the country, including in the city of Calgary, Alberta.
2.5 Albertans died due to unintentional opioid poisoning every day, on average, in the first half of 2020, as cited in our blog post 6 Facts on Drug and Alcohol Addiction Statistics in Canada.
Between April and June, the highest number of fentanyl-related deaths happened in the Edmonton and Calgary zones, according to the COVID-19 Opioid Response Surveillance Report: Q2 2020.
That’s why it’s important to be aware of the addiction services in Calgary, and how they can help you overcome addiction. In this article, we’ll go over
- The benefits of addiction & alcohol services in Calgary
- How to select the right addiction treatment option for you in Calgary
- Drug rehab centers in Calgary
- Addiction rehab treatment Calgary
- FAQs
The Benefits of Addiction & Alcohol Services In Calgary
It is a known fact that you are more likely to succeed in recovery with the help of addiction and alcohol services than trying to become sober on your own. This is because of the benefits you receive from these services that you won’t have, at least not to the same degree, on your own. Some of these benefits include
- Professional Planning
- Professional and Peer Support
- Counseling
- Medical Supervision
- Sole Focus on Recovery
Professional Planning
Whether you’re using intervention services, a detox program, or rehabilitation services, you’ll be aided by professionals to create a recovery plan for you. This is especially true of private rehab centers that offer inpatient and outpatient services because they’ll have more freedom to personalize plans specifically for you.
Typically, private rehab centers are centers that are funded privately rather than by the government (government-funded rehab centers). Often times they’re more expensive, but because of this, they’re able to offer a wider plethora of services and customization than more crowded, cheaper government-funded facilities can.
However, planning isn’t just involved in what happens in a rehab program. You can also use an intervention specialist like Andy Bhatti to help direct you to which addiction services will be best for you and your situation. And, if you use a detox center for detox (which we recommend because it’s the safest way to become sober after drug or alcohol use), a plan for your detox will be created for you so that you can become sober in the safest way possible.
Having the benefit of a professional helping you plan out your next steps for recovery can be extremely helpful. Getting sober is a difficult process, and it can help to have a professional lead you down the best path for you.
Professional and Peer Support
Addiction recovery shouldn’t be a process you have to go through on your own. And you won’t, if you use addiction treatment services. You’ll be surrounded by professionals who specialize in this type of treatment, and peers struggling with similar issues. Having this type of support can be practically useful for your recovery, but it can also be mentally useful, as you will hopefully feel less isolated with this type of support, plus any friends and family supporting you outside of your recovery.
This type of support can be found almost across the board; in rehab treatment, support groups, group therapy, sober living homes, etc.
Counseling
We mentioned group therapy in passing in our previous point, but counselling is actually a very important part of rehab. Whether it’s a group or individual therapy, most if not all Calgary rehab programs will include some form of counselling. Types of counselling will differ depending on the centre and program, but the point will basically always be to work through your substance dependency and develop new strategies that will help you remain sober, even once your addiction treatment is over.
Having this sort of introspection offered can be incredibly beneficial for understanding yourself and your addiction better, which in turn will help you better understand how to stay sober.
Medical Supervision
Embarking on a journey of recovery is a courageous step for anyone struggling with addiction to take, and it’s an important step for yourself, your family and friends, your health, finances, etc.
However, it can also be dangerous.
Depending on what you’re addicted to, the severity of the addiction, etc, you can have intense withdrawal symptoms, including seizures, when sobering up from being on drugs or alcohol. Typically, this is the first step of rehab, called detox. Detoxing in a facility set up for this process can ensure you go through the process safely, with a minimized risk of experiencing these more dangerous or painful withdrawal symptoms.
Other potential risks, like mental health issues, will also be able to be evaluated and monitored when going through rehab, particularly if you’re going through an inpatient program.
Sole Focus on Recovery
When you’re in recovery, particularly when enrolled in an inpatient program, the sole focus of your life is on your recovery. It will be made to be the priority, which can be very important. If you are trying to become sober on your own, you won’t have those checks and balances of the prioritized program focused on helping you stay sober. Instead, your recovery can become de-prioritized if you need to focus too much on other responsibilities in your life.
Below we have a table summarizing these benefits.
| Benefit | Summary Description |
| Professional Planning | With the use of treatment services, you can have a rehabilitation plan created by professionals, tailored towards you, especially if in a detox program or receiving private inpatient treatment. |
| Professional and Peer Support | You’ll be surrounded by medical and psychological professionals, and peers in a similar situation to you, all focused on treatment and recovery for those with substance dependency issues. |
| Counseling | Many treatment services, including rehab centres, will have counselling as an aspect, which can help you work through your substance dependency and develop strategies to stay sober. |
| Medical Supervision | You’ll be supervised by medical professionals to ensure your safety. |
| Sole Focus on Recovery | Especially with inpatient treatment, the sole focus of your life will be based on your recovery. It’s treated as a very important factor of your life, rather than having to get de-prioritized due to other responsibilities. |
How To Select The Right Addiction Treatment Option for you in Calgary
If you have begun researching addiction treatment options in Calgary to begin the road to recovery, you’ll know that there’s a wide variety of them, with different focuses, benefits, and disadvantages. Some of those include
- Short stay rehab facilities in Calgary
- Calgary drop-in & rehab centres
- Healthcare & rehab specialties Calgary
The challenge is to find the right addiction treatment option for you in Calgary. So let’s go through each option, what it is, and how to decide if it’s the right option for you.
Short Stay Rehab Facilities In Calgary
The length of rehab is generally 30, 60, or 90 days. Short stay rehab facilities in Calgary, unsurprisingly, have patients that go through their programs at the lowest end of that; in 30 days or less. You may see different lengths for the short-term stays different Calgary addiction services (or addiction services anywhere) offer.
This shorter time length means that you’ll only need to commit about a month of your time to rehab (although recovery is a lifelong commitment. In saying this, we mean that the intense disturbance to your life that rehab can be will only be for a month).
However, if you have a more severe addiction, or believe that a longer rehab stay will be more beneficial for you, that’s an option, too. You have to do what’s best for you and your recovery.
Calgary Drop-in & Rehab Centre
The Calgary Drop in & Rehab Centre Society is actually an emergency shelter for those who are at risk of or are homeless. The shelter has a variety of programs so that people are able to sustain themselves and find a home outside the shelter. Although it mentions health services, the website doesn’t seem to mention addiction services specifically. But, if you google “Calgary Drop-in & Rehab Centre,” the shelter website is what you’ll find.
That being said, some addiction treatment centers may accept walk-ins, although not all do and some only accept walk-ins at certain times, so make sure you do your research before walking into a center for treatment.
If you’re able to schedule an assessment, interview, program enrolment, etc in advance, that’s best. But, you may have walk-in options available to you if that for some reason isn’t feasible.
Healthcare & Rehab Specialties Calgary
The Healthcare & Rehab Specialties Calgary is another facility that exists as something else, although this time it’s a medical equipment supplier.
The term, though, can also be used to encapsulate some of the more specialized programs different treatment centers offer, including the addiction services Calgary homes. Treatment centers may have special programs depending on
- The type of counseling offered
- The amenities available
- The gender identity of the patients (men-specific and women-specific programs)
- The age of the patients (youth, under 18, vs adult, over 18)
- The substance that the patient is addicted to
- How customized the program is
Among other things, as well. If you would feel more comfortable in a more specialized program, tailored more closely to your experience, these types of programs are something to keep in mind while you’re doing your research.
Drug Rehab Centers in Calgary
Drug rehab centres in Calgary below were some of the top-rated addiction services Calgary offers on Google.
EHN Sandstone Rehab Calgary
The Edgewood Health Network (EHN) Sandstone rehab center in Calgary is a rehab center for addiction treatment that includes inpatient programs. Some of the activities you can partake in during your stay, other than counseling and other more typical treatment methods, are yoga, meditation, and other fitness activities.
Teen Challenge Canada
Teen Challenge is not going to be the treatment center for everyone, as its website claims it’s largely faith-based. However, the center is a part of a series across Canada that offer a year-long program for those struggling with a dependency on alcohol and other substances aged 18 and over (despite the center’s name).
Oxford House Foundation of Canada
Oxford House Foundation of Canada offers inpatient services where those struggling with alcohol and/or other substance dependencies can enter into recovery with all the support and resources they need to be set up for success. On the website’s About page, it boldly proclaims that you can recover without relapse with the Oxford House Foundation of Canada.
Smart Clinic
Smart Clinic offers outpatient services to treat a variety of different types of addictions, including alcohol. These services are available in-person, or virtually to those who may be outside the city. According to the website, this clinic is the first of its kind, combining addiction services, mental health services, and family practice to treat individuals in their entirety.
Trifecta Addiction & Mental Health Services
Trifecta Addiction & Mental Health Services includes a variety of addiction treatment programs, including outpatient programs, primary care, interventions, counseling, etc. By having only small numbers of patients at a time, allowing for a high ratio of professionals to patients, Trifecta boasts on its website that it’s able to offer each patient individualized care.
Andy Bhatti Interventions & Addiction Services
Andy Bhatti Interventions & Addictions Services include planning and hosting interventions, as well as treatment planning, counseling connecting, support, etc. Professionally-hosted interventions mean that a professional, like Andy Bhatti, will be there to oversee and mediate the situation. Plus, his support with planning means there will be someone who knows the system to recovery there to guide you or your loved one through it.
If you’re not located in Calgary, there are many other effective treatment centers located across Canada, including in Alberta, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ontario, etc.
Addiction Rehab Treatment Calgary
We’ve outlined some of the different types of addiction services Calgary offers below.
| Addiction Rehab Treatment Calgary | Description |
| Intervention | Technically, this step typically happens before rehab, although it’s how some enter into it. An intervention is when loved ones of those struggling with a substance dependency come together to voice support for the ones struggling, but also urge them to see their addiction for what it is and get help. Interventions can be hosted and mediated by professionals, like Andy Bhatti, or done less formally. |
| Detox | This can be considered the first step of rehab. It’s when you go through the process of getting sober, which can involve serious or potentially even dangerous withdrawal symptoms, which is why we always recommend going through this process at a detox center. That way, you can be assessed and a plan for you to go through the process safely administered. You’ll also be monitored by professionals at a center, who can ensure you’re healthy and safe. |
| Counselling | This is a very common part of rehab. It allows you to work through your addiction, as well as come up with better coping strategies so you are better able to avoid returning to the substance you’re addicted to in the future. |
| Inpatient vs Outpatient Addiction Treatment Calgary | Inpatient services are where you stay in the clinic. Outpatient services are those where you come into the clinic for treatment but stay somewhere else at night. We go through the pros and cons of each in our blog post The Ultimate Guide to Rehabilitation Centers and Drug Rehab. |
| Support Groups | Support groups involve groups where those in recovery from similar issues can discuss them safely and get support from each other, typically led by a qualified individual. |
| Adult Addiction Services Calgary | These are services for those facing addiction that are older than 18 years of age. Some of these programs can be specialized even further as only for women or only for men. |
| Youth Addiction Services Calgary | These are services for those facing addiction that are younger than 18 years of age. |
FAQ
Who pays for rehab in Alberta?
You pay for rehab in Alberta, unless the facility you’re going to is free, or covered by insurance, grants, etc. If you are unsure, you can speak with the Alberta or Calgary rehab center and/or your insurance provider.
Is treatment free in Alberta?
Treatment in Albert is not free. However, there is free rehab Calgary and Alberta has, or at least options for it. For example, Alberta eliminated the fees for publicly funded treatment centers in 2020.
Are iPods allowed in rehab?
Different inpatient addiction services Calgary offers will have different rules on what you can and cannot do and bring. You can inquire with the rehab center you’re entering if you’re unsure.
However, you can also choose to seek outpatient services, in which you can go to your own home or a safe space at night and use your own devices, like iPods, unless otherwise specified not to.
How do I prepare for residential treatment?
There are different ways to prepare, and your treatment center may have a specific way it suggests if you ask, including what you should pack, what you aren’t allowed to bring, etc. We would recommend making sure you’re familiar with any rules about what you can, should, or must bring vs what’s prohibited that the rehab center may have, and following them.
We recommend packing for comfort like an Albertan detox center Foothills Addiction Centre Calgary recommends. Rehab is not necessarily a comfortable experience, and you want to be able to feel as comfortable, at ease, safe, and maybe even at home, as possible.
And when you pack, keep the length of your stay in mind.
In Conclusion,
If you’re in Calgary, there are many addiction services Calgary has available to you to help you down the road of recovery, at various costs. Using these services can be extremely beneficial for addiction recovery, with some of those benefits being
- Professional Planning
- Professional and Peer Support
- Counselling
- Medical Supervision
- Sole Focus on Recovery
And there are so many services available to you, like
- Intervention
- Detox
- Counselling
- Inpatient and Outpatient Services
- Support Groups
- Adult Addiction Services
- Youth Addiction Services
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, consider reaching out to Andy Bhatti. Our intervention and treatment planning services can be used to begin down the road to recovery.
There are other treatment services available in western Canada outside of Calgary that we recommend, too:
- Cedars at Coble Hill: An inpatient treatment center in British Columbia
- Sunshine Coast Health Centre: A sober living home in British Columbia
- Canada Drug Rehab: An addiction services directory