Opioid crisis has many looking to private treatment

John Haines tried every free 12-step program, detox and treatment before drug and alcohol addictions left him hospitalized and at death’s door.

“All it did was keep me sober for 28 days,” he says. “And when I failed, every relapse was worse.”

Desperate to see their son escape addictions, Haines’ parents dipped into savings, cashed in retirement funds and found money for private treatment.

Now clean and sober for more than a decade, Haines gets to see others triumph over addictions — an honour that never gets old.

“It’s better than any drug I’ve ever taken,” says Haines, chief executive officer of Addiction Recovery Network.

Haines says public systems help patients in crisis, but not enough is done to address underlying mental-health issues feeding the need to self-medicate.

“A patient can overdose, flatline and be released from hospital in six hours,” he says. “The odds are stacked against them. It’s an 85 per cent chance they will relapse.”

Last year in Alberta 687 people died from opioid overdose — of those 562 were believed to be accidental fentanyl-related poisonings.

Many more struggle with alcoholism, gambling and sex addictions.

While the province declined to comment on treatment wait times, many in the private sector say lists are several months long and often deny people timely access.

“Sometimes we’ve got a 24-hour window where we need to make changes,” says Tessa Martin, owner of Serenity Now in Calgary where 90-day outpatient treatment costs $3,500. “If they have time (required to wait for treatment,) addiction can come back in and get a grip.”

While the registered psychologist applauds work done in the public healthcare system, she says it is not keeping up with demand.

“It is just that they are so overloaded,” she says.

That’s the reason thousands pay for private treatment that can range from a few thousand dollars to more than $50,000 in Canada and substantially more for facilities in the United States.

But with a market featuring many private treatment options, it is buyer-beware.

“The problem is there is a real quality difference — it is not a regulated industry in Canada,” says Joe Manget, chairman and chief executive of Edgewood Health Network.

“Websites are very good at promoting treatment centres, but not everybody has doctors or psychiatrists on staff or 24/7 nursing support. There are a limited number of high-quality treatment centres.”

Some centres are simply not worth the money.

“When you have a 10-bed facility run by someone who is in recovery themselves, it is run with best intentions and love but might not have the best evidence-based treatment,” Manget cautions.

“You get a lot of people who spend a lot of money and didn’t get what they were promised.”

Manget says those who opt for private routes often do so because they get treatment when they need it, typically within days or weeks.

Treatments at Edgewood are 20 to 60 days but there are also steps taken to try to secure long-term sobriety — extensive after-care that Manget says is the key to success.

At Edgewood, which offers outpatient care in Calgary and attracts Albertans to its residential centre in Nanaimo, B.C., programs cost about $25,000 for 50 to 60 days of inpatient care. He adds less costly out-patient options can be just as effective.

Some centres have financing options available as well.

“We need to think of it as a lifetime disease as opposed to, ‘I can go in and get detoxed and be better,’” Manget says.

“It’s no different from diabetes. If you have diabetes, you go to the doctor and get fixed up and if you stop eating right or taking your medication you will be back in emergency.”

Many practitioners agree potential patients opting for private sector treatment need to do their homework, ensuring professionals such as registered psychologists and medical doctors lead treatment, rather than addictions counsellors.

And those who buy-in realize the cost of being consumed by addiction is higher than shelling out for treatment.

“They recognize how much addiction costs and sometimes it is just figuring out where to put their money,” Martin says.

Manget says in some cases employers and/or insurance companies cover costs (findings show those sent into treatment by employers have a much lower chance of relapse), while 20 to 40 per cent of patients pay out-of-pocket for treatment. In many cases, family members often cover the costs.

“Honestly, when you pass the hat around, 25 grand can readily appear especially, if you think you are saving a family member’s life,” Manget says.

People choosing Addiction Recovery Network’s Rocky Mountain House resort, which is so popular there is often a four- to six-week waiting list (apart from crisis spots available as needed,) pay for treatments starting at $20,000. That includes after-care programs and, according to Haines, the success rates are around 70 to 85 per cent.

Make no mistake, however, private treatment might take place in pleasant settings and offer complimentary programs such as yoga — but it is not a holiday and requires motivation and a willingness to put in the hard work needed to heal.

Haines is well aware private treatment can be a financial burden, but it is not only the independently rich who find a way to pay.

“I get it. No one can afford this. We get blamed for taking advantage of vulnerable people,” he says. “The government has brainwashed people to believe health-care should be free.”

While it’s easy to find private treatment options — just go on the Internet and punch in addiction treatments — Haines stresses success is contingent on choosing wisely.

“It’s a very dirty business and a lot are just in it for the money,” he says.