Private Rehab: Approaches,
Cost, & Treatment
Private rehab, also known as executive rehab, is one of many approaches to addiction treatment, and it is not reserved for the rich and famous.
By: Renaissance Recovery
Clinically Reviewed by: Diana Vo, LMFT
Last Updated:
07/30/2024
Addiction is a chronic condition with high rates of relapse. According to NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) between 40% and 60% of those in recovery relapse at least once. 1999 research conducted by Bennett Fletcher, senior research psychologist at NIDA, shows that inpatient rehab stays of less than 90 days leads to higher rates of relapse than inpatient rehab stays of more than 90 days, with only 17% reporting relapse after the first year of recovery.
With private drug rehab or private alcohol rehab, you remain in control of how long you stay at the treatment center, providing you meet all your financial obligations.
Table of Contents
What Does Private Rehabilitation Mean?
Private rehab centers are facilities for the treatment of addictions like alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder, as well as a range of mental health conditions, including dual diagnosis (addiction with co-occurring mental health disorder).
Private rehabs offer residential programs from 30 to 90 days or more. You remain at the treatment center for the duration of the program.
This form of residential rehab is known as private rehab because the treatment is privately funded, either by the person seeking treatment or their loved ones.
Equipped with robust financial resources, private rehab clinics typically boast low staff-to-client ratios, and they will usually offer a wide spread of treatment options, with a variety of holistic therapies complementing evidence-based treatment.
State-funded or public rehab programs, by contrast, accept payment from state governments and provide addiction services to those in need. Medicaid is the most common example of this.
With public rehab, waiting lists are typically long, but they are low-cost or no-cost organizations, so if you have no other alternative, state-funded rehab might be worth pursuing.
For anyone with more solid financial means, private rehab will deliver an environment tailor-made for detox, withdrawal, and recovery. How much does private rehab cost, though?
How Much is Private Drug and Alcohol Rehab?
As you would expect from executive rehab, treatment comes at a significant cost.
Some of the more basic private rehab centers charge $25,000 per month, with costs rising to $50,000 a month and upward for more luxurious facilities. Contrast this with low-level rehab programs starting at $5000 or less monthly.
What can you expect if you check into a luxury private rehab, then? Is it worth the money?
What Happens at Private Rehab Facilities?
Whether you’re checking in to an alcohol rehab private clinic or a facility treating substance use disorder, the overall process is broadly similar.
Here is what you can expect to unfold over the month or more you spend in private rehab:
- Medically supervised detox
- MAT (medication-assisted treatment)
Psychotherapy - Individual counseling
- Group therapy
- Holistic therapies
- Aftercare and relapse prevention
Medically supervised detox
After intake and an initial assessment, private rehab treatment programs will start with a medical detox.
Addiction to drink or drugs causes functional and structural changes to your brain. When you detox, you will experience withdrawal symptoms and these can be managed using medications. These FDA-approved medications can also help alleviate cravings for substances.
With access to other medications to treat nausea, insomnia, sickness, and GI issues, your week of detox will be as comfortable as possible.
Beyond this, around-the-clock medical supervision minimizes the risk of any complications from severe withdrawal such as delirium tremens.
Recovery is a process and not an event, though. Although detox is a vital stage of recovery, it is just the first step on an ongoing journey. With your body free of toxins, your therapy and treatment begins.
MAT (medication-assisted treatment)
With both alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder, MAT (medication-assisted treatment) can help soothe cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Private rehabs will offer you access to MAT throughout your treatment program as required, and this is always delivered in combination with counseling and psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy
CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) are the most common forms of psychotherapy.
Both forms of talking therapy are proven effective for treating addiction and mental health disorders.
Through psychotherapy sessions, you’ll identify the people, places, and things that trigger you into poor behaviors like drug abuse or excessive alcohol consumption. Your therapist will help you to create healthy coping strategies so you can avoid temptation and relapse while pursuing your ongoing recovery outside of private rehab.
Individual counseling
Individual counseling is a core component of private rehab treatment programs. With public rehab, on the other hand, most therapy is delivered in a group setting.
In private rehab, you’ll work closely with a therapist to explore the root cause of your addiction. You will also set goals for your emotional and physical health, relationships, and future aspirations. This will give you valuable structure in place of the formless abyss of addiction.
At private rehab, you’ll have access to the best qualified practitioners, and you should benefit immensely from these highly personalized sessions.
Group therapy
With group counseling and therapy sessions, you benefit from the support of peers undergoing roughly similar experiences. You also enjoy exposure to a broad array of viewpoints and input during group sessions.
Holistic therapies
One of the primary advantages of private rehab is the focus on holistic therapies to supplement evidence-based treatment.
Most of these facilities can get creative with therapies, from meditation and cooking therapy through to ambitious adventure-based therapy in spectacular settings.
Holistic rehab is no substitute for evidence-based therapy, but it works wonderfully when integrated into a comprehensive treatment plan.
Aftercare and relapse prevention
Recovery is an ongoing process, so completing your course of treatment at a private rehab represents another waypoint on your journey rather than the end of your mission.
To streamline your sustained recovery, you will leave private rehab with a solid relapse prevention plan in place and all the aftercare you need to maximize your chances of continuing sobriety. This may include stepping down the continuum of care to a less intensive form of treatment.
Finding a Private Rehab Near Me
If you are ready to commit to recovery and feel that private rehab is the right approach, start your search by asking your primary healthcare provider for recommendations.
Widen the search to ask friends and family if they have any suggestions for suitable facilities.
Searching online for “private rehab” or “executive rehab” should yield you plenty of options. You can then tweak the search by location, depending on whether you are looking to head out of state for rehab or whether you want an upscale local facility. If you are looking for something locally in Southern California, our team at Renaissance Recovery can help you find exactly what you need.