North Carolina Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities

North Carolina Alcohol and Drug Treatment Facilities

North Carolina has hundreds of drug rehab facilities to offer patients who require addiction treatment. According to SAMHSA, the state had 552 substance abuse treatment centers serving 49,520 patients as of March 2019. These treatment centers include,

Many of North Carolina's drug treatment facilities can also be defined by the specific groups of people they serve. Their tailored approaches are designed to support the recoveries of groups such as the following:

• Active duty military members
• Pregnant and postpartum women
• Patients with co-occurring disorders
• Adolescents
• Members of the LGBT community.
• North Carolina Drug Rehab Breakdown
• Demographic Breakdown (By percentage of drug rehab facilities):
• Adult women: 49.6 percent
• Patients with co-occurring mental health disorders: 48.2 percent
• Adult men: 45.1 percent
• Pregnant or postpartum women: 30.6 percent
• Patients who have suffered domestic abuse: 28.1 percent
• Seniors: 25.9 percent
• LGBT community members: 25.5 percent
• Veterans: 25.4 percent
• Adolescents: 21.7 percent
• Active duty military: 16.8 percent
• Payment Options Breakdown (By percentage of drug rehab facilities):
• Cash or self-payment: 89.1 percent
• Medicaid: 67 percent
• Private insurance: 63.4 percent
• State-financed plans: 54.3 percent
• Sliding fee: 44.9 percent
• Medicare: 44 percent
• Minimal charge or no-charge treatment for patients in need: 43.8 percent
• Federal military insurance: 39.7 percent
• ITU funds: 4.9 percent
• Free treatment: 3.8 percent

New York's large number of treatment facilities, combined with their specialized services and many payment options, make the state a relatively welcoming place for patients, regardless of their specific treatment needs or financial circumstances.

Treatment Approaches in North Carolina

12 Step

Created in the 1930s as a way to help addicts support each other on the road to recovery, 12-step programs are now widely available and known for their effectiveness. According to one estimate, formal rehab programs use 12-step programs on at least an occasional basis, although North Carolina's programs are slightly lower in their rate of adoption, at 65.6 percent. 12-step programs structure addicts' recovery around 12 principles, such as making amends, acknowledging their addiction as a problem, and relying on a higher power, and offer regular meetings with other recovering addicts to provide a supportive community for the journey.

Dual Diagnosis/Co-Occurring

Sufferers of mental illness sometimes turn to addictive substances to manage the symptoms of their illness. At least partially as a result of this phenomenon, about 17 million Americans suffered from a dual diagnosis (mental illness + substance use disorder) in 2020. Just under half (48.2 percent) of North Carolina drug treatment facilities offer the tailored, integrated treatment these patients need to heal from both their mental illness and their SUD.

Detox

As addictive substances leave an addict's body, they experience a set of symptoms called withdrawal. These symptoms can be severe, and potentially even fatal. As a result, most addicts do best in medically supervised detox, where they receive 24/7 supervision and medical support to ease the symptoms of their withdrawal. In North Carolina, most detox programs are available on an outpatient basis, though they are also available in inpatient and hospital-based rehab programs.

Short-Term Inpatient Rehab

Inpatient rehab programs allow patients to live at the facility and receive round-the-clock support for their recovery. When these programs last 30 days or less, they are referred to as short-term inpatient rehab. 5.3 percent of programs in North Carolina qualify as short-term residential rehab programs.

Long-Term Residential Rehab

Residential treatment programs that last longer than 30 days are referred to as long-term residential rehab. These programs are among the most effective of rehab programs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. which recommends that patients attend a program that is at least 90 days long. In North Carolina, 11.2 percent of rehab facilities qualify as long-term rehab.

Rehab Costs In North Carolina

On average, drug and alcohol rehab costs are as follows:

• About $600 a day for detox
• Up to $500 a day for outpatient treatment
• $14,000 - $27,000 for 30-day inpatient treatment

However, costs vary from patient to patient based on factors such as the following:

• Type of program
• Medication received
• Services used
• Length of treatment

Cost should not be a barrier to patients who desire treatment for their drug or alcohol addiction. Their preferred treatment center can give them a clear idea of the costs they can expect to pay, as well as their payment options. Here is a look at some of the most common payment choices available to patients in North Carolina.

Private Health Insurance for Addiction Rehab

North Carolina residents have access to private health insurance through employers and through healthcare exchanges. Thanks to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, these insurance plans almost always provide coverage for addiction rehab. The exact coverage they provide can vary in a number of ways:

• Copays
• Deductibles
• In-network rehab facilities
• Covered treatments
• And more

Patients can consult with their insurance company to determine the exact terms of their rehab coverage, and should look for a rehab facility that takes their insurance. 63.4 percent of facilities in the state accept private health insurance.

Medicaid and Medicare for Addiction Rehab

The federal government also provides healthcare solutions for patients who may otherwise go without proper coverage. Medicare provides these services for patients who are 65 years or older. Medicaid provides these services to patients who meet certain low-income requirements. North Carolina has facilities that accept both these insurance programs, which typically cover rehab fully. In the state, 44 percent accept Medicare and 67 percent accept Medicaid.

Uninsured Addiction Rehab

Just over 1 million residents in North Carolina were uninsured in 2020. These residents can still access addiction treatment in the state, thanks to two ways facilities make recovery costs more affordable:

Sliding Scale Payments

Facilities that charge less for patients who make less money are said to offer their services on a sliding scale. In North Carolina, 44.9 percent of these facilities offer sliding scale fees to make treatment more accessible for needy patients.

Free drug rehab

In North Carolina, 3.8 percent of facilities offer drug rehab free of charge to each of their patients. In addition, 43.8 percent of facilities provide free treatment, or charge minimal fees, just for those patients who are otherwise unable to afford treatment for their addiction.

As a result of the many payment options available in New York, patients can more easily access the services they need, provided they can find a treatment facility that matches their recovery and financial needs.

North Carolina Drug Treatment Overview

North Carolina has a number of advantages to offer patients who require addiction treatment, as well as some drawbacks of which patients should be aware. Following is a look at some of the state's most important pros and cons.

Pros

91.7 percent of facilities in North Carolina offer relapse prevention services, making it more likely that patients will succeed at maintaining their recoveries after they leave formal treatment.

North Carolina's bed utilization rate is low, at 95.6 percent for residential beds and 79.8 percent for hospital beds.

Cons

56.7 percent of drug treatment facilities are private, for-profit organizations. Often, these facilities are associated with lower rates of payment acceptance and payment options for low-income patients.

The percentage of facilities that accept Medicare and Medicaid, and who offer free or low-cost treatment is relatively low in North Carolina, often representing less than 50 percent of facilities.

North Carolina Drug Use Statistics

New York faces a growing drug problem. Here is a look at some of the state's most important drug use statistics:

From the NC DHHS:

• 28,000 North Carolinians died from drug overdoses between 2000 and 2020.
• In Erie County, the death rate from drug abuse grew 256 percent in that same time period.
• In 2020, 9 North Carolinians a day died from drug overdoses.

From the SAMHSA:

• 54,901 individuals over the age of 12 were admitted for substance abuse treatment in North Carolina in 2019.
• 9.3 percent of these admissions were for amphetamines.
• 15.1 percent of these admissions were for heroin.
• 13.3 percent of these admissions were for other opiates.