Over the last few years, more and more services have become available online. It has become much more common for people to seek education online where they can do the coursework from their own home. A new company called Lionrock Recovery has a similar idea to help individuals with alcohol and drug addiction who do not want to travel to rehabs in Florida for treatment. The company offers addicts a chance to go through a “shame free” treatment program right from the comfort of their own homes. The idea has sparked a lot of debate in the recovery community over whether its a good idea or a scam that will allow people to stay in denial about their addictions.
Benefits of Virtual Rehab
There are several perceived benefits of undergoing drug or alcohol addiction treatment by way of at home video sessions. Traditional drug rehab programs usually require the patients to check into a facility for several weeks and live there while they undergo treatment and therapy. Virtual rehab is a much more convenient option for people with very hectic schedules who have lots of work and family commitments that they can’t leave for several weeks at a time. The virtual program also gives the patients an environment to recover in where they do not feel as uncomfortable and judged by others. Another huge advantage to this type of treatment is the cost. Traveling to a rehab facility and living there while receiving treatment can cost over a thousand dollars a day. The virtual rehab program is likely much more cost efficient.
Where Virtual Rehab Falls Short
All of the perceived benefits of a virtual rehab program don’t come without a number of potential drawbacks and criticisms of the idea. Critics argue that by staying at home and going through rehab is ineffective because it allows the addict to continue to stay in the environment they are accustomed to abusing drugs and alcohol in. When trying to recover from the comfort of their own home, it is much easier to not take the therapy seriously and follow the steps necessary to overcome an addiction. Many recovery professionals are skeptical of the system because they know how difficult it can be to recover from addiction and it really should not be an easy, comfortable process. It takes a complete change in behavior to break most addictions, and virtual rehab has no way to ensure that behavioral change.
Just like virtual schools, virtual rehab is certainly not for everyone but its good to see that people are coming up with innovative ideas for the recovery community. Certainly people who have a serious alcohol or drug addiction will most likely need help from traditional live-in facility, such as those that can be found at rehabs in Florida. One of the services offered by Lionrock is treatment referral for individuals who need inpatient care. However, for people who have really busy lives and can’t afford to take time away from their work and family commitments, perhaps virtual recovery is the answer.
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