10 Benefits of Telehealth for Addiction Treatment
Given that the world is battling a worldwide pandemic, the ways in which various conditions are treated has been drastically changed. Although most of us prefer to receive our medical treatments in-person, the present COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many vulnerabilities within our health system, which further suggests we should all learn to be more flexible in that regard. Although many people seem to believe that inpatient programs are the only method of treating addiction, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Telehealth can be a highly effective method of treating addictions of all kinds. That said, the following is a list of 10 benefits of telehealth for addiction treatment.
Save Time on the Commute
One of the top benefits of using telehealth to treat addiction is that it allows you to save time. In general, depending on where you live, you will have to spend time and effort just to get to the office for treatment. In certain areas, commuting to a substance abuse treatment center may take hours and in certain remote areas, there are no treatment centers available at all. This may serve as a deterrent from getting your much-needed addiction treatment and can also cause you to be late or even miss appointments. Luckily, telehealth eliminates the need to commute altogether and allows you to focus on the most important thing, overcoming your addiction.
Save Money
Another potential benefit of using telehealth to treat addiction is that it can save money. For instance, if you are paying for gas, ride-sharing services, bus passes, etc. to get to your appointments, that is an expense you can stop paying for immediately. Additionally, depending on how your insurance or billing is set up, you may be spending less simply because you are not visiting the office and will be wasting less of the office’s time and resources. Moreover, depending on the location and length of the commute, you may also save money on grabbing lunch and beverages on your way to or from your appointments.
Stay Connected
Moreover, even with in-patient programs, access to doctors, psychotherapists, counselors, nurses, and other medical staff may be limited. Additionally, most outpatient programs only allow you to access and speak with members of the medical community on certain days and times. However, when you are enrolled in a telehealth addiction treatment program, you can access medical staff via text message, telephone, video chat, mobile apps, instant message, and more. In short, using telehealth for addiction treatment helps you to stay connected to a team of professionals 24/7, 365.
Social Distancing
No matter, if you are worried about COVID-19, the flu, or any other infectious virus, using telehealth, allows you to stay safe at home. Rather than worrying about catching a virus or even spreading a virus you have to others, using telehealth eliminates the need to worry about spreading or catching infectious viruses. Especially for those who have a compromised immune system, mobility issues, etc., this is a great feature of using telehealth to treat your addiction.
Avoid the Stigma
Additionally, many addicts avoid seeking out treatment for treatment out of embarrassment or because they are ashamed to reach out for help in a public setting. Telehealth allows you to get the treatments you need without having to venture outside of your home or visit a treatment facility. If you are in need of addiction treatment but are reluctant to reach out, your friends at Transformations Treatment Center are here to help.
Relieve Anxiety
Many people who suffer from substance abuse issues also suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. In fact, experts assert that those who suffer from disorders such as anxiety are 2/3 times more likely to suffer from addiction as well. This is often one of the underlying reasons some people become addicted to begin with. Given that anxiety disorders can make it difficult to leave the house and seek therapy, using telehealth to treat addiction is a great method of addressing this underlying issue.
Avoid Triggers
Another benefit of using telehealth to treat your addiction is that it can allow you to avoid your triggers. If you are triggered to do drugs when you travel through certain areas or run into certain people, receiving your addiction treatment at home will allow you to avoid these triggers. By entrusting your addiction treatment with Transformations Treatment Center, you can receive treatment without having to endure an obstacle course of potential treatments to get to every appointment.
No Days Off
No matter if you work from home or in an office, visiting a treatment center can cause you to miss hours or days from your job on a regular basis. Additionally, it is also likely that you can fall behind on other responsibilities, goals, and other duties. However, by getting treated for your addiction at home, you will be able to continue living your life as normal with minimal interruptions from the medical staff.
Promotes Independence
Additionally, while inpatient treatment options can be comfortable for some, in many cases, people become too dependent on the medical staff to stay sober. Using telehealth for your addiction treatment allows you to remain in the driver seat as you navigate through the various aspects of addiction treatment. Therefore, you will not have to readjust as much once you are no longer enrolled in the addiction treatment program.
Decrease Strain on Healthcare System
Lastly, given that the American healthcare system has been in need of fixing for quite some time, we should all be doing our part to relieve the strain being placed on the healthcare system overall. Especially given that we are presently striving to achieve healthcare for all, we all need to be more flexible in terms of how and where we receive various types of medical care. Using telehealth to treat addiction is a great way to reduce the number of resources being used and is also a great way to save the medical staff time, so they can treat other patients.
Overall, there are plenty of advantages to using telehealth to treat addiction. Please contact your friends at the Transformations Treatment Center for more information.