Free & Medicaid Resources

There are many ways to go about getting off of drugs and alcohol. Everything from using your local twelve step fellowship to cases where medical detox and some type of thirty to ninety day treatment, or more, will be necessary. When someone is drinking heavily and/or physically addicted to a narcotic (Pain Killers, Heroin, Suboxone, Methadone, Valium, Xanax, etc) it is not safe to couch surf though the withdrawals. This short article will give you access to resources so you can start your planning.

Free Facilities

This is the route I had to take being that I had no money, no private insurance or free state medicaid. There are several free facilities across the country as well as low cost options. These are typically long term options ranging from nine months to two years. I have a list of low cost and free facilities which I am happy to share with you. They’re listed in alphabetical order at the bottom of this post. For those unable or unwilling to go long term there is another option to try. You can sign up for the free state funded medicaid and use it to get into a medical detox and 30 day treatment. Medicaid does not have out of state benefits so you will have to attend a facility in the state for which you acquire the medicaid. You can sign up for Medicaid @ www.Healthcare.gov . Now, What to do once you have Medicaid coverage.

Medicaid Facilities

Once you have the free state funded Medicaid a number of local options become available to you. There is a very effective national hotline you can call and speak to someone immediately. Call 877-726-4727 and follow the prompts. They are very fast and effective with almost no wait time. Tell them you have Medicaid and that you are seeking medical detox and treatment in your area. They will provide you with several facilities in your area that take your Medicaid. While most can get into a facility very quickly you could encounter waiting lists. Keep in mind that waiting lists move much faster than you may think. When a facility has a waiting list of ten people and they start calling, most will not answer the phone and they will move on to the next. So, get on every waiting list possible and make sure you ANSWER YOUR PHONE should you encounter a waiting list.

Personal Note

I wish everyone had a smooth path to getting off of narcotics and we could all go to private facilities. For me, that wasn’t the case. I spent nine months in a homeless shelter that had a twelve step recovery program attached. When the pain gets bad enough you will take any of the above options without hesitation. Don’t go at it alone. There’s a true benefit to being around others that are fighting the same battle. Without recovery and the support of the recovery community this battle only ends in jails, institutions and death. Addiction and Alcoholism are 100% fatal when left untreated.

Sweasy

If your state is not listed please call 877-726-4727 and ask for locations in your area.

you can also find free 12 step meetings at AA.org & NA.org