30-Year-Old Male with Cocaine Addiction

Aaron*, 30-year-old male from Cloverdale BC, contacted us looking for a residential treatment program in the Okanagan to treat his cocaine addiction. After speaking to Aaron for a little longer on the phone, we learned he’s also on disability. He also desired to move away from the lower mainland and, thus, was interested in knowing his options outside of the GVRD. We talked about the various public programs and what health authorities want from you when seeking treatment. We also focused on FVHA and IHA treatment programs at his request.

ASSESSMENT AND OUTPATIENT

This is the office we suggested Aaron use as a start point for getting referred into treatment.

Surrey Mental Health & Addictions
#1100 13401 108th Avenue, phone: (604) 953-4900 Intake hours: 1:30 pm to 3 pm M-F Regular office hours are 8:30 to 4:30 pm M-F.

This is also the place Aaron can look into receiving outpatient treatment as a temporary solution while he awaits approval and funding for public treatment. To treat concurrent mental illnesses and addiction there is a concurrent disorder specialist, but a referral is first required from an in-house case worker.

RESIDENTIAL

After guiding Aaron through the assessment process, we provided Aaron with the many BC options for treatment. This is a link to where we maintain an updated list of treatment options for people looking to get help: http://www.canadadrugrehab.ca/BC/British-Columbia-Residential-Alcohol-Drug-Rehab-Programs.html#adult

This is a list of programs funded by the FVHA (Fraser Valley Health Authority)

1. The MRTC (Maple Ridge treatment Centre)
2. King Haven (Abbotsford)
3. The Burnaby centre for mental health and addiction

We also talked heavily about a program in Kelowna, BC that may suit Aaron’s needs: (However, it can take up to 12 weeks to get admitted depending on when Aaron applies, so it may not be his best option depending on the next intake date)

Bridgeway – Intensive Residential treatment
760 Hwy 33 W. Kelowna, BC V1X 6A9 Phone: (250) 763-0456 ext. 402 Fax: (250) 868-7791 Email: info@thebridgeservices.ca Website: www.thebridgeservices.ca/intensive-residential-treatment

For adults who are 19+. Clients need to be sober and stable prior to admission. There are 20 beds within this alternating 6-week gender-specific treatment program. Methadone clients are accepted.

OUR FINAL SUGGESTIONS

We suggested Aaron call the mental health office in Surrey, book an appointment for an assessment/referral and then contact the treatment programs. Aaron will need to do his homework for each the programs and figure out which one he would really like to get into. We also linked him to this set of questions that we recommend all individuals searching for treatment ask potential facilities.

The benefit of setting up treatment this way is that when Aaron goes for his assessment appointment at the Mental Health office to talk about referrals, he will have the necessary information and packages for the programs he wants to attend. Not only will it help speed up the treatment program, it shows Aaron has initiative.

Here is another set of questions if individuals are looking to go the next step when finding treatment for themselves or a loved one. Using these following questions in conjunction with our primary questions as part of a checklist will help people evaluate treatment options and compare the services of different facilities operating.

This may seem like overkill for some and that might be the case. It may also be immensely useful for others who need above average information in order to decide on a treatment program. A successful organization will be able to answer all these questions without difficulty. Afterwards, you may be surprised by the answers you receive from the treatment centres and how that affects your final decisions.

ONE LAST TIP

We gave Aaron this link to a list of peer-support groups in BC: http://www.canadadrugrehab.ca/British-Columbia-NA-AA-Narcotic-Anonymous-Alcoholic-Anonymous-Meeting.html#mutual

There are AA/NA meetings, which are pretty standard in any community, but at the bottom of the page there are also other meeting groups such as SMART Recovery, LifeRing, SOS, and more. Aaron might benefit from attending peer-support meetings or just spending time somewhere people can support him while he awaits treatment.