There’s no getting around the fact that drug treatment costs money. Being in an inpatient unit means automatic costs, such as board and meals, alongside medical treatment, counselling, therapy, consults, lectures and transport. While there are free or state-sponsored drug rehab programmes out there, the programmes that have generally shown a demonstrable level of success and that can provide quality treatment services with accountability and without the hassles of waiting, are private rehab facilities.

Most private treatment centres in South Africa cost upwards of  R40 000  for 21 days. Comparatively, The Harmony Group starts with treatment at the Harmony Addictions Clinic at R30 000  for 28 days inclusive. This is top-end treatment, with first class accommodation and meals. We also have a low-cost treatment option at our Akron Treatment Centre, with basic accommodation, but an identical treatment programme.

Medical Aid
The Harmony Group is registered to process medical applications, most of which will pay a portion or most of the cost of treatment.

Getting better, however, should always be a recovering addict’s priority. After all, the cost of not committing to ridding your system of drugs and alcohol is much, much higher than what inpatient drug rehab programmes charge, and we’re not just talking about financial cost.

Other Options
The good news is that addicts who are ready to change their lives, but without enough money for treatment, do have options. There are a number of ways that you can finance your drug treatment. Getting loans from friends and family is one. While they will never consent to giving you money to feed your drug habit, they probably will lend a helping hand if you clearly demonstrate that you intend to get better and kick the habit once and for all. You can always get the rehab facility to arrange for family members or friends to pay them directly, so they won’t have to worry about you spending their financial aid on more drugs.

You can also use credit cards to finance your drug treatment. Though normally high interest bearing, credit cards can give you the immediate and short term cash you need to help pay for your drug rehabilitation costs. If you qualify for a 0% interest offer, you may have found one of the cheapest financing methods available.

There are certainly scenarios where  addicts who are ready to get sober and begin recovery but don’t have much cash on hand, will refinance their home and take advantage of the equity in it. If you own your own home, you could qualify for a home equity loan, a type of loan that banks consider as relatively low risk since you guarantee the loan amount with your home.

Selling personal assets is a common practice among cash-strapped drug addicts to help pay for their drug fix. Why not do the same to finance your own drug treatment? Possessions like your car, giant flat screen TV, expensive home theater system or jewelery are definitely less important than your health. Selling them to help you get your life back on track is a very sensible thing to do.