Erlanger Behavioral Health Hospital

They offer inpatient hospital, outpatient and detox. The practical difference is whether you sleep at home or at the center, and are 8 other centers inside 14 miles if neither suits.

They detox from opioids, alcohol and benzodiazepines, so the first stage and the treatment after it can happen in one place rather than across two trips to Chattanooga.

They treat mental health alongside the substance use, so both sides are handled in one place. Ask whether the psychiatric side is on site, because in Chattanooga that is the part that varies.

They prescribe 2 medications: buprenorphine and naltrexone. What a provider actually stocks changes, so ask for the one you need by name before driving to Chattanooga.

Chattanooga has 81 AA groups, which is a different thing from treatment and a useful one next to it.

Ask both places the same questions and the differences come out quickly. A program willing to tell you who it is not suitable for is usually being straight with you about the rest. Ask what kind of person this program would turn down, because a real answer exists.

The order sets the reporting. The clinical side is decided the same way it is for anyone. Missing sessions has consequences beyond the clinical ones, which is a real difference in practice. Ask what happens if you miss a session, so you hear it from them first.

A treatment program cannot confirm to a caller that you are there without your written permission. The protection reaches further than general medical privacy does, which is why a center will not take a message for you either. Decide who you want kept informed before the day rather than during it.