Harris House Foundation

They treat people at outpatient, inpatient residential, detox and telemedicine. Outpatient keeps you at home and working, and a residential stay takes you out of the place you were using in.

They detox from alcohol, benzodiazepines, cocaine, methamphetamines and opioids. Coming off alcohol without medical supervision can be dangerous, which is why it matters that this is one of 1 places near Saint Charles that do it.

They have a program for veterans. Ask whether the group is veterans only, because for a lot of people that is the point of it and in Saint Charles it may be mixed.

They do video appointments, which matters if Saint Charles is a drive for you.

Saint Charles has 103 free AA meetings as well, which is not treatment but costs nothing and needs no referral.

The useful comparisons are concrete: the level of care, whether there is a prescriber, what the aftercare is, and the cost. Distance from home cuts both ways: far enough to break a pattern, near enough for family to take part. Write down four questions and ask every place the same four.

There is normally a family component, and it is one of the better questions to put to two programs. The first conversation with a center can be had by a family member, before the person using is ready to make a call. Write down your questions before the call, because they are easy to lose in it.

Legally it is private, including from family, and including from an employer who is paying. Taking leave from work creates dates rather than a diagnosis, which is a meaningful difference. Ask whether messages can be left for you and who is allowed to leave them.