John D Dingell VA Medical Center

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

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

They offer treatment in Sign language. Whether that means a counselor who speaks it or an interpreter is worth asking, and Detroit has 8 other centers to ask.

Their programs are for adults from 26 to 64 and young adults from 18 to 25. The group you sit in is usually built around the age band, which in Detroit can mean one group rather than several.

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 Detroit it may be mixed.

They prescribe methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone, which means the medication side is handled here rather than referred out to somewhere else in Detroit.

Family sessions, education evenings and a visiting schedule are the usual shape of it. The first conversation with a center can be had by a family member, before the person using is ready to make a call. Call (844) 822-5800 and someone can talk it through with you, whether or not you are the person in treatment.

Residential care means time away. Outpatient care usually does not. A documented medical leave is a stronger position than an unexplained absence, which is the comparison that matters. Ask whether the program can start on a date that fits a leave request.