VA Bennington CBOC

They provide outpatient and telemedicine. Whichever one you start at the usual pattern is to step down through the levels rather than stop at once, and North Adams is the closest place to carry that on if you move.

No. The nearest place that does offer one is in Bennington, a few streets away.

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 Bennington it may be mixed.

Outpatient only. Nobody stays overnight, so the week is built around appointments you travel to in Bennington.

They take older adults as well as young adults from 18 to 25 and adults from 26 to 64. Ask who reviews existing prescriptions, because that is the part that matters most for an older adult in Bennington.

The point of the call is to work out which level of care fits, which takes a handful of questions. Nobody needs a diagnosis to make this call, and most people making it do not have one. Write down who you spoke to and what they committed to.

Lengths vary by level of care more than by center, and outpatient is the long one. The stretch after the main program usually runs far longer than the program did, and it is the part people underestimate. Ask what the criteria for leaving are, because some programs have them written down.

It means a doctor is involved and a prescription is part of what holds the first months together. Some programs are abstinence based by design and do not use medication at all, which is a real difference between centers. If a program rules medication out entirely, it is worth knowing that before you arrive.