What is a Contingency Management Alcohol And Drug Rehab Center?

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What Are Contingency Management Drug Rehab Centers?

Contingency management drug rehab facilities offer rewards and incentive-based interventions for lasting abstinence from drugs and alcohol. They use tangible, established rewards to help you or your loved one achieve long-term recovery. The reality of alcohol and drug addiction is that it works by releasing dopamine and working on the reward centers of the brain. Contingency management rehab works by replacing alcohol and other drugs with more healthy rewards. This is a common rehab paradigm offered in both inpatient and outpatient settings. They are a powerful motivational mechanism during the early points of alcohol and drug addiction recovery.

Learn more here: Contingency Management: A Highly Effective Treatment For Substance Use Disorders And The Legal Barriers That Stand In Its Way | Health Affairs

For more information visit: Contingency management: what it is and why psychiatrists should want to use it

How Do Contingency Management Drug Rehab Centers Work?

Simply put, contingency management alcohol and drug rehab centers work by incentivizing sobriety. They provide rewards, usually financial compensation for predetermined periods of sobriety set forth by the guidelines of the program. For example, if you or your loved one are in a contingency management program and you test negative for drugs or alcohol during a urine screening, you may receive a gift card or some other measure of monetary compensation.

The longer you’re able to maintain sobriety, the greater the financial or material reward will be. Throughout your program, you or your loved one will be given benchmarks to achieve in pursuit of material reward. Contingency management rehab programs provide real-life motivation and incentives for people to stay clean and complete their recovery program. It activates the reward center of the brain the same way alcohol and drugs do.

Are Contingency Management Rehabs Effective?

There is a growing and established body of research illustrating the efficacy of contingency management alcohol and drug rehabs, but there are certain variables to keep in mind. Unsurprisingly, the higher-end programs that pay an average of $400-$500 per patient are more effective than those that pay lower limits of $75-$100 imposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It’s also important to realize that it can be unlawful to provide contingency management to patients enrolled in health plans or programs funded by federal or state money. Amounts that exceed those set forth by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can be considered bribes or kickbacks and, therefore, unlawful. Private facilities, however, may generally offer a more open approach to contingency management treatment. These thresholds have been established to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse that can occur with little regulatory oversight.

While contingency management drug rehab can be hard to find due to institutional and legal barriers associated with monetary compensation, there are programs out there where you or your loved one may be able to get help.

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