(Newswire.net — November 2, 2022) — If you are someone that is dealing with addiction, getting help is a must-do. You’ve taken the right steps in doing this. However, the chief concern is privacy.
This is understandable for many people. They want to keep things on the down low. Anything that is known outside of their circle may be seen as embarrassing and the stress of it can hurt their recovery. If you want to know more about privacy and confidentiality, find out more in this guide.
Let’s take a deeper look at the privacy and confidentiality issue regarding addiction recovery.
Finding a facility you can trust
Every addiction recovery program will take confidentiality seriously. If you visit Ocean Recovery, we’ll assure you that your name and vital information will be kept secret. We won’t leak any data, nor will we compromise anything about your treatment plan.
You deserve to keep things out of the knowledge of people who don’t need to know. You can put your trust in a facility that understands your struggles and keep it within a close circle of people you know (such as your family and the professionals you’ll work with).
We put the promise of confidentiality on paper
If you are doing paperwork towards the start of your treatment, you may be signing something that acknowledges that your information will be confidential and not shared. Rehab facilities are required to do this by law (HIPAA). We will have this promise written on paper (despite some of the legal language that gets mixed in there).
You decide who should know
Confidentiality and privacy are two things someone dealing with addiction treatment should depend on. You don’t have to tell anyone other than your immediate family. These are also people you can trust over the course of your treatment and beyond.
If you want to share with people about your recovery from addiction, you can choose to do so on your own time. There is no set schedule or timetable of when to disclose such information. There are those that should know and those that don’t.
It’s all about protecting yourself
Protecting yourself from outside sources should be a good idea. Especially if you are someone who is well-known in the community. The thing is, someone may know information about a person’s addiction treatment.
What they do with that information may be a dangerous thing. They might tell someone who shouldn’t know about it and then it spreads. Once again, it’s important that you find a treatment facility that is stringent about holding such information.
Also, it’s important to keep your addiction recovery under wraps with immediate family members (your spouse, significant other, children, or parents). You’ll want to remind them that no one other than themselves should be aware of your addiction recovery until you are comfortable enough to share.
When such information gets leaked, some may use it to damage your personal reputation. Unfortunately, there are those that will do that. It’s sad that it happens and it’s one more reason why privacy and confidentiality are so important.
You are the first line of defense when it comes to keeping things confidential. Don’t take any chances when it comes to disclosing information to just anyone. You’ll need to draw the line somewhere.
Come up with a list of people who should know
It’s important to sit down and create a list of people who should be aware of your addiction recovery. At the outset, that list should include your family. You may need to disclose them one by one or if they are all together in the same room.
You’ll want to think about who to add and who to leave out. Think about your relationship with each person. Ask yourself if they are the kind of person that can keep a secret about anything.
If you believe that person is able to keep a secret, you can trust them to be confidential. If not, then there would be no point in letting them know. It’s as simple as that.
It’s difficult to tell who to trust these days. That’s why coming up with a list of names of who to talk to may be difficult. Some may not have family members who can be trustworthy.
When push comes to shove, the only people who you can trust to keep things confidential are the professionals working to make sure your treatment is a success. They will adhere to the rules and they will make it clear during your initial visit with them. Over time, you’ll get to know your therapists, medical professionals, and even recovering addicts.
Each of them will learn about you and your story. If there are people who you can trust during treatment, it’s them. Again, you can tread carefully if you’re not someone who trusts anyone easily (and this is fine to feel that way).
Again, it’s all about personal comfort. If you’re comfortable sharing something important with someone, do so. Otherwise, keep it to yourself for the time being. Don’t be obligated to share anything with anyone.
On the other end, other people should not be obligated to learn about addiction recovery. Especially if you are not comfortable enough to share anything about it. Sometimes, it’s best to keep it between people who you’ve known for a long time.
There will be a time and a place to share your addiction recovery story. If you’re at the start, right now may not be the right time.
Final Thoughts
If you are considering treatment, it’s important to be aware that confidentiality and privacy will be taken seriously. The treatment center you go through will make sure of that. If you are willing to share your addiction struggles, it would be best to share them with your family first.
After your treatment, you can share stories about your treatment if you feel comfortable. No one should be obligated to know about your struggles. Keep things between yourself and if needed, with the people you actually trust.