Loretto Hospital

They are set up for 5 levels: inpatient hospital, outpatient, inpatient residential, detox and telemedicine. Of the 8 centers within 14 miles of Chicago, 2 offer a bed.

They handle detox for alcohol, benzodiazepines, cocaine, methamphetamines and opioids. Ask how many days theirs lasts, because that varies more between places than people expect and Chicago has 8 other centers to compare.

Chicago has 477 AA groups, which is a different thing from treatment and a useful one next to it.

They treat adults up to and past 65. Ask whether the group sessions are mixed age, because in Chicago that often means one room rather than two.

Some of what they do can happen remotely. Ask which parts, because it is rarely all of them and the 8 centers near Chicago differ on it.

Anything a program will put in writing is easier to compare than anything it only says on a call. A program that cannot tell you its staff to client ratio usually has a reason. Ask what kind of person this program is not right for. A good answer exists.

A program treats the fact that you are there as confidential by default, including from whoever is paying. The protection reaches further than general medical privacy does, which is why a center will not take a message for you either. Ask who the center is allowed to speak to, and make sure the answer matches what you want.

Photo id, your insurance card, and a list of every medication you take with the doses. Chargers, razors and anything with a cord are often held and signed out when needed rather than kept in the room. Ask whether you can bring your own pillow, because the answer is often yes and it helps.