If you're about to start detox, you can expect detox to begin with one call to Enhance admissions, then a benefits check, a medical stay at Embrace Treatment Center, and a step down into outpatient care. Each stage has its own questions, and knowing them ahead of time makes the first call easier. Withdrawal from alcohol and some drugs can turn dangerous, so a medical setting matters.
If you're in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988. If someone has overdosed or can't be woken, call 911.
What to expect in detox, starting with the first call
The first call is a conversation, not a commitment. You reach the Enhance admissions team at (714) 862-1907, and the person who answers will ask what's going on, what the person has been using, and how they're doing right now. You don't need perfect answers. Rough ones are enough to start.
Most callers are a worried family member rather than the person who needs detox, and that's fine. You can call on someone's behalf to ask how the process works. Admissions will still need to speak with the person directly before any plan is made, since they're the one entering care.
Expect a few plain questions about substances and amounts, how recently the person last used, and whether they've had withdrawal symptoms before, like shaking, sweating, or seizures. Admissions also asks about any medical conditions, current medications, and mental health symptoms such as depression or anxiety. That last part matters because Enhance treats addiction and mental health together through dual diagnosis care, so the answers shape which level of care fits.
Detox itself happens at Embrace Treatment Center, one of our sister facilities, owned and run by the same people as Enhance. Details about the facility are on embracetreatment.com, but you don't need to contact them separately. Admissions at Enhance stays your point of contact from the first call forward.
It helps to have a few things nearby when you dial:
- The name of the substance or substances and roughly how long they've been used
- A list of current medications and any known health conditions
- Your insurance card, if you have it handy
If you don't have all of that, call anyway. Admissions can walk through what's missing, and the insurance check comes next.
Honesty about the details matters more than tidy answers, because the medical team plans around what the person has actually been taking. Admissions isn't asking to judge anyone. A person who drinks every day, or who takes a prescription sedative on top of alcohol, faces different withdrawal risks than someone who uses less often, and the plan changes accordingly. Your information stays private.
Mention everything, not just the main substance. That includes pills that were prescribed, anything bought off the street, cannabis, and how the person usually takes each one. If you're not sure of an amount, give your best estimate and say it's an estimate.
If the person you're calling about is still drinking or using, don't ask them to stop suddenly before you've talked with admissions. Quitting alcohol or sedatives without medical support is exactly when withdrawal can become dangerous. Admissions can tell you what to do in the meantime.
Expect to be asked about safety too, including whether the person has had thoughts of hurting themselves. A yes doesn't derail the process. It tells the team what kind of support to line up.
Some practical habits make the call go more smoothly:
- 1Keep a pen and paper nearby and write down the next step admissions gives you, along with the name of the person you spoke with.
- 2Have the person nearby, if you can, so they can take the phone and answer directly when admissions asks to speak with them.
- 3Ask what the next step is and what timing looks like once the benefits check is done, rather than assuming a start date.
If the person isn't ready to talk yet, say so. You can still ask questions about how the process works, and admissions will explain it at your pace.
How insurance gets checked before you arrive
Admissions checks your benefits with your insurance company before anyone plans a detox stay, so you shouldn't have to sort out coverage while you or someone you love is in withdrawal. The same team that took your first call handles it, and you don't need to phone your insurer yourself first.
Here's the order it usually follows. You share your plan details by phone or through the verify insurance form. Admissions then contacts the payer directly. Once they have answers, they explain your deductible, your copay, and which levels of care your plan may cover. If you want to continue, you move forward through admissions.
Enhance is in-network with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, Optum, United Healthcare, Blue Shield of California, MHN, Health Net, Ambetter, Multiplan, and CalPERS, and Covered California plans are handled through their own process. Enhance isn't in network with Pathways, Vivity, or Magellan, so if you carry one of those, say so on the first call and admissions will talk through what that means for you.
Benefits vary by plan, and a benefits check tells you what your plan may cover rather than promising coverage or admission. That's why the explanation matters. Two people with the same insurer can have different deductibles and different rules for detox, residential care, and outpatient care.
Have these ready to make the check quicker:
Your insurance card, front and back, with the member ID and group number.
The name and date of birth of the person who holds the policy, which may be a parent or spouse.
The name of the person who needs care, if that's someone different.
If you can't find the card, call anyway. Admissions can often start with the insurer's name and the policyholder's details, and you can send the rest later.
Ask admissions to walk through the numbers in plain terms. Good questions are what you'd owe before coverage starts, which levels of care the plan may cover, and what the step down to PHP or IOP might look like on your plan. You're allowed to ask for it to be repeated.
What happens during medical detox
Medical detox starts with an assessment, and that assessment decides how the rest of the stay is run. Clinicians at Embrace Treatment Center review what the person has been using, when they last used, and what their body is doing right now. They also look at medical history and current medications. The answers you gave admissions are the starting point, so the team isn't beginning from zero.
From there, the care team builds a withdrawal plan around the substances involved. Alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants each affect the body differently, so the plan isn't the same for everyone. Where medication is part of that plan, a licensed medical professional prescribes and adjusts it. Staying hydrated, resting, and eating as much as you're able to are part of the day too.
Expect symptoms to be tracked and treated, not just endured. Nausea, tremors, sweating, anxiety, and trouble sleeping are common reasons people dread detox. The medical team can respond to them, and you can tell staff what you're feeling as it changes. Speaking up early is useful because it lets them adjust the plan.
Mental health gets attention during detox as well. Depression, panic, and strong cravings often surface as substances leave the body. Because Enhance treats addiction and mental health together, those symptoms are noted so the next level of care can address them.
Detox is the first stage of treatment, not the whole of it. The length of the stay is set by the clinical team after they've evaluated the person, and they'll explain how they decided. Before the stay ends, the team and admissions work out the step down into PHP or IOP in Tustin, so there's a plan waiting rather than a gap.
If you're a family member, ask admissions what contact looks like during the stay and what to bring or leave at home. Those details are best confirmed on the call rather than assumed.
Stepping down to PHP or IOP and your first outpatient day
Partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) are the two levels that most often follow detox, and PHP is the more structured of the two. In both, you sleep somewhere other than a treatment facility and come in for treatment. Which one fits depends on how detox went, how stable the person's health is, and what the home situation looks like. The clinical team makes that recommendation before the detox stay ends, and admissions walks you through it.
Home matters here. If the house still has alcohol in it, or the people living there are using, ask admissions about supported living. These are structured homes with staff oversight for people in PHP and IOP. Ask what the arrangement involves before you decide, since details like cost and rules are best confirmed on the call.
On the first outpatient day, expect to meet the Tustin team and talk through what happened during detox. The clinicians will want to know how the person is sleeping, what cravings feel like now, and how their mood is holding up. If depression, anxiety, or trauma symptoms came up during detox, this is where they get treated alongside the substance use. That's the purpose of dual diagnosis care, and it's why the details you gave on the first call carry forward.
A few practical things are worth settling before that day:
Confirm your start date and arrival time with admissions rather than guessing. Ask how you'll get there, because someone just out of detox shouldn't be driving if they're still tired or on medication. Bring your insurance card and a current medication list, even if you've shared both already. Family members can ask what role they can play, including whether sessions with a partner or parent are part of the plan.
Starting outpatient care right after detox matters because the days just after withdrawal are when many people are most vulnerable to returning to use. Having a set place to be keeps that stretch from being empty.
To begin the process or ask any of these questions, call admissions at (714) 862-1907. The Tustin team will explain the steps and what your plan may cover.
