Will Drug And Alcohol Rehab Be On My Record?

In finding a way to deal with addiction, addicts often go to great lengths to keep their substance abuse secret from others. When it comes time to seek treatment for such problems, though, the same addicts may worry their secrecy will fail and start to wonder, will drug and alcohol rehab be on my record?

After all, if an addict’s time in rehab becomes public knowledge, it could possibly hurt them in the public sphere, from reputation to struggles in job interviews and other negative effects of having former mishaps reach common knowledge.

Thankfully, there is no reason an addict’s time in rehab should ever become public knowledge, as various laws and restrictions keep medical information private to all beyond the patient and their immediate loved ones.

This is all covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as HIPAA. This federal medical privacy law forbids doctors and medical practitioners from sharing medical records with anyone beyond the patient in question without written consent.

This means if you were to enter rehab, no one could be told without your express permission. In fact, unless you signed a document allowing them to be consulted over your treatment, anyone who called a rehab center you were at would not even told if you were in residence. Your privacy is ensured.

Now, if you have been arrested and charged with drug use  or possession, this would go on your “permanent record.” Even without a conviction, arrests are available for public perusal, and are even often printed in local newspapers or on TV newscasts.

But if you’ve kept your addiction private, then you can easily keep your treatment private, too. You don’t even have to tell your employer you’re entering rehab — federal law allows an employee to request up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for medical reasons without reprisal or firing, and you’re not required to explain what your medical cause is to the employer, either.

You could also use accrued sick leave or vacation time to pursue rehab without ever telling anyone what you’re doing beyond using your legal paid leave. Explanations are not necessary for any legal purpose.

This means if you go into rehab, you can rest easy knowing no one beyond your immediate circle, if even them, knows what you’re doing or why. If you feel letting others into your private life in such a way would bring shame or embarrassment, you can choose not to tell them, knowing your medical records are sealed and cannot be accessed by anyone other than your and your medical care providers.

At Good Landing Recovery, this dedication to privacy is adhered to at all times. As a licensed drug rehab facility, Good Landing must follow all laws and legal requirements inherent to their care, and HIPAA standards are among them. Your stay there will be as private as you want it to be.

So don’t worry about exposing your secrets to anyone by pursuing drug and alcohol rehab. At a drug and alcohol rehab facility like Good Landing, your secret is safe with them.