Checking into a Texas drug rehabilitation facility may be an effective way to gain control over your addiction. For the most part, you cannot be charged with a crime simply for seeking treatment even if it is an acknowledgment that you are using controlled substances. However, there are times when you can be charged with a crime because of your actions prior to entering rehab or while engaged in a rehab program.
Your information is confidential
Your health records are largely confidential, which means that a medical facility can’t tell anyone else about your addiction. Furthermore, a facility generally can’t tell anyone about any treatment that you’ve received or the medications that you take. An exception would be if medical information needed to be shared to help treat you during an emergency situation. However, even in such a scenario, only information necessary to avoid complications can be shared.
When authorities may be contacted
Authorities may be contacted if you are engaging in abusive behavior or are taking drugs while on a facility’s property. You might also be taken into custody if you have an outstanding warrant or are trying to avoid prosecution for serious drug crimes by enrolling in a rehab facility. Finally, if you are in rehab because a judge ordered you to seek help, authorities may be contacted if you fail to show up for treatment. This could mean that you fail to show up at all or enroll in a program but leave before you complete it.
If you are charged with a drug crime, it may be possible to contest the charge in court. Casting doubt on physical evidence or the nature of why you were taken into custody may be enough to get the charge dismissed or reduced.
