UK Rehabilitation Clinic & Treatment Centre

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Addiction (alcohol & drug) Residential Treatment Centres Directory

This directory contains information about UK treatment centres and recommended overseas centres.

You may access information about each centre from the A-Z Listing on the left, and additionally may download a brochure for each centre.

Find best-value drug rehab

This site covers self-funded alcohol and drug rehab centres across the whole price spectrum. Rehab is available from £500 per week but lower end rates tend to be available only in longer drug rehabilitation programmes, and as such, the minimum total budget required for meaningful treatment tends to be in the region of several thousand pounds. Paying more tends to be linked more to standards of accommodation and medical cover than it is to the quality of psychological treatment provided, and good quality treatment can be accessed at the lower end of the price range in most cases. A price list for all rehab centres listed on this site can be downloaded HERE.

What is residential rehabilitation?

Residential drug rehabilitation refers to a period of stay in a residential addictions treatment centre. There are various types of addictions rehabilitation programmes – twelve-step programmes (taken from the Alcoholics-Anonymous model of treatment), religious-based programmes, so called ‘therapeutic communities’ based on psychotherapeutic models of treatment, and cognitive-behavioural programmes. The large majority of drug rehab centres in the UK operate using the 12-step model, although increasingly, new centres are opening which use the cognitive-behavioural model of treatment.

What does residential rehabilitation involve?

All drug treatment centres tend to share a number of key features. Many provide alcohol or drug detoxification in-house at the beginning of the programme. Residents must be drug and alcohol free (apart from tobacco) by the completion of detoxification. A structured programme of psychological, educational and social therapy is provided, which aims at preparing the patient to better manage a drug or alcohol free life back in society. Programmes vary in duration from one week to nine months or longer.

What are the advantages of residential treatment over community-based drug treatment?

In general, residential drug treatments appear to present a higher probability of successful outcome than do community based treatments. A 1996 study, conducted as part of the National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS) indicated the following: When compared to community services, residential services achieved comparable outcomes, but were treating clients with more severe patterns of addiction, thus indicating greater effectiveness of residential as compared to community drug rehabilitation. Drug treatment centres which actively engage with the client, provide supportive environments and well structured programmes, which are clear about their policies and therapies, and which tailor their activities to individual needs of the client, produce better outcomes.

What is the ideal duration of residential treatment?

The NTORS study (see above) found that, compared to early leavers from residential treatment, those retained in treatment at least 28 days in shorter programmes, and 90 days in longer programmes were four times more likely to maintain abstinence than others. It is generally accepted that retention in residential drug rehabilitation is central to effectiveness, and can be seen as a function of how the service relates to its clients. There are many examples of studies which show a relationship between duration of stay in residential treatment and successful outcomes in the longer term. In short, standard advice is to commit to as long as possible in treatment.

What are the other important points?

It is generally accepted that it is essential for clients to engage in a period of ‘aftercare’ on completion of residential rehabilitation. Aftercare should comprise ongoing psychological and medical support as indicated, and will usually consist of a combination of counselling, group-work, AA or NA meeting attendance. In some cases prescribing of medication to prevent or reduce the chances of relapse may be beneficial, as may the treatment of on-going psychiatric problems such as depression. For practical reasons, it is imperative that ‘aftercare’ treatment is provided in the home locality of the patient; reliance on ‘aftercare’ programmes provided by residential drug treatment centres is impractical if they are distant from the patient’s home locality.

Differences between various drug treatment centres

Apart from the model of treatment used (see above), drug treatment centres vary in several important areas all of which may impact on the likelihood of successful outcomes for the patient:

• Duration of programme: Some centres are completely flexible in the duration of treatment provided, whilst others only provide treatment of a specific programme duration. The minimum programme duration possible to arrange is one week, a typical period of stay is one to three months, and treatment can be arranged for durations of one year or longer.
• Medical and psychiatric complications: Drug treatment centres vary in the quantity and quality of medical cover they provide. The mainstay of treatment in residential rehabilitation is psychological treatment, delivered by counsellors and therapists. However, medical and psychiatric concerns (typically detoxification needs and illnesses such as depression) may require medical input. It is important to match the individual to a treatment centre which has medical staffing adequate to deal with the individual’s medical and psychiatric needs.
• Accommodation standards: Standards of accommodation vary from bed-and-breakfast style to luxury hotel accommodation. Whilst this has little if any direct impact on the quality of treatment delivered, the environment provided can be key in retaining the individual in treatment.
• Geographical location: Experience shows that for those who travel overseas for residential rehabilitation, retention rates are superior to UK-based rehabilitation. This is most likely a factor of environment and the practical hurdles faced by an individual who wishes to leave treatment early when abroad, rather than the quality of treatment provided. Nevertheless, retention in treatment for the total duration of the planned programme is a well recognised predictor of good outcomes in the longer term, and as such travel far from home for residential treatment should always be given serious consideration.
• Price: Drug rehab centres vary hugely in price with programmes varying from £500 per week to £10,000 per week or more. Price tends to be linked more to standards of accommodation and medical cover, than it is to the quality of psychological treatment provided, and good quality treatment can be accessed at the lower end of the price range for most patients. It should be noted that lower end rates tend to be available only in longer programmes, and as such, the minimum total budget required for meaningful treatment tends to be in the region of several thousand pounds. Residential rehabilitation can sometimes be accessed through local NHS and social services, although waiting lists are typically many months long, if the treatment is available at all.