What is drug and alcohol rehabilitation?

Drug and alcohol rehabilitation services can help you when you have a problem with how you use an addictive substance. These services are also called 'rehab services'.

Rehabilitation services offer treatment, counselling and support to help you stop or reduce your use of drugs and alcohol. This means you don't have to do it alone.

Drug and alcohol rehabilitation aims to reduce your chance of harm from substance use. Therapy can help you develop skills so that you do not feel dependent on drugs or alcohol.

Where do rehabilitation programs take place?

You can get treatment in:

• a community-based treatment centre
• a residential rehabilitation service

During residential treatment, you might need to stay in a special clinic for a while. This might be days, weeks or months.

How is drug and alcohol addiction treated?

Treatment can cover:

• detoxification (washing out of the substance out of your body)
• rehabilitation
• counselling
• medicine

Counselling is the most common treatment. When you go to counselling:

• you will talk to someone who understands drug and alcohol issues
• you can have counselling one-to-one or in a group setting
• what you say is confidential (kept private)
• the counsellor can help you make changes to your alcohol or drug use
• your counsellor can help you find out about other therapies

If you have a bad problem with drugs or alcohol, you might need to go into hospital for treatment.

You may have withdrawal symptoms while getting rid of drugs or alcohol from your body. You may need medicines to help manage these symptoms.

You may need to do a detoxification (detox) program to help control your withdrawal symptoms.

If you are dependent on drugs or alcohol and have a mental health condition, you should get help with both at the same time.

Rehabilitation might not work the first time. Many people need to go through the process more than once to get the result that they want.

Where can I go for help?

Ask your doctor about your options. They can refer you to rehabilitation treatment services.

You can also find a list of support services at the bottom of this page.

How can I help someone with drug and alcohol rehabilitation?

Overcoming addiction can be hard.

If you need to support a loved one going through rehab, you may also need support. Talk to a doctor or a drug and alcohol service for advice.

Family Drug Support Australia offers 24-hour support to families and friends of drug and alcohol users. Call 1300 368 186.

It's important to look after yourself when caring for someone with an addiction.

What does drug and alcohol rehabilitation cost?

You can get drug and rehabilitation services through:

• state government health departments
• non-government organisations and charities
• private drug and alcohol treatment centres

The costs of getting treatment vary. Some treatments are free. Some rehabilitation centres ask for a co-payment. Private treatment centres generally set their own fees.

Depending on your level of cover, some private health insurance companies offer rebates for rehab treatments.

When you contact a rehab service ask them about their costs, fees and any Medicare rebates.

Resources and Support

For more information on drug and alcohol rehabilitation you can contact:

• Turning Point Counselling Online for free drug and alcohol counselling.
• If you need help with alcohol addiction, call Alcoholics Anonymous on 1300 222 222.
• SMART Recovery Australia offers evidence-based tools to help you manage addictive behaviours.
• You can call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.

To find a drug and alcohol service you can visit the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website.

Young people can get support from:

• Reach Out
• Headspace

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.