While private treatment options offered through private addiction rehab clinics give the highest success rates, we understand not everyone can afford such treatments. We also understand not everyone has access to financing options or donations from family and friends. Sometimes free rehab offered room the NHS is the only option.

At Addiction Helper, we are committed to assisting everyone who contacts us, regardless of financial circumstances. If free programmes are what are appropriate for you, we will put as much effort into assisting you as we would someone opting for private treatment. We will still help you devise a treatment plan, find facilities offering those treatments, and remain involved with your treatment from beginning to end.

What You Need to Know about Free Addiction Rehab

In offering to assist you in securing free rehab services, it is also our obligation to inform you regarding what to expect. Otherwise, we would be guilty of the worst kind of deception. We do not want that and neither do you. Therefore, here are three things you need to know about free addiction rehab before going down that route:

1. Waiting Lists

The very nature of free addiction rehab programmes make them very attractive to a large number of alcohol and drug addicts. Moreover, while it’s true that time is of the essence when it comes to rehab, free services usually involve long waiting lists. That’s just reality.

Most of the free services available to you come from the NHS. However, unfortunately, the government does not provide nearly enough funding or personnel to offer appropriate treatment for so many addicts in need. As the number of people desperate for help continues to rise in the UK, NHS services simply cannot keep up.

What’s more, government-funded residential rehab at private clinics is nearly impossible to come by. While it might have been easier to gain access to such programmes in years past, the money has simply run out. A government rehab provider is more likely to recommend community-based treatment options if NHS services prove fruitless or unavailable.

2. Your Role

If you decide free addiction rehab services are your best option, we will support you in that decision. Nevertheless, you have a role to play. That role is taking responsibility for yourself throughout the entire process. It begins by contacting a local drug and alcohol team for an initial assessment.

Once your programme enrolment is in place, you MUST commit to attending every appointment made for you. There can be no exceptions. Unlike a residential treatment programme at a private clinic, free rehab programmes do not maintain control over your life 24 hours a day. You go home at the end of every session. That means you must take the responsibility for making sure you show up for the next session.

The second part of the responsibility is one of doing everything that is asked of you. No rehab programme, be it inpatient or out, can help you break your addiction problems if you’re not willing to put forth your best effort. You must sincerely want to be helped before you can be helped.

Finally, taking responsibility for yourself includes admitting you have a problem you cannot conquer on your own. Until you come to grips with the depth of your addiction, you are unlikely to ever conquer it.

3. It’s Hard Work

The third thing you need to know about free rehab is that it entails a lot of hard work before you ever enter an addiction  rehab programme. Government services come with a mountain of paperwork and multiple interviews you must attend. If you fail to jump through the government hoops, the officials responsible for your case will view that as a sign you are unwilling to get well. They may not put forth their best efforts as a result.

Community-Based Services

We previously mentioned community-based services for those with alcohol and drug addictions. It must be noted that these organisations do very good work on behalf of those they help. We urge you to take advantage of the services while you wait to be enrolled in NHS addiction rehab. Community-based services are FREE to anyone who needs them.

Examples of organisations offering community-based services include:

  • Alcoholics Anonymous

  • Narcotics Anonymous

  • Cocaine Anonymous

  • Alateen (Al-Anon for teenagers).

Groups like these offer a variety of services including group support. You can expect to attend local fellowship meetings, engage in group counselling, and participate in organised activities designed to help you learn important life skills. The group support provided by these types of organisations can be invaluable, both during the waiting period and while you’re undergoing treatment.

Drug and Alcohol Charities

You may find yourself in the position where you absolutely cannot afford the cost of private residential treatment, nor can you afford to wait for free services from the NHS. There may be one other option to consider: drug and alcohol charities.

There are a small number of charitable organisations, both religious and secular, that offer free addiction rehab services. These charities operate thanks to the generous gifts of individual donors and corporate grants. From time to time, they may receive some limited government funding as well.

The main advantage of alcohol and drug charities is that they provide many of the same services offered by private clinics. This includes residential treatment programmes. All of the services they offer are typically free with no questions asked. However, there are downsides as well.

The main downside is that charity programmes tend to be limited in the amount of available beds. Unfortunately, they can only operate as funding allows them to. If they do not receive enough donations in a given year, they will not be available to help as many people.

We’ve thrown a lot of information at you regarding free rehab options. However, we want to help you more if we can. If you are interested in knowing more about the cost of immediate private addiction rehab, or you just want to find out where the community-based services in your area are, please feel free to contact us at any time. Our courteous and compassionate staff are ready and waiting to talk with you.