Drug & alcohol rehab in Quebec: the honest guide

Written by Kristel Mae David, clinically reviewed by Nerea Encinas Sánchez. Checked 25 July 2026. Next review July 2027.

A note on who we are

Sierra Recovery is a residential clinic in southern Spain, not one of the treatment centres or health services listed for Quebec. We are not a service in Quebec, we are not a directory, and we take no referral fees. Nothing on this page is influenced by paid placement. We have put Quebec's free and public services first, on purpose, because for a great many people they are the right support and they cost nothing. Further down we explain, separately and clearly marked, when treatment abroad is worth considering and when it is not.

The picture in Quebec

Quebec runs one of the more structured public addiction treatment systems in Canada. Care is coordinated through the regional health and social service networks, the Centres intégrés de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) and Centres intégrés universitaires (CIUSSS), which run specialised addiction rehabilitation programmes known as centres de réadaptation en dépendance (CRD). These support services cover alcohol, drugs, medication, gambling and internet use, and they are free, confidential and available in both French and English. You do not need private insurance to use them.

Access is deliberately simple. You can self-refer by phone, a family doctor can refer you, or a helpline worker can point you to the nearest centre. Waiting times vary by region and by the level of care you need, and community and outpatient support is usually available more quickly than a residential bed in a rehabilitation centre.

Free and public options in Quebec

• Info-Social 811, option 2: Quebec's health and social advice line. A professional can assess your situation and direct you to services in your area. Free, confidential and bilingual, 24 hours a day. Dial 811.
• Drogue : aide et référence: a free, anonymous, confidential telephone and chat line offering listening, information and referral for anyone concerned about drug or alcohol use. Open 24/7 across the province on 1 800 265-2626 (Montréal and area 514 527-2626). Details at aidedrogue.ca.
• Your regional CISSS or CIUSSS addiction (CRD) programme: free, confidential specialised assessment, withdrawal management, outpatient and residential rehabilitation, and social reintegration for teenagers and adults. Find the right one through the government portal below or by calling 811.
• Gouvernement du Québec, Alcohol, drugs and gambling: the official public guide to what help exists and how to get it, in English and French, at quebec.ca.
• Trouve ton centre: the province's official directory of prevention, treatment and harm-reduction centres, run with the Association québécoise des centres d'intervention en dépendance. Search by region at trouvetoncentre.com.
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Quebec: free 12-step meetings in French, English and Spanish, in person and online, no fees and no registration. Province-wide help line 1 866 544-6322; meeting lists at aa-quebec.org.
• Narcotics Anonymous, Quebec: free 12-step meetings for drug problems, in person and by videoconference in several languages. Call 1 855 544-6362 or visit naquebec.org.

The honest private rehab reality

Quebec does have private residential treatment centres, and some people choose them for faster admission, more privacy or a particular therapeutic approach. Private rehab facilities come and go and standards vary, so no specific one is named or ranked here. No payment is accepted to send anyone anywhere. The safest way to find a legitimate private or public residential rehabilitation centre in Quebec is the government's own Trouve ton centre directory and the quebec.ca portal, where certification is publicly recorded. If cost or waiting is your main concern, remember that the public CRD system also provides free residential rehabilitation, and Info-Social 811 can tell you what is available near you.

What it costs

Public addiction treatment in Quebec, including residential rehabilitation through a CRD, is free. That is the headline, and for most families it is the most important sentence on this page.

Private residential rehab is a different matter. Published Canadian treatment directories put private inpatient care in Quebec in the region of CA$19,000 to CA$30,000 or more per month, with the exact figure driven by whether medical detox is provided on site, the staff-to-client ratio, the length of stay and the standard of accommodation. These are indicative ranges from published directories, not quotes, and any treatment centre should give you a written price before you commit. If you are weighing the cost of care at home against care abroad, our guide to how much rehab costs in Canada sets the numbers out in more detail.

Considering treatment abroad? Where Sierra Recovery fits

This section is about us, and we have placed it deliberately after the local picture. Sierra Recovery is not in Quebec. We are a small residential clinic in the mountains of inland Andalusia, in southern Spain, and we work mainly with English-speaking clients who choose to do their treatment away from home. Some people find that distance from familiar triggers, a warm climate and a quiet, peaceful setting with comfort and privacy genuinely help early recovery. For others, staying close to family and using the free Quebec system is plainly the better choice. Both can be right, and long-term recovery depends on finding the right support and treatment for you, without judgement.

If you do look at us, here is what is true, stated plainly:

• A registered health centre. Sierra Recovery is a licensed healthcare centre in Humilladero, Málaga, authorised by the Junta de Andalucía.
• Not a hospital and not a detox unit. Medical detox is completed elsewhere, before admission. We have nurses on the team and provide residential rehabilitation, not acute hospital detox.
• A published price. The residential programme is £9,900 for 28 days, published on our site. Where a hospital detox is needed first, it is arranged and billed separately.
• An established, evidence-based clinical model, adapted to Sierra. We follow the PROMIS clinical model adapted to Sierra, as developed in the UK since 1986, using a structured approach we call the Regulation Model. Our clinical director is Nerea Encinas Sánchez.
• No referral fees, either way. We do not pay for referrals and we do not take them.

You can read the full costs on our pricing page and check our Spanish authorisation on the regulation and licensing page. We would rather you arrived with your questions answered than with a decision rushed.

Which option is right for you

A simple way to think it through:

• If you are unsure where to begin, or cost is the deciding factor, start with the free public system. Call Info-Social 811 (option 2) or Drogue : aide et référence on 1 800 265-2626. There is no charge and no obligation.
• If you want peer support alongside any treatment, AA and NA meetings across Quebec are free and open, in person and online.
• If you need residential care and want to stay in Quebec, ask 811 about a CRD residential place, which is free, or use Trouve ton centre to find a certified private rehab centre if you prefer to pay for faster or more private admission.
• If distance from your usual environment would genuinely help, and you can fund private care, treatment abroad is worth a conversation. That is where a clinic like ours comes in, honestly and without pressure.

Whatever you decide, the important thing is to take the next step towards better outcomes. If you would like to talk through whether treatment in Spain makes sense for your situation, our admissions team will answer honestly, including telling you when a free option at home is the better fit.