# Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Southend | Sierra Recovery > Drug and alcohol rehab in Southend compared: free NHS and council treatment, Talk to FRANK, AA and NA, private cost ranges and honest treatment abroad. [Home](/) / [Local treatment guides](/local-treatment-guides/) / Southend Treatment options in Southend # Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Southend: the honest guide to your options The real routes to drug and alcohol rehab and treatment and recovery in Southend-on-Sea, from the free NHS and council-commissioned service and mutual-aid support groups to private residential rehab centres and treatment abroad, with honest costs and how to access each. [See the options](#options)[+44 1202 653136](tel:+441202653136) Clinically reviewed by[Nerea Encinas Sánchez](/clinical-team/)Director of the centre, MSc General Health PsychologyRegistered psychologist, COPAO AO13857 Checked for accuracy on 28 July 2026. Next review due July 2027. This page is general information about our programme and is not a substitute for advice about your own situation. If you may be physically dependent, do not stop suddenlyStopping alcohol or benzodiazepines abruptly can be dangerous if you are physically dependent, and severe withdrawal symptoms can cause seizures. Get medical advice before you cut down or stop. In a life-threatening emergency call 999 (or 112), and for urgent non-emergency advice call NHS 111. You do not have to pay for treatment in Southend. Southend-on-Sea City Council commissions a free, NHS-funded adult drug and alcohol service, delivered locally as STARS, the Southend Treatment and Recovery Service, and that is the right first step for most people struggling with drug or alcohol use. There is free peer support through AA and NA support groups, and free national advice through Talk to FRANK. Private rehab, meaning private residential rehab, is faster and more intensive but costs money, and treatment abroad can cost less than a private UK stay. Below are the main options, side by side. Who publishes this, and why it matters. This guide is published by Sierra Recovery. We are not based in Southend. We are a residential centre in Málaga, Spain, and we are included below as one option among the local ones, clearly marked, for people who would consider treatment away from home. Unlike a directory, our list is not influenced by anyone paying for placement, and where a local option is better for you than we are, we say so. ## Drug and alcohol addiction in Southend-on-Sea: the picture Southend is a unitary authority, so a single council, Southend-on-Sea City Council, is responsible for commissioning adult drug and alcohol treatment locally, funded through the public health grant. That treatment and recovery service is free at the point of use. Nationally, published data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows alcohol misuse is the substance adults most often seek treatment for, followed by opiates and cocaine, and the same broad pattern of drug abuse and drug and alcohol abuse is visible across south-east Essex. Whatever behavioural or substance misuse issue, or wider drug and alcohol addiction, you are struggling with, there is a free, confidential route into help, and it does not depend on your income. This page sets out the treatment services and options available, including treatment near Southend-on-Sea and centres in Southend-on-Sea and around Southend-on-Sea, so you can see the full picture before you choose. ### Speak to a clinician about treatment from Southend Confidential, no obligation, and no referral fee is paid to anyone for sending you here. [Speak to a clinician](#talk)[+44 1202 653136](tel:+441202653136) ## Free drug and alcohol services in Southend Start here, before you consider paying for anything. These services are free, they are local, and for a great many people they are enough on their own. We publish them because a centre that only tells you about its own programme is not giving you the full picture. Where to go What they do, and how to reach them [Drinkaware](https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/) the commissioning authority Free drug and alcohol treatment for Southend is commissioned by Drinkaware. Their page lists the current provider, which changes when contracts are retendered, so we link the authority rather than a service name that may be out of date. Your GP, or NHS 111 The NHS advises starting with your GP, who can assess you, advise on safe options and refer you into local treatment. Call NHS 111 for urgent advice that is not an emergency. [Talk to FRANK](https://www.talktofrank.com/get-help/find-support-near-you) Free, confidential drugs advice 24 hours a day on 0300 123 6600, or text 82111. Its find-support tool lists local services for any postcode. Drinkline The free national alcohol helpline on 0300 123 1110, weekdays 9am to 8pm and weekends 11am to 4pm, for you or for someone you are worried about. [We Are With You](https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/) Free, confidential support for drug, alcohol and mental health problems, in person in many areas and by webchat everywhere. [Adfam](https://adfam.org.uk/) Support and information for families and friends affected by someone else’s drug or alcohol use. Checked 28 July 2026. Commissioned services are retendered periodically, so confirm the current provider with the authority before you travel to an appointment. ## AA and NA meetings in Southend Mutual aid meetings are free, they run most days, and there is no waiting list, no referral and no assessment. You can walk into one this week. They work alongside whatever else you choose rather than instead of it, and plenty of people use them and nothing else. Fellowship How to find a meeting near Southend Alcoholics Anonymous Search your town or postcode on the [AA Great Britain meeting finder](https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/find-a-meeting/) to see every meeting near Southend, in person and online, with days and times. The helpline is free on 0800 917 7650. Narcotics Anonymous If drugs are part of the picture, search the [UK Narcotics Anonymous meeting finder](https://meetings.ukna.org/) for meetings near Southend. The helpline is 0300 999 1212. Cocaine Anonymous For cocaine and crack specifically, in person and online, with a national helpline on 0800 612 0225. See [Cocaine Anonymous UK](https://www.cocaineanonymous.org.uk/). SMART Recovery A secular, CBT-based alternative to the twelve-step approach, free, in person and online. Some people much prefer it, and you are not required to choose one. See [SMART Recovery UK](https://smartrecovery.org.uk/). Al-Anon For the family and friends of someone drinking, which is its own burden and deserves its own support. See [Al-Anon UK](https://www.al-anonuk.org.uk/). ### What actually happens at a first meeting You do not have to speak, and you do not have to give your surname. Most meetings open with a reading, someone shares for a while, and others speak if they want to. It lasts about an hour, and it is free, though a basket goes round for the room hire. Nobody takes a register and nobody will ask you to commit to anything. An open meeting can be attended by anyone, including family. A closed meeting is for people who think they may have a problem themselves. If the first group does not suit you, the next one along will feel different, because each has its own character. The usual advice is to try three before deciding it is not for you. We link the official finders rather than print a timetable, because meeting times and venues change and a stale listing sends someone to a locked door. Checked 28 July 2026. ## Private rehab treatment centre options near Southend-on-Sea We could not verify a licensed private residential (inpatient) rehab centre based in Southend itself. There is no shortage of drug rehab clinics and alcohol and drug rehab centres advertising to people searching for drug rehab near Southend-on-Sea or a centre near Southend-on-Sea, but residential detox and rehab facilities for Southend residents are, in practice, reached either by referral through the free NHS service above, or privately at treatment centres elsewhere, most often in Essex, London or further afield. In practice a residential stay almost always means travelling to a rehab clinic outside Southend, whichever route into treatment you choose, which is worth knowing when you weigh up treatment abroad against inpatient rehab near Southend-on-Sea. A typical inpatient stay includes a medical detox process, daily therapy sessions, group and individual work, and a planned recovery journey into aftercare. If you are considering any private drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, check the underlying causes it treats, its treatment process, its evidence-based treatment methods, and its current rating and registered address on the Care Quality Commission register before you commit. No private centre outside the area is presented here as though it were local. Always confirm a centre’s location and registration directly. ## What treatment costs Free is a genuine option, not a lesser one. Community treatment through STARS, the council-commissioned service, is free at the point of use, and mutual-aid meetings cost nothing. Private care is where the numbers appear. As an indicative guide from published UK directories, private residential rehab treatment in England is commonly listed from around £12,000 to £40,000 for a 28-day stay, and roughly £12,000 to £40,000 a month, rising much higher at the luxury end, with little that is credible under £10,000 a month. These are indicative ranges from public directory listings, not quotations, and every centre sets its own fees for its own rehab programme. Funding a private stay for drug or alcohol addiction is usually self-pay, sometimes health insurance, and occasionally a payment plan. Cost ranges checked 25 July 2026. Typical published UK ranges, not quotes, confirm any figure with the provider directly. Please verify before you decide. Services, waiting times and prices change, and every centre sets its own fees. The figures here are drawn from providers’ own published information and public directory listings, dated above. Always confirm directly with the service or centre. Considering residential treatment abroad? ## Sierra Recovery, Málaga, Spain Most people who look abroad are not chasing sunshine. They are trying to get far enough away from the people, the places and the routine that keep the drinking or the using going, because they have already discovered that stopping while all of that is still fifteen minutes away does not hold. That distance is the whole point, and it is the one thing a clinic near Southend cannot give you. Sierra Recovery is a working farmhouse on forty hectares of olive groves in the Málaga countryside, about forty five minutes from the airport and roughly three hours from most UK airports. It is small, the team is English-speaking, and the same clinicians treat you from the first day to the last. What follows is what that actually buys, stated plainly enough that you can compare it with anything else you are considering. What matters when comparing Sierra Recovery Is it actually licensed A registered health centre entered in the Registro Andaluz de Centros, Servicios y Establecimientos Sanitarios (the Andalusian register of health centres, services and establishments) under N.I.C.A. 67331, authorised by the Junta de Andalucía. You can look it up yourself on the public register. What it costs, in full £9,900 for the 28-day residential programme, published on the site up front. All rooms are individual. You get an itemised written quotation before admission. Who pays whom No referral fees are paid or accepted, in either direction. Nobody earns a commission for sending you here, which is worth checking about any centre you are comparing. What the clinical work is Three group sessions a day five days a week, individual therapy three times a week, and a seventeen-module psychoeducation curriculum. The approach adapts the method of PROMIS Clinics, treating addiction in the United Kingdom since 1986. Where the limits are It is not a hospital and not a detox unit. Where a medically supervised detox is clinically needed it is completed in an appropriate medical setting before admission and billed separately. Qualified nurses are part of the team throughout the stay. Who you speak to first Our admissions team, all of them clinicians, working to the standards set by our clinical director. The assessment is free, and if a service closer to home suits you better, we will say so. What happens afterwards Aftercare is agreed before you leave: a session every week for a full year, online or in person at the PROMIS clinics in London, which is more than 48 sessions in the twelve months after discharge. A written handover goes to your GP so nothing has to be explained from scratch. Every figure above is published elsewhere on this site and can be checked. See [pricing](/pricing/), [regulation and licensing](/regulation-and-licensing/) and [the programme](/our-programme-at-sierra-recovery/). ## Understanding drug and alcohol addiction Addiction, sometimes called alcoholism when the substance is alcohol, is recognised in the United Kingdom and internationally as a substance use disorder and a mental disorder, not a moral failing. Signs and symptoms vary by person and substance, but commonly include craving, loss of control, tolerance, and continuing to use despite harm to health, relationships or well-being. Where addiction sits alongside anxiety, depression or another condition, that is called dual diagnosis, and it needs treatment for both at once. Evidence-based medicine points to a mix of options: drug detoxification or drug rehabilitation to manage physical drug withdrawal safely, medication where clinically appropriate, and psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, family therapy or group psychotherapy to address the behaviour and thinking that sustain substance dependence. Sobriety is rarely a single event; most recovery models describe it as an ongoing process, which is why aftercare and relapse prevention matter as much as the initial residential treatment centre stay. Some people also explore complementary or alternative medicine, such as mindfulness or exercise, alongside, not instead of, evidence-based addiction psychology and psychiatric care. If any of this describes what you or a family member is going through, the free options below, reachable by phone, text or email through the services listed, are a safe place to ask questions. ## Which option is right for you Start with STARS, the free council-commissioned service, if you are unsure, if cost is the barrier, or if you want to stay near family and work while you work through a treatment plan. Talk to FRANK or We Are With You if you want confidential advice before you commit to anything. Private residential rehab in the UK if you need detox and rehab together under one roof, are not fit to fly, or need to stay close to home. Treatment abroad only if a private UK stay is out of reach, distance from your triggers would help, and you can travel and do not need an immediate hospital detox. Use AA, NA or Al-Anon/Alateen alongside whatever you choose, both during treatment and as ongoing relapse prevention and aftercare once you overcome the acute stage of drug or alcohol addiction. If distance from home and a settled programme in the sun would help, and you have read the honest picture above, our [admissions team](/admissions/) will tell you plainly whether Sierra is the right fit, or whether a Southend option serves you better. + ### Talk to a clinician today Confidential and no obligation. You will speak to our admissions team, all of them clinicians. We will tell you honestly whether treatment abroad is right for you. [Speak to a clinician](/contact/) Or call us directly at [+44 1202 653136](tel:+441202653136) ### Free help in Southend - [STARS Southend Treatment and Recovery Service · Forward Trust](https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/service/stars-southend-treatment-and-recovery-service/) - [Talk to FRANK · 0300 123 6600](https://www.talktofrank.com/get-help/find-support-near-you) - [NHS find alcohol & drug support](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/find-alcohol-addiction-support-services/) - [LiveWell Southend directory](https://www.livewellsouthend.com/) - [We Are With You](https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/) - [Drinkaware](https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/) Free and confidential. In an emergency call 999, or NHS 111 for urgent advice. ## Sources and verification - [Southend-on-Sea City Council](https://www.southend.gov.uk/), responsible for commissioning local adult drug & alcohol treatment - [LiveWell Southend](https://www.livewellsouthend.com/), the council’s health & wellbeing directory of local services - [STARS, Southend Treatment and Recovery Service, delivered by Forward Trust](https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/service/stars-southend-treatment-and-recovery-service/), 25-27 Weston Road, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 1AS - [Talk to FRANK](https://www.talktofrank.com/get-help/find-support-near-you), free national helpline 0300 123 6600, text 82111, and local-service finder - [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/find-alcohol-addiction-support-services/), find alcohol and drug addiction support services in England - [We Are With You](https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/), free and confidential drug, alcohol and mental-health support - [Alcoholics Anonymous (GB)](https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/) · [UK Narcotics Anonymous](https://ukna.org/) · [Al-Anon/Alateen UK](https://www.al-anonuk.org.uk/), meeting finders for people using drugs or alcohol and for their families - [Drinkaware](https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/), independent alcohol misuse information and advice - [CQC register](https://www.cqc.org.uk/), verify any private centre’s current rating and registered location - UK private residential price ranges, compiled from published provider and public directory listings (indicative, not endorsements) - [Junta de Andalucía register](https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud/oficinavirtual/consulta/index.jsp), Sierra Recovery, N.I.C.A. 67331 · [Sierra pricing](/pricing/) All figures dated 25 July 2026. Confirm each service and price on the provider’s own page before you rely on it. ## Questions people ask Is there a free drug and alcohol service in Southend? Yes. Southend-on-Sea City Council commissions a free, NHS-funded adult drug and alcohol treatment service, delivered free at the point of use. You can reach it through your GP, NHS 111, the NHS find-a-service tool, or by calling Talk to FRANK free on 0300 123 6600. Support is confidential and does not depend on your income. Is there a private residential rehab in Southend itself? We could not verify a licensed private residential (inpatient) rehab based in Southend. Residents who choose residential care usually travel to a centre elsewhere in Essex, London or further afield, or go through an NHS referral. Always check a centre's registered address and rating on the CQC register before you commit, and be wary of any listing that claims to be local when it is not. How much does private rehab cost, and is free treatment any good? Community treatment through the council-commissioned service is free and is the right first step for most people. Private residential rehab in England is indicatively listed at around £12,000 to £40,000 for a 28-day stay, from published UK directories (not quotes). Sierra Recovery's 28-day residential programme in Spain is £9,900, with any hospital detox billed separately. I am worried about withdrawal. Can I get help quickly? If you may be physically dependent on alcohol or benzodiazepines, do not stop suddenly, as withdrawal can cause seizures. Call 999 or 112 in a life-threatening emergency, or NHS 111 for urgent advice. Your GP or the council-commissioned service can assess you for a supervised community detox, and refer you on to residential detox where that is clinically needed. Where is Sierra Recovery, and is it in Southend? No. Sierra Recovery is a registered health centre in Humilladero, Málaga, Spain. It is included on this page as one option for people who would consider treatment abroad, listed clearly after the local Southend options, not as a local service. ### From Southend, admission can happen within days Where no medical detox is needed first, the usual sequence is a free assessment, an itemised written quotation, and a flight. Málaga is around three hours from most UK airports. Where a detox is needed it is arranged first and that changes the timing, and we will tell you so at assessment, before you book anything. [How admission works](/admissions/) [Getting here from the UK](/travelling-to-spain-for-treatment/) ### Still not sure which option fits you in Southend? Tell a clinician what is going on and they will talk it through with you, including the free routes above, before anything is booked. [Speak to a clinician](#talk)[+44 1202 653136](tel:+441202653136) + ## Talk to a clinician today You will speak to our admissions team, English-speaking clinicians who know the programme and the people in it. Callback within 24 hours. Step 1 of 3 Confidential, and no obligation Registered health centre. Authorised by the Junta de Andalucía, N.I.C.A. 67331. ### Other areas we cover - [Norwich](/alcohol-rehab-norwich/) - [Lowestoft](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-lowestoft/) - [Buckinghamshire](/alcohol-rehab-buckinghamshire/) - [Bedfordshire](/alcohol-rehab-bedfordshire/) - [Bedford](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-bedford/) - [Luton](/alcohol-rehab-luton/) See every location in our [local treatment guides](/local-treatment-guides/), or compare what treatment costs in [the UK](/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-the-uk/). ### Related pages [Pricing](/pricing/)[Our programme](/our-programme-at-sierra-recovery/)[Regulation & licensing](/regulation-and-licensing/)[Rehab: UK vs Spain](/rehab-uk-vs-spain/)[Cost of rehab in Spain](/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-spain/)[Admissions](/admissions/) --- Source: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-southend/ Retrieved: 2026-08-27 Canonical HTML version of this page: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-southend/