# Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Sunshine Coast | Sierra Recovery > Drug and alcohol rehab in Sunshine Coast: free Queensland Health and Lives Lived Well services, AA and NA, residential options and costs, honestly compared. [Home](/) / [Local treatment guides](/local-treatment-guides/) / Sunshine Coast Treatment options on the Sunshine Coast # Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Sunshine Coast: the main options, compared The real routes to drug and alcohol help on the Sunshine Coast, QLD, from free Queensland Health and not-for-profit services and peer support to publicly funded residential rehab, private retreats and treatment abroad, with indicative costs and how to access each treatment option. [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. You do not have to pay to get help on the Sunshine Coast. Queensland Health’s Alcohol and Other Drugs Service and the not-for-profit Lives Lived Well both provide free counselling and support for substance use and mental health issues, and there is free 24-hour advice and peer support as well. Publicly funded residential rehab is available locally, private retreats operate in the region, and treatment abroad is a further option for people who would consider it. Whether you are struggling with addiction yourself or supporting someone who is, below are the main treatment options, side by side. If you may be physically dependent, do not stop suddenlyStopping alcohol or benzodiazepines abruptly can be dangerous if you are physically dependent, because severe withdrawal can cause seizures. Get medical advice before you cut down, so any withdrawal symptoms can be safely managed. In a life-threatening emergency call 000 (or 112 from a mobile). For free, confidential alcohol and drug advice any time, day or night, call the Queensland Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) on 1800 177 833, or 13 HEALTH on 13 43 25 84. Who publishes this, and why it matters. This guide is published by Sierra Recovery. We are not based on the Sunshine Coast. We are a registered residential centre in Humilladero, Málaga, in southern Spain, and we are included below as one option among the local ones, clearly marked, for people who would consider treatment away from home. Illicit drug use, alcohol addiction and other drug and alcohol addiction are common reasons people in Queensland reach out first to a free local service, and that is usually the right place to start. Unlike a paid directory, our list is not influenced by anyone paying for placement, we take no referral fees, and where a local option is a better fit for you than we are, we say so plainly. ### Speak to a clinician about treatment from Sunshine Coast 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 Sunshine Coast 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 [Queensland Health Adis](https://adis.health.qld.gov.au/service-providers/alcohol-and-other-drugs-service-aods-nambour-0) the commissioning authority Free drug and alcohol treatment for Sunshine Coast is commissioned by Queensland Health Adis. 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 Sunshine Coast 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 Sunshine Coast Alcoholics Anonymous Search your town or postcode on the [Alcoholics Anonymous Australia](https://meetings.aa.org.au/meetings/?tsml-region=sunshine-coast) site to see every meeting near Sunshine Coast, in person and online, with days and times. Narcotics Anonymous If drugs are part of the picture, search the [Narcotics Anonymous Australia](https://www.na.org.au/multi/queensland-meetings/) site for meetings near Sunshine Coast. ### 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. ## Residential rehab on the Sunshine Coast Unlike some areas, the Sunshine Coast QLD does have residential rehabilitation available. WHOS Najara at Nambour is a publicly funded, not-for-profit residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation service treating alcohol and other drug dependence, with co-occurring mental health support; it is a residential drug-free treatment programme based on the therapeutic community (TC) model for men and women, sometimes referred to locally simply as the TC known as Najara. It is free or low-cost, accessed by assessment, and usually has a waiting list. Phone (07) 5476 0877. Private residential retreats and health retreats also operate in the wider Sunshine Coast and Noosa area, and further south toward Brisbane; each sets its own fees and admission criteria, so you should confirm these directly with any of the alcohol rehab centres on the Sunshine Coast you are considering. The free AODS service above can also refer you to residential detox or rehab where that is the right step, which is worth knowing before you weigh up treatment abroad. ## What residential rehab costs in Australia Publicly funded residential rehab, such as WHOS Najara, is free or low-cost, with demand often outstripping places. Private residential rehab is charged per stay, and the range is wide. Published Australian directories and cost guides list private 28-day residential programmes from around AU$7,000 to AU$40,000 or more, with mid-tier private centres commonly in the AU$25,000–35,000 band and premium retreats higher again. Health insurance may cover part of a stay depending on your policy and level of cover. For comparison, Sierra’s residential programme abroad is a published £9,900 for 28 days (roughly AU$19,000 at mid-2026 exchange rates), private room included, with any hospital detox billed separately. That sits below much of the Australian private range, largely because the cost of running a clinic in the rural Spanish countryside is lower, not because the evidence-based clinical standard is. Cost ranges are indicative, drawn from published Australian rehab-cost guides and public directories, dated above. They are not quotations. Every centre sets its own fees; confirm 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 Sunshine Coast 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/). ## Which option is right for you Addiction affects everyone differently, and no single route will treat addiction the same way for two people, so weigh these against how substance dependence or substance addiction is actually showing up in your life. Start with the free AODS or Lives Lived Well service if you are unsure, if cost is the barrier, or if you want to stay near family and work. ADIS on 1800 177 833 if you want confidential advice today before deciding anything. WHOS Najara or a referral to residential detox if you need supervised withdrawal and residential care and can wait for a place. A private Australian retreat if you want to be admitted quickly, need detox and rehab under one roof, and can meet the cost. Treatment abroad only if a private stay at home is out of reach, distance from your usual triggers would genuinely help, and you can travel and do not need an immediate hospital detox. Use AA or NA, or another self-help fellowship, alongside whatever you choose, both for day-to-day sobriety support and for relapse prevention once the formal treatment program ends, since relapse is a real risk whichever route you take. If treatment abroad is worth a conversation, our team will tell you honestly whether it fits your situation, and point you back to a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation service if it does not. You can read how admission works, and what happens before you travel, on our [admissions page](/admissions/), as part of your wider recovery journey. + ### Talk to a clinician You will speak to our admissions team, all of them clinicians. Confidential, and no obligation. [How admission works](/admissions/) Or call us directly [+44 1202 653136](tel:+441202653136) Urgent help on the Sunshine Coast Emergency 000 (or 112 from a mobile). Free 24/7 alcohol and drug advice: ADIS 1800 177 833. Health advice: 13 HEALTH 13 43 25 84. Registered health centre, N.I.C.A. 67331, entered in the Registro Andaluz de Centros, Servicios y Establecimientos Sanitarios. [Look us up](https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud/oficinavirtual/consulta/index.jsp). ## Sources and verification - [Queensland Health Adis](https://adis.health.qld.gov.au/service-providers/alcohol-and-other-drugs-service-aods-nambour-0), Alcohol and Other Drugs Service (AODS), Sunshine Coast (Nambour), phone (07) 5319 4899 - [Lives Lived Well](https://www.liveslivedwell.org.au/our-locations/qld/), Sunshine Coast service, free counselling and support, 1300 727 957 - [Queensland Health](https://www.health.qld.gov.au/public-health/topics/atod/services), Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS), 24/7 confidential advice on 1800 177 833 - [Queensland Health Adis](https://adis.health.qld.gov.au/service-providers/whos-najara-sunshine-coast), WHOS Najara residential rehabilitation, Nambour, phone (07) 5476 0877 - [Alcoholics Anonymous Australia](https://meetings.aa.org.au/meetings/?tsml-region=sunshine-coast), Sunshine Coast meeting finder · [Narcotics Anonymous Australia](https://www.na.org.au/multi/queensland-meetings/), Queensland meetings - [recovery.com](https://recovery.com/queensland/), Queensland residential rehab directory (indicative private cost ranges, 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/) · [Sierra regulation & licensing](/regulation-and-licensing/) All figures dated 25 July 2026. Confirm each service and price directly before you rely on it. ## Questions people ask Is there free drug and alcohol help on the Sunshine Coast? Yes. Queensland Health's Alcohol and Other Drugs Service (AODS) at Nambour and the not-for-profit Lives Lived Well in Maroochydore both offer free counselling and support. Free 24-hour advice is available from ADIS on 1800 177 833, and AA and NA run free peer meetings across the coast. For most people the free service is the right first step. Is there a residential rehab on the Sunshine Coast? Yes. WHOS Najara at Nambour is a publicly funded, not-for-profit residential rehabilitation service, accessed by assessment and usually with a waiting list ((07) 5476 0877). Private residential retreats also operate in the wider Sunshine Coast and Noosa area, and the free AODS service can refer you to residential detox or rehab where that is the right step. How much does private residential rehab cost in Australia? Publicly funded residential rehab is free or low-cost. Private residential programmes are charged per stay: published Australian directories and cost guides list 28-day stays from around AU$7,000 to AU$40,000 or more, with mid-tier private centres commonly AU$25,000 to AU$35,000. These are indicative ranges, not quotations, and every centre sets its own fees, so confirm directly. Should someone on the Sunshine Coast consider rehab abroad? Only in specific circumstances: if a private stay at home is out of reach, if distance from your usual triggers would genuinely help, and if you can travel and do not need an immediate hospital detox. Otherwise the free local AODS or Lives Lived Well service is the sensible starting point. Sierra Recovery in Spain is one abroad option, at a published GBP 9,900 for 28 days, with any hospital detox arranged and billed separately. Is it safe to stop drinking or benzodiazepines on my own? No, not if you may be physically dependent. Stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines abruptly can trigger severe withdrawal, including seizures. Get medical advice before you cut down. In an emergency call 000 (or 112 from a mobile), and for free alcohol and drug advice any time call ADIS on 1800 177 833. ### From Sunshine Coast, 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 Sunshine Coast? 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 - [Toowoomba](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-toowoomba/) - [Townsville](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-townsville/) - [Rockhampton](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-rockhampton/) - [Brisbane](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-brisbane/) - [Gold Coast](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-gold-coast/) See every location in our [local treatment guides](/local-treatment-guides/), or compare what treatment costs in [Australia](/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-australia/). ### Related pages [Our programme](/our-programme-at-sierra-recovery/)[The Regulation Model](/the-regulation-model/)[Pricing](/pricing/)[Regulation & licensing](/regulation-and-licensing/)[Assessment & detox](/medical-assessment-and-detox/)[Admissions](/admissions/) --- Source: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-sunshine-coast/ Retrieved: 2026-08-27 Canonical HTML version of this page: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-sunshine-coast/