# Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Thailand | Sierra Recovery > Drug and alcohol rehab in Thailand: free government hospitals, the 1323 helpline, English AA and NA meetings, private residential care and treatment abroad. [Home](/) / [Local treatment guides](/local-treatment-guides/) / Thailand Treatment options in Thailand # Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Thailand: the honest guide The real routes to drug and alcohol rehab in Thailand, from free government hospital treatment and the national mental-health helpline to English-language AA and NA meetings, the large private residential rehab sector, and honest guidance if you would consider addiction treatment abroad, with the 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. You do not have to pay a private clinic to get help in Thailand. Government hospitals, led by the Thanyarak network, treat drug and alcohol addiction, and the Department of Mental Health runs a free 24-hour helpline on 1323. AA and NA hold free meetings in English across the main cities. Thailand also has a large private residential rehab sector marketed to international clients. Below are the main options, side by side, with what each treatment centre really costs. If you may be physically dependent, do not stop suddenlyStopping alcohol or benzodiazepines abruptly can be dangerous if you are physically dependent, severe withdrawal can cause seizures. Get medical advice first. For a life-threatening medical emergency in Thailand call 1669 (ambulance) or 191 (police). For confidential mental-health support, the Department of Mental Health helpline is 1323. Who publishes this, and why it matters. This guide is published by Sierra Recovery. We are not based in Thailand, we are a residential addiction treatment centre in Humilladero, Málaga, Spain, and we are included below as one option for people who would consider treatment away from home, clearly marked, after the local picture. 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. ## The picture in drug and alcohol rehab in Thailand Thailand has a national treatment system for drug and alcohol addiction built around the Ministry of Public Health. Methamphetamine remains the country’s leading drug and alcohol treatment concern, and alcohol use is widespread, so the public system handles both drug addiction and alcohol addiction, alongside other forms of drug or alcohol addiction and dependence. Thai government services also see people with co-occurring mental health difficulties such as depression alongside a substance use disorder, and dual diagnosis support is part of the national picture, not just a private-sector offer. For Thai residents, treatment in government hospitals is low-cost or subsidised under universal health coverage. For visitors, expatriates and tourists, the practical routes are usually a private treatment centre, English-language mutual-aid meetings, or paid mental health treatment in a government hospital. This guide keeps to services that are real, public and possible to verify. ### Speak to a clinician about treatment from Thailand 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 Thailand 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 [Department of Mental Health, Thailand](https://www.dmh.go.th/) the commissioning authority Free drug and alcohol treatment for Thailand is commissioned by Department of Mental Health, Thailand. 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 Thailand 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 Thailand Alcoholics Anonymous Search your town or postcode on the [AA Thailand](https://www.aathailand.org/) site to see every meeting near Thailand, in person and online, with days and times. Narcotics Anonymous If drugs are part of the picture, search the [NA Thailand](https://na-thailand.org/) site for meetings near Thailand. ### 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 residential rehab in Thailand Thailand does have a well-established private residential rehab sector, concentrated in and around Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and along the coast, and heavily marketed to international clients in English. It would be dishonest to tell you there is none. What matters is checking any treatment centre properly. Licensing in Thailand varies, some centres are registered healthcare facilities and some are not, so before you commit to any private centre, confirm it is a licensed healthcare facility with the Thai Ministry of Public Health, ask who provides the medical governance, and ask exactly what treatment options, accommodation and aftercare are and are not included in the price. It is also worth asking what the treatment programme actually contains: whether it is genuinely evidence-based, whether it offers individual and group therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy, whether it can support co-occurring mental health needs or dual diagnosis rather than addiction alone, and whether relapse prevention and aftercare planning continue once you leave. Many privately marketed centres in Thailand also promote holistic activities, such as yoga, mindfulness or Muay Thai, alongside clinical therapy; a holistic approach can be a genuine part of residential addiction treatment, but it should sit around solid clinical care, not replace it. Good drug rehab in Thailand, as anywhere, treats addiction as a health condition rather than a moral failing, and a serious addiction rehab programme should be able to explain its approach to addiction in plain terms. No individual private centre is named here. Public directories that list them are in the sources below, and you should verify each centre’s licence and current fees on its own materials before you rely on anything. ## What treatment costs For Thai residents, treatment in the government system is low-cost or subsidised under universal health coverage. For everyone else, cost depends on the route. As an indicative guide only, published international directories list private residential rehab in Thailand from roughly £12,000 to £40,000 a month. These are indicative ranges from published listings, not quotations, and every centre sets its own fees and its own definition of what accommodation and therapy that fee actually includes. Funding routes are, broadly: the public system for eligible Thai residents; self-pay; and international private medical insurance or health insurance, which may cover some residential addiction treatment depending on your policy. Always confirm what your policy covers before you travel or admit. Please verify before you decide. Services, waiting times and prices change, and every centre sets its own fees. The figures here are drawn from public directories and each provider’s own published information, dated above. Always confirm directly with the service or centre, and confirm any private centre’s healthcare licence. 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 Thailand 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 If you live in Thailand and cost is the barrier, start with the government system through a hospital or the 1323 helpline, and use AA or NA alongside it. If you are a visitor or expatriate in Thailand who wants intensive English-language residential care close by, a licensed private centre in Thailand may suit you, provided you check its licence and what is included. If you are in the UK or Europe and would prefer residential care governed to UK clinical standards, with aftercare that continues once you are home, treatment in Europe may fit better than travelling to Asia. Whatever you choose, use AA or NA alongside it. Wherever you are in your recovery journey, if you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, the free 1323 helpline is a safe first call, and you can [talk to our team about admissions](/admissions/) if long-term recovery through treatment in Spain, alongside continued addiction recovery support once you are home, is worth considering. + ### Talk to a clinician You will speak to our admissions team, all of them clinicians. We will tell you honestly whether this is the right place. [Speak to a clinician](/contact/) Or call us directly at [+44 1202 653136](tel:+441202653136) Registered health centre, N.I.C.A. 67331, entered in the Registro Andaluz de Centros, Servicios y Establecimientos Sanitarios. [See our licensing](/regulation-and-licensing/). ## Sources and verification - [Department of Mental Health, Thailand](https://www.dmh.go.th/), free 24-hour helpline 1323 - [Princess Mother National Institute on Drug Abuse Treatment (Thanyarak)](https://pmnidat.go.th/), national government drug-dependence treatment institute - [Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health](https://www.dms.go.th/), which oversees the Thanyarak network - [AA Thailand](https://www.aathailand.org/), English-language meeting finder (helpline 090 269 9707) - [NA Thailand](https://na-thailand.org/), meeting information (helpline +66 2 566 0794) - Private residential price ranges, compiled from published international directory figures (not endorsements); confirm each centre’s healthcare licence with the Thai Ministry of Public Health - [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. Each price and licence should be confirmed on the provider’s own page before you rely on it. ## Questions people ask Is drug and alcohol rehab free in Thailand? Thailand's government hospitals, led by the Thanyarak network, and the Department of Mental Health's free 24-hour helpline on 1323, provide treatment for drug and alcohol dependence. This is low-cost or subsidised for Thai residents under universal health coverage. Foreign nationals without Thai insurance usually pay hospital fees. AA and NA meetings are free to everyone. Does Thailand have private residential rehab? Yes. Thailand has a well-established private residential rehab sector, concentrated around Chiang Mai and the coast, and heavily marketed to international clients in English. Programmes are commonly advertised, as an indicative guide from published directories, from roughly £6,000 to £15,000 a month at the luxury end. Before you commit, confirm the centre is a licensed healthcare facility with the Thai Ministry of Public Health and ask exactly what is included. Can foreigners get addiction treatment in Thailand? Yes. Foreigners can access private residential centres, and government hospitals on a paid basis. English-language AA and NA meetings run in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin and Samui, and are free. Confirm cost and eligibility with any hospital or centre directly before you travel. Is it safe to detox from alcohol on my own? No, not if you may be physically dependent. Stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines suddenly can cause seizures and, in severe cases, be life-threatening. Seek medical advice first. In a medical emergency in Thailand call 1669 for an ambulance, or 191 for the police. Where is Sierra Recovery, and is it in Thailand? No. Sierra Recovery is a registered health centre in Humilladero, Malaga, Spain (Junta de Andalucía, N.I.C.A. 67331). We are included in this guide as one option for people who would consider treatment in Europe rather than Asia. Our 28-day residential programme is published at £9,900, with hospital detox billed separately, and we are not a hospital or detox unit. ### From Thailand, 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 Thailand? 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 - [Bali](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-bali/) - [Sydney](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-sydney/) - [New South Wales](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-new-south-wales/) - [Orange](/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-orange/) See every location in our [local treatment guides](/local-treatment-guides/), or compare what treatment costs in [other countries](/what-does-rehab-actually-cost/). ### Related pages [Pricing](/pricing/)[Regulation & licensing](/regulation-and-licensing/)[Our programme](/our-programme-at-sierra-recovery/)[Rehab: UK vs Spain](/rehab-uk-vs-spain/)[The Regulation Model](/the-regulation-model/)[Admissions](/admissions/) --- Source: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-thailand/ Retrieved: 2026-08-27 Canonical HTML version of this page: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-in-thailand/