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Cost of rehab in the UK
How Much Does Rehab Cost in the UK?
An honest look at what addiction treatment costs in the United Kingdom, the free NHS and community help you can use first, and where a licensed programme abroad fits in.
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.
In the UK you do not have to pay to get help: NHS-funded community drug and alcohol services are free, and are the right first step for most people. Private residential rehab is where real cost appears, commonly £12,000 to £40,000 a month, with little credible under £10,000. For comparison, Sierra Recovery in Spain is published at £9,900 for 28 days.
If you are physically dependent on alcohol or benzodiazepines, do not stop suddenly, because sudden withdrawal can be dangerous. In a life-threatening emergency call 999. For urgent non-emergency advice call NHS 111, or speak to your GP. Any medically supervised detox should be completed in an appropriate medical setting before a residential programme begins.
Start with what is free on the NHS
For a great many people the right first step costs nothing. Every part of the UK has free, publicly funded drug and alcohol support, and you are entitled to use it before you spend anything on private care.
- Your local NHS drug and alcohol service, often run by charities such as Change Grow Live, We Are With You or Turning Point, free, with self-referral in most areas.
- Your GP can assess you, prescribe for a supervised detox where appropriate, and refer you on.
- FRANK (talktofrank.com), the national drugs information and helpline service.
- Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, free peer-support meetings across the country.
NHS-funded residential rehab exists, paid for by the local authority, but places are limited and usually require a funding panel, so a wait, rather than a fee, is often the real obstacle.
What private rehab costs in the UK
Drawing on published prices in the recovery.com directory, a private residential programme in England commonly runs from around £12,000 to £40,000 a month, with little credible below £10,000. Well-known providers sit at the top of that range. These are indicative figures, not quotes; confirm directly.
Much of that price is not clinical. It reflects UK property and staffing costs and, the setting rather than a better outcome. Some private admissions also involve referral fees paid to brokers, built into the price.
Is treatment abroad worth considering?
For some people a residential programme abroad is a serious option. A licensed programme in a lower-cost country can cost less than an equivalent private UK stay, and genuine distance from the places and people tied to using is, for many, part of what makes early recovery possible. It is not for everyone: if you need an urgent medical detox, or want to stay close to family and NHS aftercare, a UK route is better, and we will say so.
Sierra Recovery: a licensed option in Spain
Sierra Recovery is a registered health centre in the Málaga countryside, authorised by the Junta de Andalucía, working to the PROMIS clinical model adapted to Sierra, as used in the UK since 1986, in English, led by director Nerea Encinas Sánchez. The residential programme is £9,900 for 28 days, published in full, roughly a third of a typical private UK stay, with your own private room and no referral fees. It is not a hospital or a detox unit: where a medically supervised detox is needed it is completed first, in an appropriate medical setting, and billed separately.
See exactly what is included, read how we are licensed, or compare rehab in the UK versus Spain.
Questions people ask
Is drug and alcohol rehab free on the NHS?
Community drug and alcohol treatment is free through the NHS and local-authority-funded services, and is the first step for most people. NHS-funded residential rehab exists but places are limited and usually go through a funding panel.
How much does private rehab cost in the UK?
Private residential rehab in the UK is commonly advertised from around £12,000 to £40,000 a month, with little credible below £10,000. Figures are indicative; every centre sets its own fees.
Is going abroad for rehab cheaper?
It can be. A licensed programme in a lower-cost country such as Spain can cost less than an equivalent private UK stay. Sierra Recovery is £9,900 for 28 days, roughly a third of a typical private UK programme.
Should I stop drinking on my own first?
Not if you may be physically dependent. Stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines suddenly can be dangerous. Speak to your GP or NHS 111 first, and in an emergency call 999.
Why is Sierra cheaper without being lower quality?
Mainly because the cost of running a clinic in rural Spain is lower than in the UK, not because the care is. The programme is licensed and built on a clinical model adapted from PROMIS Clinics, whose method has been used in the UK since 1986.
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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.
Registered health centre. Authorised by the Junta de Andalucía, N.I.C.A. 67331.
What rehab costs elsewhere
Or read what a stay actually costs, country by country, and what Sierra Recovery charges.
