Addiction is treated by a variety of methods, some of which can take place through the NHS.

Here in the UK, we have one of the most remarkable healthcare systems in the world. The NHS looks after everything from aches and pains to full blown pandemics. The last few years have shown us that it is an invaluable tool.

Many people often ask us if you can get help to treat your addiction on the NHS and the answer is that yes, you can. However, NHS addiction treatment and attending a private rehab clinic in your own time, are two different things.

Let’s talk about whether or not you should consider NHS options for recovery from addiction.

Can you get Addiction Treatment on the NHS?

Yes. You can get help for your addiction from the NHS. The medical staff you will encounter there have gone through the same university courses as those in the private field. There’s no difference in level of care. However, there are other massive differences to think about.

If you go to your GP and ask for help with addiction, they will refer you to a psychologist for review. This can take anything up to 2 years in some places. After the review, the psychologist will refer you on to a team, charity, or service, which can help you. You are placed into a second queue, where you will wait for a placement. If you miss an appointment at any time, you go back to the start of the queue again.

You will not see a rehab clinic on the NHS until you have completed all the other options. When you finally do qualify, you will have to pay some of the costs yourself since rehab is expensive. To give you an idea of costs, the expert rehab selection service Help 4 Addiction UK have pages which detail them further. Overall, the NHS will pay around half of a budget rehab stay.

So yes, you can get treatment on the NHS and yes, that treatment would be just as good as it is otherwise. However, you will have lengthy wait times and you can’t recover on your own schedule. The NHS is brilliant but overwhelmed.

What About Private Rehab?

Naturally, the next best option is private rehab. You fund it yourself, yes, but you recover when you are ready to do so. There’s no lengthy wait, and you are given the psychological help that you need to equip you against the potential for future relapse. Private rehab has fewer waiting times and have staff with the same qualifications as NHS staff have. There’s no difference n care level, except that the staff have more time for you.

If you were placed in an NHS funded rehab clinic, you would end up sharing a room. When you go private you have your own space. If you can afford a luxury rehab clinic, there’s always that option, too.

Should you go private or through the NHS? That depends on your budget and your desire to recover. We would always recommend choosing which way is fastest for you. When it comes to addiction recovery, there’s no time like the present.