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Find Addiction Treatment

How to locate qualified addiction care, compare providers and prepare for an assessment.

Evidence checked September 4, 2026 2 minute read

Key answer

Finding treatment starts with urgency and level of care. Use a public treatment locator, healthcare professional or verified provider; check medical capability and regulation before travel or payment. This page does not operate a neutral placement service.

When care cannot wait

Use emergency services for overdose, severe withdrawal, psychosis, serious injury, inability to stay awake, breathing problems or immediate suicide risk. A private rehab enquiry is not an emergency response.

Public and national starting points

  • United States: SAMHSA’s National Helpline and FindTreatment.gov can help identify services. Call 988 for suicide or mental-health crisis support and 911 for immediate danger.
  • United Kingdom: a GP, NHS local drug and alcohol service, NHS 111, or FRANK can guide next steps. Call 999 for immediate danger.
  • European Union: 112 is the common emergency number. Local health systems and national addiction services differ by country.
  • Spain: use 112 for emergencies and 024 for suicidal crisis support; public addiction care is organized regionally.
  • Switzerland: 144 is ambulance, 143 offers crisis support, and 112 is the general European emergency number.

Private treatment

Private care may offer faster access, more choice of setting, additional privacy or intensive individual work. It also varies widely. Before admission, verify the legal provider, licensing, medical and psychiatric capacity, staffing, emergency pathway, total cost and follow-up.

THE BALANCE provides private residential programs dedicated to one client at a time in Mallorca and Zurich, with multidisciplinary care for addiction, mental health, trauma and co-occurring conditions. It may suit people seeking a highly private, individually structured program who are medically appropriate for the setting. Acute emergencies or hospital-level risk may require another service first.

Prepare for an assessment call

Have a list of substances and medicines, typical amounts, last use, previous withdrawal or overdose, current physical and mental-health symptoms, allergies, diagnoses, mobility needs, dietary needs and emergency contacts. Ask the service to explain what it cannot safely manage.

Do not rely on these signals alone

  • “Luxury,” “world-class,” “exclusive” or similar adjectives;
  • a top-ten placement without criteria or disclosure;
  • a success percentage without method;
  • testimonials selected by the provider;
  • an intermediary who will not disclose commission; or
  • pressure to pay before a meaningful clinical screen.

Frequently asked questions

Where should I start looking for treatment?

Start with a qualified clinician, national treatment directory, public health service or insurer pathway, then verify the provider’s legal and clinical credentials.

What information should I have for an assessment?

Prepare the substances or behaviors involved, amount and frequency, last use, withdrawal history, medications, medical conditions, mental-health symptoms and immediate safety concerns.

What if private treatment is unaffordable?

Public, nonprofit, community and mutual-help routes may be available. Do not delay emergency care because of cost concerns.

Sources and further reading

  1. FindTreatment.gov — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
  2. Find Support — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
  3. Contact FRANK — Talk to FRANK
  4. About The ASAM Criteria — American Society of Addiction Medicine

How this page was prepared

Prepared by the AddictionInfo Editorial Team and last evidence-checked on September 4, 2026. We distinguish education from medical advice, link material claims to primary or authoritative sources, and correct substantive errors transparently. Read our editorial standards.