Last Updated:

January 30th, 2026

Opioid addiction treatment

In 2024 alone, there were 2,621 deaths involving opiates and opioids registered in England and Wales. In the same year, just under half of everyone in drug and alcohol treatment services in England were there because of opioids. Some people arrive there after years of using heroin, while others have slowly lost control of prescription opioid painkillers.  A good opioid rehab programme offers medical care to keep you safe, therapy to look at what is behind your use, and ongoing support to help you stay off opioids and rebuild your life.

opiate rehab woman needing rehab

What is opioid rehab?

Opioid rehab is help for people who can’t stop using painkillers or street opioids on their own. By the time most people ask for support, they are taking opioids just to get through the day and to stop feeling ill, not to get high. When you try to stop suddenly, the withdrawal is so strong that it feels impossible to keep going, even though your life may be in danger.

Opioid rehab usually begins with drug detox, where you’re looked after by a medical team. You may also begin opioid replacement therapy with medicines like methadone or buprenorphine. These help your body adjust, so withdrawal isn’t such a shock. Once you’re a bit more stable, you move into regular rehab therapy sessions that look at the pain, loss, or pressure opioids have been covering up.

You will also go through straightforward relapse prevention work, like what to do when cravings hit, how to handle offers of drugs, and who you can reach out to. The goal is for a life without opioids that is fully supported, so you’re not left to manage alone.

When is opioid rehab necessary?

You don’t have to “hit rock bottom” to need opioid rehab. These signs suggest you’re at the point where opioid rehab is needed, even if addiction denial is telling you that you’re fine:

  • Do you wake up feeling rough and need an opioid first thing just to stop the withdrawal?
  • Have you moved from prescription painkillers to heroin or street pills because they’re cheaper or easier to get?
  • Are you injecting or snorting opioids now to make them stronger?
  • Have you overdosed, blacked out, or needed naloxone to bring you round?
  • Do most of your days revolve around getting opioids, using them, and then coming down?
  • Have you stolen, sold things, or done anything you’re ashamed of to get money for drugs?
  • Is your health suffering from infections, abscesses, weight loss, or vein damage?
  • Do you continue using opioids even while feeling like you can’t live like this anymore?

opioid addiction treatment group therapy

Opioid addiction kills people every day in the UK. If these feel uncomfortably close to home, it’s a sign you need to get help now.

What are the options for opioid rehab?

Britain has two main options for opioid addiction treatment:

 

 

1. Opioid rehab NHS services

NHS drug services provide free opioid addiction treatment through community prescribing programmes. This means you will receive methadone or buprenorphine daily while attending regular counselling. These harm reduction programmes help thousands of people stabilise their lives while using substitute medications long-term. However, residential detox through the NHS involves lengthy waiting lists, and many people remain on substitute prescriptions for years without achieving full recovery.

2. Private inpatient opioid rehab

Private residential facilities offer immediate admission for intensive detox and inpatient opioid rehab therapy. Medical teams manage your withdrawal with appropriate medications, monitoring you constantly for complications. You will then participate in daily therapy while living at the facility, completely removed from opioid sources and associates who use. The focused residential approach typically achieves better long-term abstinence rates than outpatient maintenance programmes, though it requires greater commitment.

What therapies are used in opioid rehab?

Opioid rehab needs to deal with cravings, pain, fear, guilt, and day-to-day life all at once. That is why top opioid rehab programmes use several kinds of therapy, which may include:

12-step programme
Many opioid rehab centres start introducing 12-step work while you’re still in treatment. After rehab, you can then begin NA meetings local to you, which can become a regular anchor in your week.
Individual therapy
One-to-one therapy is where you can be completely honest about how far things have gone.  You will look at what opioids did for you at the start and how things changed over time. Your therapist can then help you build a recovery plan that fits your history and goals.
Group therapy
In group therapy, you will hear from others who have lost jobs, families, or health to opioids and other substances are now trying to put things back together. You can pick up ideas for coping, and as you move forward, you can also become someone who can give hope to newer people.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you slow down and notice the thoughts that show up before you use opioids and what they do to your mood and choices. Then you practice changing one link in that chain so the ending doesn’t always have to be opioid use.
Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
DBT is useful if you feel emotions very intensely or become overwhelmed very quickly. You will learn skills for getting through rough moments without taking opioids, and how to communicate and protect your relationships.
Family therapy
Families of opioid users often live with constant worry and a lot of anger. In family sessions, you can talk about overdoses, broken promises, and fear of relapse in a safe space. You also set some clear ground rules so that support doesn’t become enabling.

Opioid addiction relapse prevention

Walking out the doors of rehab is the start of a new life, not the end of the journey. Opioids are hard to leave behind, so good aftercare is just as important as the time you spent in treatment. Your team should help set up regular aftercare therapy, and hopefully have an alumni programme which you can join.

Narcotics Anonymous often becomes a lifeline in early recovery, and meetings run in most towns and cities in Britain. The sponsor you connect with and the steps you begin to work can carry you through some of the hardest transitions, like going back to work or repairing family relationships.

You may decide you’re not ready to live completely independently straight away, and some opioid rehab centres have sober living houses. These offer shared, drug-free accommodation to bridge the gap from inpatient care to normal home life.

Ongoing pain management is also vital if you still have a long-term condition. You will need professionals who understand both pain and addiction, so you’re not pushed back towards risky prescribing.

Seek opioid rehab today

If opioids are putting your life or someone else’s at risk, Recovery.org can point you in the right direction. Our advice won’t cost you anything. Contact us now for support.

frequently asked questions

How do I know if I need opioid rehab?
If you feel ill or anxious when opioids wear off, need more than you used to, have moved from prescribed tablets to street pills, heroin or injecting, have had any kind of overdose scare, or find your days are mostly spent getting and using opioids even though you’ve tried to stop, heroin rehab is likely the right step.
Can I detox from opioids alone?
No, we don’t recommend it. Opioid withdrawal can bring heavy sweats, sickness, diarrhoea, pain, and intense anxiety or low mood, and most people end up using again within a few days just to make it stop. In an opioid rehab centre, staff can use medication to ease symptoms, monitor your physical health, and reduce the risk of a dangerous relapse or overdose when your tolerance drops.
Is opioid rehab expensive?
NHS services can offer free help, including community prescribing and counselling, but residential places are limited, so they often involve long waits. Private opioid rehab has to be paid for, and costs vary, though many centres offer payment plans or are covered by health insurers.

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