Hospital/Specialist units

Hospital

Even though opiate withdrawals can make you feel like you are dying, they are not life-threatening or physically dangerous, so most general hospitals refuse to admit people for opiate detox. Some psychiatric hospitals do admit people to general psychiatric wards for detox. A psychiatric hospital isn’t always the perfect place to detox – other patients may have serious mental health problems – but it is warm, there are deep baths and plenty of hot water, the food is free and there are people around to talk to 24 hours a day. Sometimes the staff are understanding and helpful and sometimes they don’t like drug users – usually it’s a mixture of both.

Specialist units

Some hospitals have a specialist unit offering detox.

These can be very helpful – and people who detox in specialist units are more likely to complete the detox than those who try it at home. Some specialist units just do opiate detox; others do detoxes for people who are alcohol and/or tranquilliser dependent as well.

To be admitted to any hospital you usually have to be referred by a GP and/or your drug service.