Substance use treatment and recovery
Substance use treatment and recovery can involve many different services depending on a person’s goals and preferences. People often access more than one type of treatment and will find what works for them throughout their recovery journey.
Call Access Central to get substance use care
Call the Vancouver Coastal Health Access Central phone line for a same-day clinical assessment and personalized care planning if you live or stay in the VCH area. Options include inpatient (bed-based) or outpatient (at-home or community-based) services.
Hours of operation are between 9 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. seven days a week.
Our community teams are also available to help you, your family member or friend connect with mental health and/or substance use services.
Treatment and recovery options
If you want to stop or reduce your use of drugs and/or alcohol but are struggling doing that, you might benefit from one or a combination of these types of substance use treatment services:
-
Access Central
Call the Vancouver Coastal Health Access Central phone line for a same-day clinical assessment and personalized care plan for your substance use treatment and recovery journey if you live in the VCH region. The health-care team will help you determine what treatment and recovery options are right for you.
-
Support groups
During support groups, you receive support from others trying to manage their substance use just like you, and learn strategies to help from people who have been there too.
Examples of support groups include SMART Recovery Groups and The Junction.
-
Medication to manage withdrawal and cravings
These include medications which are especially effective if you’re trying to manage your alcohol or opioid use.
Examples of these services for medications include Lighthouse Virtual Care, Rapid Access Addition Clinic, Addiction Medicine, OAT Clinics and Downtown Eastside Connections.
-
Withdrawal management (detox)
In this type of treatment, you receive nursing care and physician support to help you through your period of withdrawal. Withdrawal management takes place in different places depending on your need, such as
- at a place with 24/7 clinical care where you will stay and sleep for up to one week (inpatient),
- at a community health clinic (outpatient),
- or at home with clinical team support.
-
Inpatient treatment
In this treatment, you will stay at a facility and participate in daily, recovery-focused treatment. Inpatient treatment is weeks long. People often, but not always, attend a withdrawal management (detox) program before entering inpatient treatment.
Inpatient treatment is provided at Pacifica, which is a service provider contracted by VCH. -
Inpatient support recovery
In this treatment, you will stay at a facility and participate in support groups and social programs, but at a lower intensity than in inpatient treatment. Inpatient support recovery is months long. People often, but not always, attend a withdrawal management (detox) program before they enter a support recovery program.
Inpatient support recovery treatment is provided at Emerge and New Dawn, which are service providers contracted by VCH.
-
Outpatient substance use counselling
Outpatient individual and group counselling services are client-centred, goal-oriented, innovative, culturally safe, trauma-informed, involve families, and use psychosocial rehabilitation and harm reduction philosophy and practices.
See all Substance Use Counselling locations across VCH communities.
Substance use care at VCH
Withdrawl services (detox), treatment and recovery is just one type of substance use care available. Learn more about other types of care and access resources.