Emergency

Detox Services

Related topics: Mental health and substance use Substance use Vancouver mental health and substance use services

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If there is a life-threatening safety concern, please call 9-1-1 or go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital.

Suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-784-2433

BC Crisis Line: 604-310-6789

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868

Indigenous Crisis and Support Line - KUU-US Crisis Support Line: 1-800-588-8717

Harm reduction: Toward the Heart 

Adult withdrawal management services, also known as detox, provide nursing care and physician support for a safe, supportive environment for people experiencing acute withdrawal from substances.

Detox is the process of removing toxins, such as drugs, from the body. There is no set time frame for detox to be completed. For some, the process will take a few hours or days. For others, it may take weeks to clear the body of the drug completely.
 

Two ways of managing detox

Clients are seen as outpatients or offered overnight stays. In general, people with opioid addiction can go through detox as outpatients, which means patients don't stay overnight. 

There are risks with “detoxing” from opioids too quickly. When people go through withdrawal management alone with no other treatment, research shows they are at a higher risk for overdose (since they have less tolerance to opioids), HIV and Hepatitis C infection and relapse to opioid use. For most people, it is safest to have a period of stabilization with medication rather than a “rapid detox.”

Medications to treat opioid disorder

Addiction to opioids, also known as opioid use disorder (OUD), like heroin, fentanyl and oxycodone, is one of the most challenging forms of substance use disorder to overcome.

Find more information on medications to treat opioid disorder

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  • Community health centres

    Daytox at Robert & Lily Lee Family Community Health Centre

    1669 East Broadway Vancouver
  • Harm reduction site

    Detox Services at Onsite

    137 East Hastings Street Vancouver
  • Harm reduction site

    Detox Services at Vancouver Detox

    377 East 2nd Avenue Vancouver
  • Long term care homes

    Withdrawal Management at George Pearson Centre

    780 West 57th Avenue - Ward 4 Vancouver

  • Withdrawal Management at qathet General Hospital

    5000 Joyce Avenue, 4th floor Powell River