If you or someone you care about are struggling with alcohol addiction, also known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), you may feel stressed and not know where to turn. The good news is that AUD is a treatable disorder.¹Knowing that help is available, understanding your rehab options, and learning how to find the best alcohol rehab for you can help you feel less overwhelmed and more in control of your life.

What Is an Alcohol Rehab Center?

An alcohol rehab center is a treatment facility that offers support, care, and therapy to people with alcohol use disorder, or AUD.²Treatment is important for several reasons. It can provide education about AUD, help people safely stop drinking, address the underlying causes of addiction, and help people learn healthier coping, stress management, and relapse prevention skills so they can stay sober.^3,4

Treatment is offered in a variety of settings and at different levels of care, which can vary depending on your unique recovery needs and concerns. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), effective treatment should be tailored to your individual health and recovery needs and consider your mental health, social health, and any job or legal concerns.⁵

People’s needs can change throughout the course of treatment, and they may move up and down in intensity and to different levels of care at alcohol treatment centers.⁵

Inpatient Alcohol Rehab

Inpatient alcohol rehab means that you live onsite at a treatment facility for the length of treatment. This can include hospitals, clinics, or other residential alcohol rehab facilities that offer 24-hour care.^2,3 This setting can be helpful for a wide range of people, including those with severe AUD, serious co-occurring disorders, those with a history of relapse, people with unstable living situations or limited transportation, and teens.^3,6

Types of Inpatient Rehab

Common inpatient treatment settings include:

Long-term residential rehab. This offers a stable living situation, a structured environment free of distraction and triggers (the people, places, and things that make you want to drink), and supportive care for a longer period of time. It can be low or high intensity. It’s well-suited for people without stable homes or supportive families, or those with severe addictions or co-occurring disorders.^2,3,6
Short-term residential treatment. This usually takes place in a hospital, medical clinic, or other facility that offers 24/7 medical oversight. These facilities typically offer alcohol detox services to help manage alcohol withdrawal symptoms, as well as rehab treatment.^2,3
Sober living homes. These are also known as recovery housing, transitional housing, or halfway houses. They offer short-term transitional housing and different forms of support to people who have recently completed a rehab program and are transitioning back to their day-to-day lives.³

Outpatient Alcohol Rehab

Outpatient alcohol rehab offers treatment services at a health clinic, community mental health center, freestanding substance use rehab center, or hospital.⁷You live at home and travel to the facility for treatment services on a regular schedule.⁷Some outpatient programs offer some or all of its programming via remote or virtual rehab delivered via telehealth.

People who may benefit from outpatient treatment centers for alcohol include those who are stepping down from inpatient treatment or people with less severe addictions, good health, strong social supports, reliable transportation, and stable living environments.^3,6,8 Outpatient rehab can take place at different levels of intensity.²

Types of Outpatient Rehab

Common types of outpatient alcohol rehab centers include:

Standard outpatient, where you have regular office visits for counseling and treatment medicines, if necessary. Standard outpatient programs typically require attending treatment 1 to 3 times per week, though some meet every day.^2,7
Intensive outpatient, or IOP. This is a higher level of intensity that provides between 9 and 20 hours of structured programming per week.^7,8
Partial hospitalization, or PHP. This is the most intense level of outpatient care. It involves attending treatment every day for at least 6 hours per day.⁸

Medications Used in Alcohol Rehab

Medications may be used in an alcohol treatment program to help people stop drinking and prevent relapse.⁷Some common medications include:

Disulfiram. This medicine can help people refrain from alcohol use while in recovery because it causes unpleasant symptoms if you drink.^10,11
Acamprosate. This helps people maintain abstinence and avoid relapse. It helps reduce unpleasant symptoms that may sometimes occur with ongoing abstinence, such as insomnia (trouble sleeping) and anxiety.¹¹
Naltrexone. This can help people stay sober because it reduces cravings and blocks the pleasurable and rewarding effects of alcohol if they do drink.¹⁰

How Long Is Alcohol Rehab?

The duration of alcohol rehab can vary by setting and your individual needs.⁵Common treatment lengths for inpatient rehab are 28 to 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days. It can also be longer in the case of a long-term residential alcohol rehab center, which can last up to a year.³Outpatient rehab typically lasts 2 months to a year.³While treatment lengths may vary, the three most common types of treatment at 30-days, 60-days, and 90-days.

In many cases, treatment doesn’t follow a standard timeline or set endpoint. Since addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease, many people find it helpful to attend support groups, therapy sessions, or other continuing care after formal rehab has ended.

How to Choose an Alcohol Rehab Center

You should learn as much as you can about different alcohol rehab centers so you can choose the one that best fits your recovery needs and goals. A doctor or other addiction professional can assess you and your drinking habits and offer advice about the right treatment options for you.⁶

Factors to consider when choosing rehab centers for alcohol include:

Cost. There’s no set cost for rehab; it can vary by facility, location, amenities, and other factors. And even if you have insurance, you may still have to pay some out-of-pocket costs.
Location. You may prefer to stay close to home to be near your support network, attend virtual rehab, or you may find it helpful to travel to another part of the country to get some distance from your triggers and focus solely on your recovery.
Amenities. Different facilities offer different amenities; some may have a more bare-bones approach, while luxury facilities may have a more upscale feeling and offer a wide range of high-end amenities.
Insurance. Coverage can vary by plan, so it’s a good idea to check with your insurance company about what they will and won’t cover.
Level of care needed. This can vary depending on your assessment.⁶For example, you may require a higher level of care if you have a co-occurring physical or mental health disorder.

It’s also important to check and see if a rehab offers alcohol addiction treatment for specialized groups. Certain demographics may face unique challenges when struggling with alcohol addiction, and specialty addiction programs may lead to positive outcomes. Some common specialty programs include:

Does Insurance Cover Alcohol Rehab?

This can depend on your plan, but, in general, most plans do cover some form of addiction treatment. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 says that insurance plans must provide the same level of benefits for mental health and substance use treatment and services that they do for medical and surgical care.¹²

Different factors might impact your coverage, such as the level of medical care and the setting for the program you chose, as well as location, program length, amenities, your specific plan, and other considerations.^7,13 American Addiction Centers (AAC) is in-network with many common insurance plans, and we offer an easy way for you to instantly check your benefits online or below.

How to Pay for Alcohol Rehab Without Insurance

Cost should not stop you from seeking help. There are other payment options if you don’t have insurance or your insurance doesn’t cover rehab, such as:

Using payment plans, sliding scales, or scholarships. Some rehabs offer different forms of financial assistance based on your financial need or ability to pay.
Going to a facility with public funding. You may be able to find free or low-cost rehab options; it’s important to be aware that states have funds set aside to help people without insurance.¹⁴
Applying for Medicare or Medicaid. Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people aged 65 and older or certain younger people who meet eligibility requirements.¹⁵Medicaid is the government-funded health insurance plan for people with low incomes who meet eligibility requirements.¹⁴
Paying out-of-pocket. For example, you might use savings or ask family or friends for help.
Taking out loans. You might take out loans to cover some or all of the cost of treatment.
Alcoholic Anonymous or similar mutual help groups. Recent evidence suggests AA and other free mutual help groups based on 12-step facilitation can be as effective as other well?established treatments for achieving abstinence and other alcohol?related outcomes such as drinking consequences, drinking intensity, and addiction severity.¹⁶

How to Find an Alcohol Rehab Center Near Me

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to alcohol treatment. A treatment center should consider all of your unique needs to provide the best support possible.⁶American Addiction Centers offers evidence-based alcohol rehab in locations across the country, so you’re never far from the help you need.

If you or someone you care about are struggling, please reach out to our helpline at to speak to one of our caring admissions navigators about your options.

Rehab Centers for Alcohol Addiction