What Qualifies For Acute Rehab?

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Acute rehab has been designed to admit people displaying signs of physical withdrawals and the associated adverse side effects of their consumption of drugs and alcohol.


Admission is for those who have become dependent on substances and need a specifically tailored residential treatment programme to aid in the cessation of use.

Acute rehab is for those who cannot control or stop their use of alcohol or drugs in the community due to painful withdrawals, underlying health conditions and easy access to use.

Those in a crisis regarding their use of substances can be admitted into acute rehab and immediately begin a detox programme followed by psychosocial interventions designed to aid recovery from the mal effects of problematic drug or alcohol use.

Acute rehab is specifically tailored for those requiring inpatient treatment. It supports a removal from society into a safe place where they can focus on the underlying causes of addiction and recover by implementing appropriate, specialised and researched treatment modalities.

Detox is tailored to meet individual presentation for those requiring immediate and acute rehab due to ill health attributed to substances. It facilitates the need for professional support in an environment specifically designed for detox and rehabilitation, i.e. the ability to return to former self before excessive use and dependence.

what-qualifies-acute-rehab

How to qualify for acute rehab?

Qualifying for acute rehab is somewhat subjective in the sense that if you believe you have a problem with alcohol and drugs and require professional interventions to stop and stay stopped, then you qualify.

Qualification may appear more evident if the drinker notices they have begun to drink alcohol daily or are stuck in the harmful and destructive cycle of binge drinking.

Obsessing about using alcohol or drugs certainly qualifies. When obsessing about a substance, the user will find their mind is awash with the ever-constant longing for their drug of choice; this obsession may be all-consuming.

And relief only arrives when the drug has been purchase

Physical side-effects such as the occurrence of health conditions related to the liver, kidneys, abdominals, lungs and heart may be key indicators it's time to admit to acute rehab.

As well as mental health problems such as:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Stress
  • Agoraphobia
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorders
  • and unknown fear present as feelings of impending doom.

To qualify for acute rehab, those using alcohol and drugs may be experiencing one or more of the following:

  • Have become physically dependent on their chosen substance
  • Find they can-not go longer than one day without a drink or drug
  • Binge use to excess i.e. consume excessively large amounts of alcohol over a short period of time
  • Are consumed with thoughts of their next drink or drug?
  • Have lost jobs, been arrested, drove whilst intoxicated.
  • Are experiencing financial difficulties
  • Are experiencing tensions at home due to their use of alcohol and/or drugs
  • Find themselves acting out of character whilst intoxicated
  • Use alcohol or drugs to enable normal daily functioning
  • Are experiencing health conditions directed related to use i.e. liver damage, psychosis, anxiety, depression
  • Are dependent on pain medication
  • Do not use their prescription as intended – this may be taking too much, being dishonest with the GP or buying more of from other sources.
  • Find family and friends to be worried about their alcohol/drug use
  • Have used alcohol or drugs for over a decade
  • May have stopped and restarted on numerous occasions

How to qualify for inpatient alcohol rehab?

Inpatient alcohol rehab is a treatment facility that has been created specifically for the detox and treatment of drug/alcohol dependency and overuse. In a residential facility, this form of rehab delivers psychosocial interventions to treat the condition of the patient post-detox.


Qualification for inpatient alcohol rehab may be due to a variety of reasons. The individual may have become dependent on drugs/alcohol and find they have lost the ability to stop by their means and require a professional intervention away from their home environment and the ability to secure drugs/alcohol for personal use.

In order to qualify certain steps are required to be taken:

  • A specialist substance use assessment is taken (usually by phone)
  • The patient's medical summary notes are requested from their GP
  • The patient has an appointment with the specialist medical doctor at Abbeycare

The specialist medical doctor at Abbeycare will review the 'assessment' and 'medical summary notes' of the potential resident.

Then after the initial conversation between the Doctor and Client, detox will be agreed.

The patient has now qualified for Inpatient Rehab, and their detox begins. Detox lasts between 7 to 14 days.
Detox is usually administered 3 times per day and is tapered off gradually.

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How long can you stay in acute rehab?

A stay in acute rehab can vary in length and is dependent on how long the person feels they need to recover from their use of alcohol and drugs. Abbeycare run programmes that last 7 days, 14 days, 21 days or 28 days and above. Each programme will deliver a detox if required and begin therapeutic group work and one to one sessions.

The longer a patient stays in rehab, the more therapy they will receive to take that much-needed look within, to help understand the reasons why they have become unable to stop.

Inpatient rehab duration may vary in length, but a typical stay lasts 28 Days. During this period of hiatus from the pressures of daily life, interventions are delivered to bring about a profound change in thinking.

The 28 Day programme has been created to ensure the participant has a total recovery experience by attending to the many therapeutic interventions delivered.

These tried and tested approach's use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) and the 12 Steps to bring about a complete and robust change of thinking and behaviour conducive to long term sobriety and freedom from active addiction.

When once dependent upon alcohol or drugs – the newly independent resident is supported to believe they can and will stay abstinent from their drug of choice if they commit themself to the programme of recovery on offer within the rehab facility.

New clients can be confident in the knowledge that the programme on offer utilises models of recovery which have been tried and tested to deliver life-changing results.

How long an alcoholic should stay in rehab?

Understand the options for transitioning from rehab to follow up treatment in our guide how long should an alcoholic stay in rehab?

Who pays for acute care?

Acute care can be paid for either by the patient, private healthcare insurance (corporate or personal) or, in some cases, by local government. Each case is individual, and the length of stay and specialised support required in a residential facility will all be reflected in the price.

Self funded:

In most instances, the patient will fund their stay in acute care. After they have been assessed, a deposit is required. The remainder of the cost is generally paid on the day of arrival. Abbeycare has a dedicated team of Admissions Officers who are easily reachable by phone to discuss pricing and ways forwards.

Private Healthcare:

Private healthcare can be personal or corporate. Those requiring treatments are encouraged to read their policies to determine what the policy covers.

If still unsure, participants can call their health care provider (privately) to discuss the levels of cover they have purchased and what that cover provides regarding mental health and addiction treatment.

Some examples of private medical care are:

  • Bupa
  • Cigna
  • Aviva
  • WPA Western Provident Association

Local government:

It is uncommon for local governments such as the Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services to pay for private healthcare. However, they may fund a place in acute rehab in some instances.

The patient must firstly register with their local statutory alcohol and drug service. Attend all appointments arranged as requested and indicate their desires for treatment.
Dependent on the individual's circumstances (occasionally), the local council may source funds for private rehab.

The NHS may ultimately become a form of acute rehab if experiencing a medical emergency, i.e., if admitted for heart disease and dependent on alcohol. The NHS may detox their patient whilst treating the priority condition, unfortunately, though a patient under the supervision of a hospital will not receive psychosocial interventions as a course.

A successful transition for detoxed patients in this way is to attend acute rehab the day they leave the hospital. Leaving no available time to drink or use drugs again. This way, they can receive the much-needed psychosocial interventions required to stay stopped indefinitely.

Grants For Alcohol Rehab

Some organisations offer grants to fund rehab, although eligibility requirements are extensive and demand usually exceeds available funding. Further sources of addiction treatment funding are available in our guide to grants for alcohol rehab.

Acute rehab is a critical response to those suffering from alcohol and drug use ill effects.

Attendance can be subjective, i.e. I need help or of urgency as the patient's health is rapidly deteriorating due to their use of substances hazardous to health.

Patients may also attend if they have identified early on in their use that there is a problem and may want to address this problem sooner rather than later.

Whatever the reason, acute rehab is available to detox and support an individual on the road to recovery and a new way of life, one that no longer involves the use of alcohol or drugs.

Recovery is available for anyone regardless of background, the drug they choose to use or the length of time they have used substances. They can break the cycle.

If you visualise yourself free from alcohol and drugs, living a happy and productive life?

And wish to learn more about our Acute Rehab call our free 24/7 Helpline on 01603 513 091 or fill out the form below to speak to a trained addiction counsellor.


Abbeycare Pricing Bot

Last Updated: May 27, 2022

About the author

Peter Szczepanski

Peter has been on the GPhC register for 29 years. He holds a Clinical Diploma in Advanced Clinical Practice and he is a Clinical Lead in Alcohol and Substance Misuse for Abbeycare Gloucester and works as the Clinical Lead in Alcohol and Substance Use in Worcestershire. Peter also co-authored the new 6th edition of Drugs In Use by Linda Dodds, writing Chapter 15 on Alcohol Related Liver Disease. Find Peter on Respiratory Academy, Aston University graduates, University of Birmingham, Q, Pharmaceutical Journal, the Dudley Pharmaceutical Committee, Dudley Council, Twitter, and LinkedIn.