Treatment is organized into levels, from a few days of medical detox to a weekly outpatient session. The right level depends on how much someone is using, whether they have been through withdrawal before, what their health is like, and whether they have a safe place to live. Each level below has its own page with the licensed programs in California that offer it.
- Medical detox
- Residential
- Day treatment (PHP)
- Intensive outpatient
- Outpatient
- Medication for opioid or alcohol use
- Sober living
How the levels fit together
Most people who are physically dependent start with detox, move to residential or day treatment, then step down to intensive outpatient and outpatient over several months. People who are stable and housed often start at intensive outpatient. Medication for opioid or alcohol use can run alongside any level. Sober living is housing that supports outpatient treatment, not a level of treatment itself.
What a California license covers
California licenses residential and detox programs and certifies outpatient programs through the Department of Health Care Services. Narcotic treatment programs that dispense methadone are licensed separately. Hospitals are licensed by the Department of Public Health. Sober living homes are not licensed by the state. On every listing we show which record the program holds and when we last checked it.