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If you are searching for alcohol rehab in San Francisco, we are here to help. Every year, thousands of people from California, the rest of the United States, and worldwide will pursue treatment for alcohol use disorder. Boasting a mild climate, robust transportation system, and world-class treatment centers, San Francisco is an excellent choice for high-quality treatment for alcohol addiction.

San Francisco Alcohol Use Statistics

In 2015, just over 36% of adults in San Francisco reported binge drinking on at least one occasion, ranking higher than the 34% across California.¹ This means that a little over one in every three adults in San Francisco will likely demonstrate some excessive drinking over the past year; if you are a Bay Area resident struggling with alcohol use issues, you are certainly not alone.

Additional trends in the San Francisco alcohol statistics include¹:

The 18-44 age group accounted for 61% of all binge drinking.
Men were more than twice as likely as women to report binge drinking over the past year.
7% of all high school students engaged in binge drinking in 2017.

Not all those who engage in binge drinking have an alcohol addiction; however, the behavior is a significant risk factor in the development of alcohol use disorder. Episodes of binge drinking and excessive drinking over weeks and months can also lead to unwanted consequences such as alcohol poisoning, learning and memory problems, injuries and violent encounters, an increased risk of certain types of cancer, and mood disturbances.

How Much Does Rehab Cost in San Francisco?

The cost of alcohol rehab in San Francisco varies significantly from facility to facility depending on several different factors, such as:

Type of rehab (inpatient vs. outpatient)
Location (e.g., downtown vs. rural areas)
Government funding
Types of insurance accepted
Features and amenities (luxury vs. standard)
Length of treatment
Income level

In general, the cost of inpatient alcohol rehab in San Francisco is higher than outpatient rehab because of the different levels of care and the cost of housing you rather than living at home. Furthermore, luxury rehab facilities in the Bay Area provide many high-class amenities and features for added comfort during your stay, making the price of treatment significantly higher in these facilities.

Options for Low-Cost and Free Rehabs in San Francisco

If you do not have the insurance coverage or financial means to afford rehab, there are many free and low-cost options for alcohol rehab in San Francisco. These programs receive funding from several different sources, such as charitable donations, government grants, and private endowments. Free treatment will generally only be offered to those below a certain income level; making a certain amount of money can limit your ability to qualify for this type of rehab program in San Francisco.

Many people are also surprised to find that their health insurance provides coverage for alcohol treatment services, in some cases completely covering most, if not all, of the costs. When comparing rehab facilities in San Francisco to determine your expenses, you should first connect with your health insurance provider to determine the kind of coverage they can offer and how to maximize your benefits. Depending on your insurance provider and plan, you may be able to afford treatment more readily than you initially anticipated.

How Do I Pay for Alcoholism Treatment in San Francisco?

If health insurance coverage, free rehab, and low-cost sliding scale treatment services are still out of reach in your situation, there are additional options to help reduce your costs for alcohol rehab, including:

Apply for individual rehab scholarships.
Raise money on a crowdfunding site.
Choose a facility that offers payment plans.

Choose a Program That Offers Payment Plans

Finding an alcohol rehab that offers payment plans can make your treatment more affordable by providing you with immediate treatment while allowing you to pay for the services over a longer period. This may involve a financing option, where the rehab provider works with you and a third party to secure financing. Upfront payment treatment is then provided by the third party, and you make payments to them in monthly installments over a specified timeline. Other programs may simply establish the total cost of treatment and divide it up into smaller payments over months or years, allowing you to pay them directly each month for the duration of the agreement.

Apply for a Rehab Scholarship

Rehab scholarships are another effective method to secure financing for your alcohol rehab in San Francisco. These scholarships are offered for patients who need alcohol rehab but would otherwise be unable to afford it on their own. Generally, they are provided by the treatment programs themselves, but they may also come from the corporations that own and manage rehab facilities and some non-profit foundations.

To apply for a rehab scholarship, you need to contact the rehab program directly, unless you are applying through a third-party organization, such as 10,000 Beds, and applications are all considered on a case-by-case basis. Facility-based scholarships cover the cost of treatment within that specific rehab facility. In contrast, scholarships provided by corporations will generally apply to several of the treatment facilities operated by the corporation. When applying for non-profit scholarships, you may be limited to specific rehab programs, or you may have some flexibility when choosing a treatment program, depending on the foundation providing the scholarship.

Find a Sliding Scale Rehab Program

To make alcohol rehab more affordable for patients, many treatment programs in San Francisco charge for services on a sliding scale. This means that the lower your income, the lower your treatment costs; likewise, higher incomes mean a higher price tag for rehab. By tying the cost of treatment to income, these facilities can make enough money to cover operating costs while remaining accessible to people with less financial means to afford rehab. Sliding scale programs generally consider household income when determining treatment costs and generally look at pay stubs, tax returns, or some combination of those to assess your income level.

Popular Alcohol Rehab Programs in San Francisco

San Francisco AIDS Foundation

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation works to promote health, wellness, and social justice for the communities most impacted by HIV through sexual health and substance use services, advocacy, and partnerships in the community. Their substance use counseling and treatment services are available for gay, bisexual, queer, trans men, and other men who have sex with men, and they do not require you to stop drinking to receive services. Their treatment approach is based on the philosophy of harm reduction, integrating substance use, mental health, and sexual education.

Friendship House Association of American Indians

As the oldest social service organization in the USA that is run by and for American Indians, the Friendship House Association integrates traditional Native healing with evidence-based practices to assist in recovery from substance use disorders in the American Indian community. The Healing Center includes an 80-bed residential substance use treatment program for adult men and women. The Women’s Lodge consists of a nine-bed residential treatment program for women and their young children to support the parental connection and establish a healthy family bond through the process of recovery. In addition to treatment, they organize and provide events with support spaces to come together and recognize and celebrate American Indian culture and traditions.

Latino Commission Casa Aviva Women’s Recovery Home

As an independent, non-profit organization managed and governed by people in local communities of recovery, Casa Aviva provides residential and outpatient substance use treatment for men, women, and young women with children, in addition to a wide variety of services such as transitional sober living and teen pregnancy prevention programs.

With culturally competent services, more than 90% of staff speaking Spanish, and 85% of them living in recovery themselves, Casa Aviva creates a welcoming environment for those seeking treatment in the context of Latino language and culture.

San Francisco Harbor House

For over 100 years, the Harbor house has offered spiritual, emotional, and social assistance to individuals who have lost their ability to cope with substance use issues and provide for themselves. The Salvation Army’s programs provide free housing, food, counseling, a sense of community, and employment as qualified clinicians work to treat the root causes and symptoms of prolonged alcohol use disorders.

Curry Senior Center

Without support, our senior citizens may be subject to isolation, diminishing health, and housing insecurity. At Curry Senior Center, they strive to create a nurturing community that provides all seniors with wellness, dignity, and independence. They do so by serving the persistent and urgent needs of low-income seniors in the Tenderloin and South of Market districts of San Francisco.

Their substance use program specializes in problems associated with long-term substance usage through the philosophy of harm reduction model of care. Their programs are open to all seniors over the age of fifty-five or disabled individuals, who live at or below the poverty level and are residents of San Francisco, or who have private insurance coverage.

Inpatient vs. Outpatient Rehab in San Francisco

When looking for alcohol rehab in San Francisco, it is vital to consider whether inpatient or outpatient rehab is appropriate for your needs. For inpatient rehab, you will live in the facility during your treatment, which generally lasts between 30 and 90 days, though shorter and longer stays are not uncommon, depending on your individual situation.

When you arrive at the inpatient facility, you will complete intake paperwork and receive a bed assignment. Following an assessment by qualified mental health professionals, you are provided with an individualized treatment plan centered around a highly structured schedule, including many of the following treatment modalities:

Individual, group, or family therapy
Support group meetings
Relapse prevention education
Post-discharge planning
Recreational therapy
Holistic treatments

Outpatient alcohol rehab in San Francisco is more flexible and works well for those who need to continue their duties like working, attending school, or fulfilling familial obligations while attending rehab. In outpatient treatment, you live at home and travel to treatment and counseling sessions at an outpatient facility. These treatment programs can range from a few hours per week of individual therapy sessions to partial hospitalization, which provides a very structured routine with several hours of therapy per day across multiple days of the week.

Benefits of Inpatient Addiction Treatment

Inpatient alcohol rehab offers many benefits if you require a more intensive, supportive environment for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. These benefits include:

Medical detox: Inpatient programs provide a safe place to detox from alcohol while medical professionals monitor vitals. Alcohol detox can last from three to 10 days, with withdrawal symptoms starting within six hours of ceasing consumption and generally peaking at 72 hours. Being in an inpatient rehab means you have constant access to help manage your symptoms through medical monitoring and appropriate medication.
Success Rate: When you attend outpatient rehab, there are several hours every day without structure or routine and full access to alcohol and potential exposure to past triggers. The inpatient setting limits your access to alcohol, limits exposure to triggers, and increases your overall chances of reaching and maintaining sobriety. Inpatient programs give you structure and tools to manage relapses and ensure you have the time and resources to address the underlying causes of your alcohol use disorder.
Community: Inpatient programs heavily facilitate the development of community and fellowship between staff, counselors, and other patients. This sense of community can help you feel less isolated, more supported, and have greater confidence in your ability to achieve and maintain sobriety.

Benefits of Outpatient Addiction Treatment

While inpatient rehab offers many benefits to meet certain individual treatment needs, you may find outpatient rehab to be a better fit if you are looking for an option with more flexibility. The outpatient model works to achieve and maintain sobriety but through a generally less intensive, more fluid approach with several key benefits.

Maintaining Employment: Taking any time off from work can be a major barrier to inpatient rehab and getting treatment. Thankfully, many outpatient rehab programs are offered during evening or off-hours so you can undergo treatment and keep working without taking an extended period off. While a leave of absence to attend alcohol rehab is typically going to be protected by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), outpatient rehab allows you to keep earning a steady paycheck to help relieve your financial concerns and maintain a sense of normalcy.
Treatment Cost: Outpatient rehab is nearly always going to be the less expensive option compared to inpatient treatment. Without the cost of housing, food, and round-the-clock care, your costs for outpatient treatment will be considerably lower, and your insurance may be more likely to cover some or all of it. If money is tight, outpatient rehab may be the more workable option for many people.
Family and Community Focus: by being treated in an outpatient rehab setting, you can much more readily maintain a close connection with your family and surrounding community, accept their support, and spend meaningful time with them through the course of your treatment. The outpatient treatment model allows you to build a supportive network in your daily life with those you love and cherish the most, rather than keeping you separated while you get treatment.

Types of Alcohol Rehabs in San Francisco

Holistic Rehab

Holistic alcohol rehab in San Francisco aims to address alcohol use issues from all sides by facilitating physical, mental, and spiritual treatment. Instead of targeting a single element of your symptoms or behaviors, the holistic approach focuses on treating you as a whole person and working to improve your overall well-being. This can include a wide variety of methods to treat the body, mind, and spirit, including:

Massage
Acupuncture
Yoga
Meditation and mindfulness
Biofeedback and neurofeedback
Herbal medicines

The holistic method works to address the many lifestyle factors and personal history that may have played a role in forming any mental and substance use disorders in the first place, allowing you to heal from the source rather than the symptoms.

Christian and Faith-Based Rehab

Many people look to a higher power to guide them through the treatment process, so they look for a rehab setting that reflects this. Christian and other faith-based rehabs help you through treatment for alcohol use disorder with time-tested techniques and therapy while also incorporating religious doctrine and faith-based elements into the process. In this rehab setting, you can pursue treatment in the context of your beliefs with staff and fellow patients that share your spiritual beliefs and uphold the values of unconditional love, forgiveness, acceptance, and community.

Luxury Rehab

If you are looking for the highest level of comfort and amenities during inpatient care, luxury rehab is the setting for you. With offerings like private rooms, upscale facilities, private therapy sessions, world-class cuisine, and additional benefits like massage, fitness trainers, pools, and saunas, luxury rehabs strive to make your treatment experience as enjoyable and comfortable as possible.

Executive Rehab

For many San Francisco residents, a major barrier to seeking alcohol addiction treatment is the feeling that you simply cannot step away from your job. If you are among the many small business owners, government officials, or high-powered executives that live in the Bay Area, leaving your work behind for inpatient rehab may just not be an option. Executive rehab programs allow you to keep access to computers, phones, and conference rooms, giving you the ability to maintain your professional duties during treatment. Staff and management are trained specifically so they can understand and support your professional needs and priorities, while the treatment program itself can provide you with coping strategies to deal with the stress of work that may have been a major contributing factor to your alcohol use issues in the first place.

Dual Diagnosis Rehab

Dual diagnosis rehab is becoming an increasingly popular option for people seeking treatment for both alcohol use disorders and accompanying mental health disorders. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as many as 25% of people diagnosed with a mental health disorder also meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder. Unfortunately, when these people have pursued treatment, only 8.3% of the patients have historically received treatment for both disorders.²

Dual diagnosis refers to the presence of both alcohol use and mental health disorder, such as depression, borderline personality disorder, or bipolar disorder. Dual diagnosis rehab programs provide you with a professional diagnosis for all your conditions and then develop appropriate treatments to manage everything appropriately.

Depression and Addiction

People with alcohol use disorders are 3.7 times more likely to also have a major depressive disorder, meaning that a high number of people with alcohol use issues will present with a dual diagnosis, including depression. Nearly 33% of people in treatment for alcohol use disorder also meet the criteria for major depressive disorder.³

For those individuals with both alcohol use disorder and depression, a dual diagnosis or holistic approach is going to be the ideal treatment setting for developing treatment and coping strategies that address both disorders.

Anxiety and Addiction

Research demonstrates that up to 50% of patients receiving treatment for alcohol use disorder also meet diagnostic criteria for at least one anxiety disorder. Compared to the 11% of the general population estimated to be diagnosable with an anxiety disorder, this trend shows a clear connection between anxiety and alcohol use disorders.⁴

Like depression, anxiety is, unfortunately, a very common factor that co-exists with alcohol use disorders and should be treated accordingly. Holistic and dual diagnosis treatment programs are an ideal approach to treatment, as they will focus on both the psychiatric and substance use components.

PTSD and Addiction

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is another condition that often co-occurs with alcohol use disorders. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans with PTSD are more likely to have alcohol use disorder, and people with alcohol use disorder often meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Up to three-quarters of people who survived traumatic events have reported issues with alcohol use, and 60-80% of Vietnam veterans seeking PTSD treatment have a diagnosable alcohol use disorder.⁵

If you believe you may have PTSD as well as alcohol use disorder, it is critical to receive a diagnosis and subsequent treatment by qualified clinicians. If you are a veteran, the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a variety of treatment resources for those seeking help with PTSD and alcohol use disorder. For those dealing with PTSD who do not qualify for VA services, dual diagnosis, holistic, and inpatient rehab settings are highly appropriate choices to treat both disorders at the same time.

Bipolar Disorder and Addiction

For people that have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, an accompanying alcohol use disorder is highly likely. According to studies, 40-70% of those diagnosed with bipolar disorder will also exhibit alcohol use disorder in their lifetime.⁶ Treatment for both disorders should include motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral, and group therapy incorporating family and the surrounding social environment, in addition to appropriate medication treatment for optimal mood stabilization.

Personality Disorders and Addiction

According to recent research, 42% of patients diagnosed with a personality disorder also met the criteria for alcohol use disorder. ⁷ Nearly 50% of people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder met the criteria for alcohol use disorder, and 68% of those diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder exhibited signs of alcohol use disorder as well.⁷ A dual diagnosis rehab program is necessary to receive the appropriate guidance, care, and treatment one needs to navigate the complexities of a personality disorder co-occurring with alcohol use disorder.

Types of Addiction Therapy Included in a Treatment Plan

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment approach for alcohol use disorder. It is based on three main principles.

Psychological problems are partially based on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking.
Psychological problems are partially based on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior.
People suffering from these psychological problems can learn better-coping methods to reduce symptoms and become more effective in their lives.

CBT training uses strategies to learn how to recognize your own distortions in thinking and how to re-evaluate your thoughts to gain a better understanding of your behavior and motivation, use problem-solving skills for coping with difficult situations, and learn to develop a better sense of confidence in your own thinking and abilities.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a modified version of CBT. The main goals of DBT are to teach you how to live your life “in the moment,” learn healthy ways to cope with stress, improve your personal relationships with those around you, and better regulate your emotions. It emphasizes the practice of mindfulness meditation, which helps you focus on the present moment and live in the “now,” rather than obsessing over past events or being anxious about the future. You learn to pay attention to your thoughts, your feelings, and what is happening around you in a less emotional, more nonjudgmental way.

Mindfulness skills also teach you to slow down and practice using helpful coping skills when experiencing emotional pain. This helps you remain calm and avoid engaging in automatic negative patterns of thought or impulsive behaviors like resorting to alcohol.

Motivational Enhancement Therapy

Motivational Enhancement Therapy is a treatment approach that helps motivate those experiencing ambivalence toward treatment for alcohol use disorder. Rather than taking you through a structured recovery process like the 12-step program, the style of therapy works to create internally motivated change by strengthening your motivation and helping you build an improvement plan.

This approach begins with an initial assessment session followed by two to four individual sessions with a therapist, focusing on eliciting self-motivational statements, creating strategies to avoid alcohol consumption, and developing improved coping strategies for high-risk situations. The process encourages your commitment to change and sustained abstinence, promoting long-term changes that are internally motivated.

Contingency Management

When using Contingency Management (CM) interventions, you would receive a reward for meeting a rehab treatment goal. Most commonly, you would receive cash, a voucher, or another prize for achieving a specific and measurable treatment goal, such as avoiding alcohol for a certain period. If you accumulate multiple goals, you may also earn larger rewards, which helps to incentivize long-term commitment and adherence to the treatment program and sobriety. This approach can be run by clinicians, staff of rehab facilities, or even family members; anyone who is willing to work with you to develop a system of incentives and goals can implement it.

Group Therapy

Group therapy is a common component of many inpatient and outpatient alcohol rehab programs in San Francisco. It can come in many different forms depending on the setting, clinician, and patient population.

Educational groups that teach about substance use disorders
Skills development groups that work to develop positive coping skills
Cognitive-behavioral groups that develop CBT skills to reassess thought, emotion, and behavior patterns
Support groups where members can share their experiences and provide mutual support

The common theme of group therapy is to create a network and community where you can experience a feeling of understanding, belonging, and support.

Family Therapy

Family therapy is another highly effective therapy approach, which involves therapy sessions with members of your family and a qualified clinician who can help you and your family resolve issues and maladjusted patterns in your interactions. The process works to create an environment where you can face repetitive issues and address misunderstandings and resentments to improve the welfare and cohesion of your family. The dynamics of your family can be a significant influence on your alcohol use disorder, and addressing family issues affected by these disorders can often help to solve the underlying problems from which they began in the first place.

Should I Travel to San Francisco for Alcohol Rehab?

Many individuals travel to San Francisco from all over the world every year for alcohol rehab. This may be for many varied reasons, such as:

They live in a nearby city or state that doesn’t offer the type of program they need.
They want a change of scenery.
They have loved ones who live in the area as a form of support.
Their insurance covers alcohol rehab in San Francisco.
They want world-class treatment options in a major city.

A major benefit of traveling to San Francisco for rehab is that it provides an escape from former triggers and associations with drinking alcohol. This can provide significant relief from many stressors in your daily life that may have caused you to resort to alcohol as a coping mechanism. A change of scenery means your treatment starts with a blank slate, free of negative associations or maladaptive habits.

Considerations for Treatment in San Francisco

There are roughly 34 drug rehab centers in the general Bay Area in locations including Fresno, San Jose, and the Silicon Valley, and many rehabs located in the heart of San Francisco itself. You’ll find many San Francisco alcohol rehab programs in neighborhoods such as Western Addition, the Mission District, Hayes Valley, and many of the quieter neighborhoods nearby.

If you are looking for LGBTQ+ friendly neighborhoods, you will find that the city is very accommodating and socially liberal; that being said, the Mission District, the Castro, and SoMa (South of Market) are known to be particularly safe spaces for sexual minorities and those looking for a supportive environment for alternative lifestyles.

San Francisco is home to the BART rapid transit system and trolleys, buses, bikes, and very walkable neighborhoods. With several nearby international airports and its robust public transportation system, San Francisco boasts a high level of accessibility no matter the mode of transportation.

Alcohol Laws in San Francisco

California Employee Protections for Rehab

Under California Labor Code Section 1025-1028, California employers with 25 or more employees are required to make specific accommodations for their employees who have voluntarily chosen to attend alcohol rehab. These accommodations may include unpaid time off and permission to use paid sick or vacation time. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) may also provide the ability for employees to take time off to attend rehab.

Treatment Opportunities for Individuals Convicted of Non-Violent Crimes

California’s initiative, Proposition 36, enables those convicted of non-violent crimes to choose between incarceration and probation with substance misuse treatment.

California Government Prevention and Care Services

Under Senate Bill 110, California substance misuse services have been expanded to include contingency management and incentivized treatment program as a benefit covered by Medi-Cal. This involves rewarding patients with gift cards or vouchers for successfully abstinent behavior. Though contingency management is most used to treat an addiction to methamphetamine or cocaine, it can be beneficial for those recovering from alcohol use disorders as well.

California Good Samaritan Overdose Prevention Law

California’s Good Samaritan law encourages individuals who witness a drug or alcohol overdose to call 911 for emergency care and protects them from any type of arrest or conviction.

Rehab provides several helpful treatments and educational resources, but sobriety takes a lifelong commitment. Thankfully, you do not need to search for “alcohol rehab(s) near me” alone, as there are many options to find support. Call us at 800-948-8417 Who Answers? for more information.

Resources

The San Francisco Health Improvement Partnership. (2017). Substance Abuse
Lesser, Ben. (2021). Significant Statistics, DualDiagnosis.org.
McHugh, R. (2019). Alcohol use disorder and depressive disorders. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 40(1).
Anker, J. (2019). Co-occurring alcohol use disorder and anxiety: Bridging the psychiatric, psychological, and neurobiological perspectives. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 40(1).
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2021). PTSD and Problems with Alcohol Use.
Grunze, H., Schaefer, M., Scherk, H., Born, C., & Preuss, U. W. (2021). Comorbid bipolar and alcohol use disorder—a therapeutic challenge. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12.
Helle, A. (2019). Alcohol use disorder and antisocial and borderline personality disorders. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 40(1).