MEDICAL DETOX * LOS ANGELS * CA
Alcohol Addiction Treatment Center in Los Angeles
24/7 medically supervised detox in Los Angles, so withdrawal is managed safely from the very first hours
Insurance we accept
- Employer Insurance
- Commercial Insurance
- Private Insurance
- COBRA Coverage
- Medicaid Insurance
- No Medi Cal Insurance
Quick Facts
- 🕒 Typical detox: 5–7 days
- 🏥 24/7 medical supervision
- 💳 Insurance accepted (PPO/private)
- ✈️ Out-of-state clients welcome
Alcohol use disorder is one of the most common and most medically serious forms of addiction. It’s also one of the most treatable – with the right level of support, at the right time. If you or someone you care about is struggling with alcohol, this page explains what treatment at Purposes Recovery looks like, what to expect at each step, and how to get started.
We are a medically supervised detox and residential treatment center in West Los Angeles. We offer the highest staff-to-client ratio in Southern California, 24/7 clinical coverage, and a full continuum of care from detox through outpatient. Most major insurance is accepted. You can reach our admissions team any time at (888) 482-0717.
Is This Alcohol Addiction - or Heavy Drinking?
The line between heavy drinking and alcohol use disorder isn’t always obvious – and it’s not defined by how much you drink per day or whether you drink every day. Clinically, alcohol use disorder is diagnosed when drinking patterns produce two or more of the following in a 12-month period:
- Drinking more, or longer, than you intended
- Wanting to cut down but finding it harder than expected
- Spending significant time drinking, recovering, or thinking about alcohol
- Craving alcohol strongly enough that it interrupts other thoughts
- Drinking despite it causing problems at work, at home, or in relationships
- Giving up activities or interests that used to matter
- Continuing to drink in situations where it’s physically risky
- Developing tolerance – needing more to feel the same effect
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you stop or cut back
Two or three of these meets criteria for mild alcohol use disorder. Six or more is severe. Most people who seek treatment sit somewhere in the middle – functioning well enough on the outside, but aware that alcohol has become something they can’t easily put down.
If you’re not sure where you fall, our guide to recognizing the signs of alcoholism walks through what the full spectrum looks like, including high-functioning presentations that often go unrecognized for years.
Why Alcohol Withdrawal Requires Medical Supervision
Alcohol withdrawal is medically distinct from withdrawal from other substances – and significantly more dangerous. When the brain has adapted to a steady supply of alcohol, removing it suddenly triggers a rebound state of neurological overactivation that can produce seizures, cardiovascular instability, and in serious cases, delirium tremens (DTs).
DTs affect roughly 3 to 5% of people in withdrawal. Without treatment, the mortality rate is estimated between 5 and 15%. With proper medical management, it drops below 1%. The variable is whether someone is in a supervised setting where complications can be caught early and treated in real time.
This is why we do not recommend stopping alcohol without medical support for anyone with a history of heavy, sustained use. The first step is always a medically supervised detox where clinicians can monitor withdrawal progression, use validated assessment tools (CIWA-Ar), and adjust medication in response to how symptoms evolve.
For a detailed breakdown of what withdrawal looks like hour by hour, see our alcohol withdrawal timeline. For a deeper explanation of DTs specifically, see our guide to delirium tremens.
Which Level of Care Is Right for You
Not everyone needs the same level of treatment. Where someone starts depends on how severe their alcohol use disorder is, whether they have co-occurring mental health conditions, what their home environment looks like, and whether they’ve attempted treatment before. Here’s how to think about each level:
Medical Detox
The right starting point for anyone with moderate to severe physical dependence – meaning they experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop or cut back. Detox at Purposes Recovery is 24/7 medically supervised, with benzodiazepine-based withdrawal management, daily physician oversight, IV fluids and thiamine supplementation, and around-the-clock nursing coverage. Most people complete detox in 5 to 7 days. Detox alone is not a treatment for alcohol use disorder – it’s the stabilization that makes treatment possible. Learn more about our alcohol detox program.
Residential Treatment
The highest level of non-hospital care. Clients live on-site, with structured days of individual therapy, group therapy, psychiatric care, family sessions, and skills work. Residential is the right level for people who need a full environmental reset – away from the triggers, relationships, and routines that supported their drinking. Most clients complete 30 to 90 days. Purposes Recovery’s residential program has the highest staff-to-client ratio in Southern California. Learn more about residential treatment.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
A step down from residential, or an entry point for people who don’t require 24-hour supervision but need more than traditional outpatient. PHP runs 5 days a week, typically 6 hours per day, with the same clinical programming as residential. Clients live at home or in sober living. PHP is appropriate for people with a stable home environment, lower medical acuity, or those transitioning out of residential. Learn more about PHP.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Three to four days per week, 3 hours per session. IOP allows clients to maintain work or family commitments while continuing structured treatment. It’s appropriate as a step-down from PHP, or as a primary level of care for people with mild to moderate alcohol use disorder and a stable environment. Learn more about IOP.
If you’re not sure which level of care applies to your situation, call us at (888) 482-0717. Our admissions team can do a clinical pre-assessment by phone and tell you clearly where they’d recommend you start and why.
How We Treat Alcohol Addiction at Purposes Recovery
Every client at Purposes Recovery goes through a comprehensive intake assessment on arrival – medical history, psychiatric history, substance use history, and a review of any prior treatment. The clinical team uses this to build an individualized treatment plan rather than fitting everyone into the same protocol.
Within the treatment program, alcohol-specific work includes:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) targeting the thought patterns and situational triggers that maintain drinking behavior
- Motivational interviewing to work through ambivalence about sobriety – which is nearly universal in early recovery and rarely talked about honestly
- Trauma-informed care, because a significant proportion of people with alcohol use disorder are drinking in response to unprocessed trauma, not just habit or physical dependence
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) where clinically appropriate – naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram are all available and discussed openly as part of the treatment conversation, not stigmatized
- Dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder, which are present in a large share of people with alcohol use disorder and need to be treated alongside the addiction, not after it
- Family therapy and family education, because the people around someone in recovery are going through their own process and need support too
If you or a loved one has a co-occurring mental health condition alongside alcohol use disorder, our dual diagnosis program is designed specifically for that presentation.
Ready to take the next step?
Our admissions team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can verify your insurance, answer your questions, and help you or your loved one get started – same day if needed.
Call (888) 482-0717 or verify your insurance online.
Alcohol Use Disorder and Co-Occurring Conditions
Alcohol and mental health conditions co-occur at very high rates. Depression and alcohol use disorder share roughly a 30 to 40% comorbidity rate. Anxiety disorders are similarly common – and alcohol is one of the most widely used self-medications for anxiety, which creates the cycle: drink to manage anxiety, feel more anxious when alcohol clears, drink again.
PTSD and alcohol use disorder frequently co-occur, particularly in veterans and people with histories of interpersonal trauma. Treating the alcohol use without addressing the trauma tends to produce short-term stabilization followed by relapse, which is why our clinical model integrates trauma work from the start rather than deferring it.
The clinical intake at Purposes Recovery includes full psychiatric evaluation. If a co-occurring condition is identified, it’s treated as part of the primary treatment plan – not as a secondary concern to address “once the drinking is under control.”
Support for Loved Ones
Most people who call us aren’t calling for themselves. They’re calling for a spouse, a parent, a sibling, or a child – someone they’re watching struggle, someone they don’t know how to help, or someone who doesn’t yet believe they have a problem.
If that’s your situation, a few things worth knowing:
- You can call us and ask questions without committing to anything. Our admissions team is used to these conversations.
- If your loved one is resistant to treatment, there are clinical approaches specifically designed for that situation – we can talk you through them.
- We offer family therapy as part of the treatment program and family education regardless of whether your loved one is currently in treatment.
- Your own wellbeing matters in this process. Resources like Al-Anon exist specifically for people in your position.
Call us at (888) 482-0717 or contact us online. We’ll talk through what you’re seeing and what the options look like.
Why People Come to Los Angeles for Alcohol Treatment
A significant portion of our clients travel to Los Angeles for treatment rather than going to a facility near home. The reasons are usually practical: getting out of the environment where drinking was happening, putting geographic distance between themselves and the people, places, and routines associated with alcohol, and accessing a clinical environment that doesn’t exist in their home market.
West Los Angeles specifically combines clinical density – there are more board-certified addiction psychiatrists and licensed therapists per capita here than almost anywhere in the country – with the kind of physical environment that supports recovery. We work with a network of sober living facilities in the area for clients who want a longer runway before returning home.
If you’re coming from out of state, our admissions team can coordinate the logistics – airport pickup, transportation to the facility, and a clear plan for what happens at the end of treatment so you’re not figuring that out from 2,000 miles away.
What Happens After Treatment
Completing detox and residential treatment is not the end of the recovery process – it’s the end of the acute phase. What comes after is the period that most determines whether someone stays sober long term.
At Purposes Recovery, discharge planning starts in the first week of treatment, not the last. By the time someone exits residential, they have a specific plan for the next level of care (PHP or IOP), a therapist they’re continuing with, a medication plan if applicable, and a schedule for the first 30 days.
The first 90 days of sobriety are the highest-risk period for relapse. The neurological recalibration is still ongoing, the emotional landscape is unstable, and the coping mechanisms that will sustain long-term recovery are being built, not yet in place. This is the period that requires the most active support – and the period our continuum of care is specifically designed around.
Frequently Asked Questions About Alcohol Addiction Treatment
How much does alcohol rehab cost in Los Angeles?
Cost varies significantly by level of care and length of stay. Detox typically runs $1,000-$2,000 per day without insurance; residential is similar. Most major commercial insurance plans cover a significant portion of alcohol addiction treatment under federal mental health parity laws. The fastest way to know what your specific plan covers is to call us at (888) 482-0717 or submit your insurance information online – we verify benefits same day.
Does Purposes Recovery accept insurance?
Yes. We accept most major commercial insurance plans including Cigna, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, and others. We verify benefits before admission so there are no surprises. Call (888) 482-0717 or use our online verification form.
How long is alcohol rehab?
Detox is typically 5 to 7 days. Residential treatment ranges from 30 to 90 days depending on clinical need. PHP and IOP extend the continuum for as long as clinically appropriate. SAMHSA and most clinical guidelines recommend a minimum of 90 days of combined treatment for moderate to severe alcohol use disorder – not because that’s a rule, but because the neurological and behavioral changes that make sobriety sustainable take time to consolidate.
What other recovery options are there besides AA?
AA is one option, not the only one. SMART Recovery is an evidence-based secular alternative focused on self-management. Refuge Recovery is a mindfulness-based program. Medication-assisted treatment (naltrexone, acamprosate) is an option that many people use alongside or instead of group-based programs. Our clinical team is neutral on which approach clients pursue – the goal is sustained sobriety, not adherence to a particular model.
How do I help someone with alcohol addiction who doesn’t want help?
This is one of the most common questions we get. A few approaches with real evidence behind them: CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) is a structured method for family members that improves treatment entry rates significantly compared to traditional intervention. A direct, honest conversation in a calm moment – not during or immediately after an episode – is often more effective than a formal intervention. And sometimes, the most useful thing is getting support for yourself while you wait for the person to become ready. Call us and we can talk through your specific situation.
What percentage of people recover from alcohol addiction?
Long-term recovery rates are better than popular perception suggests. Studies show roughly one-third of people with alcohol use disorder have no further symptoms one year after treatment. Recovery rates improve significantly with longer treatment duration, higher levels of care, and ongoing aftercare support. Relapse is common – 40 to 60% of people experience at least one – but it is not a sign of failure or hopelessness. Most people who achieve long-term sobriety did not do it on the first attempt.
How many times do people typically go to rehab before it works?
There’s no meaningful average – recovery is not linear and “how many times” is the wrong frame. What the research does show is that each treatment episode contributes to the cumulative process of recovery, and that people who keep engaging with treatment after relapse have significantly better long-term outcomes than people who stop trying. If a previous treatment attempt didn’t produce lasting sobriety, that’s information about what needs to be different – level of care, duration, co-occurring condition treatment, aftercare structure – not evidence that treatment doesn’t work.
Can I come from out of state?
Yes. A significant portion of our clients travel to Purposes Recovery from outside California. Our admissions team coordinates logistics including transportation from LAX and connection to local sober living if you want to extend your time in Los Angeles after completing the residential program.
How long until alcohol is out of your system?
Alcohol is metabolized at roughly one standard drink per hour. Blood alcohol content typically clears within 12 to 24 hours of the last drink. But physical clearance of alcohol is not the same as withdrawal – withdrawal symptoms begin as alcohol clears and can peak at 48 to 72 hours. For a detailed breakdown, see our alcohol withdrawal timeline.
What is the hardest part of recovery from alcohol addiction?
Most people describe the first 30 to 90 days as the hardest – specifically the emotional flatness (anhedonia) that sets in after the initial physical withdrawal resolves. The brain’s dopamine system, which had been relying on alcohol for stimulation, takes weeks to months to rebuild its natural baseline. This period of feeling grey and unmotivated is one of the most common relapse triggers, and it’s also the period most people don’t get enough support for. Our guide to the first 90 days sober covers what this period actually looks like and how to get through it.
Start the Conversation Today
If you’re ready to take the next step – for yourself or for someone you care about – call us at (888) 482-0717. Our admissions team is available 24/7, and we can typically complete a clinical pre-assessment and insurance verification on the same call.
You can also verify your insurance online or send us a message if you’re not ready to call. There’s no pressure and no commitment required to have the conversation.
Addiction Types
Insurance we accept
- Employer Insurance
- Commercial Insurance
- Private Insurance
- COBRA Coverage
- Medicaid Insurance
- No Medi Cal Insurance