When addiction or a serious mental-health problem is disrupting somebody’s life, start by establishing what care is actually needed.
WeDoRecover provides confidential pre-admission screening, professional intervention, care planning and admission coordination for individuals and families.
Call 082 747 3422. Available 24/7.
Fast Facts
| Experience | Working in addiction treatment, intervention and recovery since 1995 |
| Who we help | Individuals, families, employers and healthcare professionals |
| Treatment pathways | Detoxification, inpatient rehabilitation, psychiatric care, dual-diagnosis treatment, longer-term care and continuing recovery support |
| Medical aid | Qualifying South African addiction treatment may be funded, subject to clinical and scheme requirements |
| Reach | Treatment coordination in South Africa and internationally where appropriate |
What happens when you call?
You do not need to know which rehab, psychiatric clinic or treatment programme you need. That is one of the reasons to call.
The first task is to understand what is happening.
- what substances are involved
- whether withdrawal could be medically risky
- whether psychiatric symptoms are present
- previous treatment and relapse
- whether the person wants help
- whether intervention may be necessary
- medical aid or private funding
- where the person is
- how quickly treatment may be required
From there, the practical next step becomes clearer.
How the treatment pathway works
1. Tell us what is happening
Start with the problem as you see it. You do not need a diagnosis.
2. Establish the immediate treatment need
The appropriate next step may be different for different people. One person may need medically managed withdrawal. Another may require inpatient addiction treatment. Another may need psychiatric stabilisation before rehabilitation. Another may need longer-term residential care because several short admissions have already failed.
3. Clarify funding and practical requirements
Where South African medical aid is available, the relevant benefit should normally be investigated before assuming treatment needs to be privately funded. The treating clinic’s admissions team handles the formal motivation and pre-authorisation as part of its normal admission process.
4. Prepare the admission pathway
Once the likely treatment need is clear, practical admission requirements can be coordinated with the treating clinical service.
5. If the person refuses help, use the family route
A family can ask for guidance even when the person refuses treatment. A professional intervention may be considered where ordinary conversations repeatedly fail.
Start with the person, not the programme
Good treatment planning considers more than the drug being used.
Relevant factors can include withdrawal risk, physical health, psychiatric symptoms, previous treatment, relapse history, family environment, willingness to enter care, work and legal consequences, medical aid, and how much structure is likely to be required afterwards.
The goal is to identify an appropriate level and setting of care rather than simply locating the first available bed.
Addiction treatment
We help with situations involving alcohol dependence, cocaine and stimulant use, opioids and heroin, prescription medication, cannabis, polysubstance use, repeated relapse and serious functional problems associated with addiction.
Where regulated clinical treatment is required, it is delivered by appropriately licensed clinical providers.
Mental health and psychiatric care
Not every person contacting WDR primarily needs addiction rehabilitation.
Mental-health problems may exist independently or alongside substance use. Situations can involve severe depression, significant anxiety, mood instability, substance-induced psychiatric symptoms, psychosis, dual diagnosis or the need for psychiatric stabilisation.
The clinical provider is responsible for diagnosis and treatment. WDR helps establish and coordinate the practical treatment pathway.
Help for someone you love
Families frequently call before the person using substances is willing to seek treatment.
You may be dealing with repeated broken promises, missing money, unsafe driving, work problems, deteriorating mental health, relapse, family conflict or refusal to discuss rehab.
You do not need to wait passively. The family can get guidance first.
Help a loved one with addiction
Professional intervention
If ordinary conversations have repeatedly failed, professional intervention may be appropriate.
Treatment planning is done before the intervention wherever possible. That way, if the person accepts treatment, there is a practical next step.
Discuss an addiction intervention
Medical aid and addiction treatment
Qualifying alcohol and substance dependence is included in South Africa’s Prescribed Minimum Benefit framework.
Actual benefits depend on the clinical situation, scheme and plan, authorisation requirements, network rules and the treating provider. Some schemes provide additional or differently structured detoxification and rehabilitation benefits.
Check medical-aid treatment options
Johannesburg and Gauteng
If you need addiction treatment in Johannesburg or Gauteng, the treatment pathway can include medical detoxification, inpatient rehabilitation, psychiatric stabilisation, dual-diagnosis care, longer-term treatment and continuing recovery support.
Drug and alcohol rehab in Johannesburg
Start with one conversation
Tell us what is happening. We can work from there.
Call 082 747 3422
Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.