Getting admitted

You don’t need a diagnosis or a confirmed addiction to reach out. The admissions team can help you make sense of what you’re observing and whether it points to a problem worth addressing. The conversation is confidential and carries no commitment to proceed.

Read what to do when someone refuses to get help, or check out our interventions page for more information.

No, Houghton House only treats adults; the minimum age of admission is 18. We usually refer parents of younger patients to Akeso for adolescent-specific services. Akeso has facilities across South Africa and provides specialised age-appropriate care for young people between the ages of 12 and 18 who are struggling with mental health, substance abuse, and addictive behaviours. 

No, you don’t need a referral from a GP or psychiatrist; you can contact Houghton House directly. The admissions team will conduct an initial assessment and guide you through the process. However, if you are already being treated by a psychiatrist or GP, it can be beneficial to bring along a referral.

Here’s what happens when you contact Houghton House:

1. The admissions team conducts a confidential phone call to understand your situation and the level of care needed. 
2. During the phone call, we’ll discuss the patient’s history, drug(s) of choice, and psychiatric conditions, as well as any current treatment. We’ll also collect your medical aid information and discuss your treatment options.
3. Following the phone call, we’ll send through an information pack. We’ll also submit your details to your medical aid for pre-authorisation. 
4. Once we receive feedback from your medical aid scheme, we’ll contact you and book a bed for you or your loved one. 

Admissions timelines vary depending on bed availability, but we always do our best to facilitate rapid admission when the situation is urgent.

Yes, during busy months we do have a waiting list, but it’s important to keep in mind that beds usually open up daily, so it wouldn’t be too long of a wait.

Yes, we do admit patients on weekends and public holidays.

We frequently treat international patients at Houghton House. The admission process for international patients is very similar to our standard admissions process. Remote assessments are available if needed, but a phone call is usually sufficient to determine whether admission is suitable.

On travel arrangements: 

• Houghton House does not assist with international travel arrangements. However, we may be able to assist with collection from the airport if our driver is available.
• We are more than happy to provide international patients with a treatment confirmation letter for Visa purposes. 

On settling accounts: 

• For patients using an international medical aid we work with, the pre-authorisation is much the same as for patients with local medical aids. Our admissions team will conduct a confidential phone call to understand the patient’s case and gather the relevant medical aid information, after which we will submit the details to the medical aid for pre-authorisation.
• For private patients (i.e., international patients not covered by medical aid), payment can be made either via electronic funds transfer (EFT), or by card machine at reception.

See our standard packing list below. Please note that any sharp objects — razors, nail clippers, etc. — will be kept at the nurse’s station.

What to bring with you:

• Toiletries: Soap, shampoo/conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, roll-on deodorant
• Documents: ID and medical aid card (if applicable)
• Any current medication
• Towels (bath and/or face towel)
• Comfortable clothes for both cool and hot weather
• Walking shoes/tekkies
• Swimwear (optional)
• Plastic hangers
• Tuckshop money (cash or card)

Optional:

• Cigarettes or vapes (Vapes must be sealed)
• Literature (can only be read on weekends)

What NOT to bring:

• Cigars
• Rolling tobacco or pipe
• Radio, iPods, or other MP3 players
• Spray deodorant, perfume, cologne, or aftershave
• Foodstuffs
• Alcohol-based mouthwash 

If you bring the following items, they will be locked in the safe on admission:

• Cellphones
• Smart watches
• Laptops or tablets
• Wallet/purse
• Cash and bank cards

The cost of treatment varies depending on factors such as duration and level of care. 

• The cost of 30 days of inpatient rehabilitation typically falls in the range of R92,000-R102,000. 
• Outpatient treatment typically costs between R17,000 and R26,000. This is dependent on whether the patient is doing the 4-week programme or the 6-week programme.

Yes, there is. The duration of our standard primary rehabilitation programme is 30 days. Should you choose to extend your stay, you (or your medical aid) would be charged the standard ward fee per additional day, as well as the fees of any professional services used during your extended stay.

No, Houghton House does not offer payment plans. For inpatient and outpatient treatment, 50% of the total fee is payable on admission, and the remaining 50% is due 14 days later. 

There is a once-off admission fee of R1,850. This is separate from treatment costs. Please note that the admission fee cannot be claimed back from medical aid or gap cover.

Medical aid covers addiction treatment as a prescribed minimum benefit (PMB), so if you have an active medical aid membership, your treatment costs should be fully covered. 

If you don’t have medical aid and can’t afford treatment, consult our free and subsidised recovery resources page and reach out to some of the public and non-profit treatment facilities we’ve listed there. 

Our admissions team will help you verify your available medical aid benefits and obtain pre-authorisation before you get admitted, so you’ll never be in a position where you run out of medical aid benefits during treatment at Houghton House.

From 6 am to 8 pm, patients at Houghton House are in therapeutic activities with almost no gaps. Group therapy, individual sessions, psychoeducation, and 12-step work fill the day. Mealtimes and evenings are the only real breaks.

The pace is deliberate. Keeping patients occupied and engaged from morning to night is part of the treatment, not incidental to it. The daily programme at Houghton House is one of the most rigorous in the country, and the clinical team considers that a point of distinction.

At Houghton House, our primary mission is to provide a safe, supportive, and focused environment that promotes healing and long-term recovery. To ensure this, we have established a clear policy regarding the use of electronic devices during treatment. We do allow limited access in specific cases. This can be discussed prior to admission. 

Phones, laptops, and tablets are collected and stored securely on admission. For the first 72 hours, there’s a complete blackout on calls, and any device use is strongly discouraged throughout inpatient treatment. 

Continuing to work during inpatient treatment isn’t compatible with the programme. The daily schedule runs from 6 am to 8 pm with therapeutic activity throughout, and the device restrictions exist for the same reason: recovery requires full presence. Staying connected to work obligations during that time undermines the process.

If work commitments make a full break from work impossible, the outpatient programme may be a better fit. Outpatient programme patients attend for a few hours a day and manage their own time outside of sessions. Speak to the admissions team before coming in to discuss which option suits your situation.

No phone calls are allowed to be made within the first 7 days of admission. Thereafter, patients may make 3 phone calls per week: 

• 1 weekday call (Monday–Friday)
• 1 call on a Saturday
• 1 call on a Sunday

Phone calls are only allowed to be made from the landline in the counsellor’s lounge, and according to the call list.

Any device use is strongly discouraged throughout the entire duration of inpatient treatment, and phones, laptops, and tablets are collected and stored securely on admission.  Patients and families should arrange for essential phone use or communication needs prior to admission. 

In the few exceptional cases where patients are granted personal device access, the following restrictions apply:

• No device use for the first 72 hours after admission
• After 7 days, patients who have received special permission have limited windows for personal device use: 
  • Weekdays: 20:00–21:00 
  • Weekends: 14:00–16:00, for one hour only

Patients may video call children under the age of 10 in exceptional circumstances, subject to the child’s best interest and confirmation with family. The admissions team can make arrangements upon admission. For children over 10, the standard call allowance applies: three calls per week from the landline in the counsellor’s lounge.

Within the first 7 days of treatment, a family session is arranged with the patient’s treating psychologist. During this period, no other visitors are allowed. 

After the first 7 days of treatment, family — including partners, if unmarried — is allowed to visit on Saturdays (14:00-17:00) and Sundays (10:30-17:00) for a maximum of 2 hours per day.  

All visitors need to be approved by the patient’s therapeutic team in advance to ensure that visits support rather than disrupt the recovery process.

Houghton House is bound by strict patient confidentiality. Your admission will not be disclosed to your employer. If you choose to use your medical aid, your scheme will be aware of the nature of treatment, but medical aids are also bound by confidentiality obligations and cannot share this information with employers.

Not everyone requires detox, but it is clinically indicated for substances where withdrawal carries physical risk, including alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids, and mandrax. The admissions team will assess whether detox is needed as part of the intake process. 

Note: Do not try to detox without medical supervision, as this can be very dangerous.

For more information, see our Medical Detox page