Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centres in Belgium

Drug and alcohol rehab in Belgium is organized by its regions and language communities rather than by one national body: each approves and subsidizes the specialized addiction services in its area. Outpatient care is listed at nearly all of the rehabs in Belgium, and residential treatment and hospital addiction care at some.

City pages cover rehab in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liège and Charleroi. Opioid substitution treatment, on the other hand, follows a single federal rule, the Royal Decree of 19 March 2004, which applies in every part of the country.

Belgian listings are assembled from government treatment registers, licensing records, accreditor lists and the descriptions providers supply. French is a treatment language at nearly all of them, and publicly funded care is listed at most.

How is addiction treatment organized in Belgium?

Addiction treatment in Belgium is organized regionally: there is no single national licensing body, and specialized addiction services are approved and subsidized by the communities and regions. Outpatient care makes up most of what is listed, with residential, hospital and day treatment at some of the rehabs in Belgium.

Methadone and buprenorphine follow a federal Royal Decree, so the rules on opioid medication are the same in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. Publicly funded outpatient rehab is listed at most of the rehabs in Belgium.

Who approves addiction services in Belgium?

Addiction services in Belgium are approved by regional and community bodies. In Wallonia, the region’s agency for health and social care approves and subsidizes specialized addiction services and networks under a Walloon decree, and in Brussels the French-speaking community commission approves the French-language services it funds.

Flanders has its own arrangements for the services it funds. Because responsibility is split, the body that approved a provider depends on where it operates, and a provider can say which authority approved it.

Which levels of care are listed in Belgium?

Outpatient care is listed at nearly all of the rehabs in Belgium, while day treatment, residential and hospital-based care each appear at some. Medical detox, short-term residential and long-term residential stays are each listed at a few of the country’s rehabs.

Aftercare and abstinence-based programs are listed at a few as well, and rehab transfers at about half.

Is opioid substitution treatment available in Belgium?

Opioid substitution treatment is available in Belgium. Oral methadone and sublingual buprenorphine, including buprenorphine combined with naloxone, are the authorized medicines under the Royal Decree of 19 March 2004 regulating substitution treatment, according to published guidance on the decree, and community pharmacists dispense them.

Methadone is listed at a few of the rehabs in Belgium, and medication for alcohol addiction at a few as well.

Who can prescribe methadone in Belgium?

Doctors in Belgium can prescribe methadone and buprenorphine, but under the Royal Decree of 19 March 2004 a doctor treating more than two people at once with substitution medicines must meet extra conditions, including registration with an approved center. The decree has been amended since it was made, so the current conditions are worth confirming.

Medication-assisted treatment is listed at a few of the rehabs in Belgium. People who already take methadone or buprenorphine and plan a stay in Belgium can ask a provider how their prescription will be continued by a Belgian doctor and a local pharmacy.

What does rehab in Belgium cost?

Private residential rehab in Belgium has an estimated typical range of €8,900 to €23,700 a month, and medical detox €5,300 to €16,600. Day treatment has an estimated range of €5,300 to €11,200 a month, and outpatient care, the most widely listed level, €1,100 to €3,600 a month.

Length of stay, room type and what a program includes all move the total. Asking for a written breakdown before admission makes comparison easier.

Is publicly funded rehab available in Belgium?

Publicly funded rehab is listed at most of the rehabs in Belgium, and state insurance is accepted at most as well. Publicly funded inpatient rehab and mental health treatment each appear at some, and publicly funded residential rehab and detox at a few.

Specialized addiction services approved by a region or community receive public subsidies, which is what keeps many of them low-cost or free at the point of use.

Do rehabs in Belgium take court referrals?

Court referrals are accepted at a few of the rehabs in Belgium, so a person whose treatment is linked to a court case can find providers that work with the justice system. These are listed under court-ordered rehab, and providers can explain how they report to a court.

Someone facing a court-linked requirement can ask a lawyer which kinds of provider the court accepts.

Who do rehabs in Belgium serve?

Rehabs in Belgium serve adults first, with care for adults and for women listed at nearly all of them and for men at most. Teen rehab is listed at some, while senior rehab, rehab that allows children and support for deaf and hard-of-hearing people each appear at a few.

Alcohol is treated at most of the rehabs in Belgium, and opioids at a few. Crisis intervention is listed at some, and care for co-occurring mental health conditions at a few. Trauma and PTSD care, and support for people living with HIV or hepatitis, are each listed at a few of the rehabs in Belgium too.

Can a young person consent to treatment in Belgium?

Belgium sets no fixed age for consent to treatment. Under the Law of 22 August 2002, which sets out the rights of people receiving health care, parents or guardians normally exercise a minor’s rights, but a minor whom the health professional judges able to assess their own interests can exercise those rights fully or partly alone.

This means a teenager’s ability to agree to addiction treatment is judged case by case by the professional involved.

Coming to Belgium for rehab

Belgium is part of the Schengen area, so visitors who need a visa can stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period on a short-stay visa. Visa rules are the same for every Schengen country, and the clock counts days spent anywhere in the area, not only in Belgium.

AA meetings are held in Belgium, including in Brussels, according to the AA meeting list for continental Europe. Rehab is also listed in France, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Is treatment in Belgium confidential?

Treatment in Belgium is confidential: medical information is covered by professional secrecy and cannot be shared with third parties without the person’s authorization, except where the law allows. The Law of 22 August 2002 also gives everyone receiving care a right to privacy, and EU data protection rules apply alongside it.

These protections cover public and private providers alike, in every region. Mental health treatment is listed at nearly all of the rehabs in Belgium and care for serious mental illness at some, so many people are treated for their mental health and their substance use by the same team. Mobile crisis response and dementia care are each listed at a few.

Which helplines cover Belgium?

Belgium has two main drug and alcohol helplines, split by region. In Flanders, the regional line answers on 078 15 10 20, Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with web chat on weekdays from noon to 6 p.m. In Brussels and Wallonia, a nonprofit line answers on 02 227 52 52, including Saturday mornings.

The Brussels and Wallonia line keeps longer hours early in the week: Monday to Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Both lines are regional, so a caller normally uses the line for the region they are in.

Rehab in other countries, including Switzerland and Ireland, is listed on the Europe page.