Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centres in Cologne, Germany

How does opioid treatment work in Cologne?

Opioid treatment in Cologne often combines detox with substitution medicine: about half of the city’s rehabs list opioid detox and about half list methadone. Substitution in Germany follows section 5 of the Narcotics Prescription Ordinance, so only doctors qualified in addiction medicine can prescribe it.

Each substitution treatment is reported to the national register at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, the federal medicines regulator. Some rehabs in Cologne list opioid tapering and access to a prescriber, and overdose prevention education appears at some as well.

Is methadone treatment publicly funded in Cologne?

Methadone treatment in Cologne is publicly funded at about half of the city’s rehabs, which list state-funded methadone. Statutory health insurance generally pays for addiction treatment in Germany, and public health insurance is accepted at nearly all of the rehabs in Cologne, so most people insured in Germany can use it.

State-funded detox is listed at about half of the city’s rehabs too. Only a few accept private insurance, so privately insured people can check their policy terms before admission.

Can people in substitution treatment in Cologne carry naloxone?

People in substitution treatment in Cologne can be given nasal naloxone to take home for an opioid emergency. The binding guideline from Germany’s national medical association added take-home naloxone for this group, so it can be prescribed or handed out as part of substitution care rather than only in hospital.

Wider access to naloxone outside substitution treatment is a separate question, so it is worth raising with the prescribing doctor. Hospital-based addiction care and inpatient treatment are listed at some of the rehabs in Cologne, which covers people who need medical supervision while opioid doses are reduced.

Do rehabs in Cologne accept court referrals?

Some of the rehabs in Cologne accept court referrals and some take people whose treatment has been ordered by a court. German law keeps compulsory placement narrow: under section 1831 of the Civil Code, a legal guardian needs the guardianship court’s approval before an adult is placed in a closed setting.

That approval depends on a mental illness or disability creating a serious risk to the person, or on treatment that cannot otherwise be given. Each state also has its own mental health law for danger-based placement. For people referred this way, the choice of setting in Cologne is wide: inpatient care is listed at some of the city’s rehabs and hospital-based addiction treatment at some as well.

Do rehabs in Cologne treat teenagers?

Teenagers are served by some of the rehabs in Cologne, which list teen outpatient rehab for both girls and boys. Nearly all of the city’s listings treat adult men and women, and a few name programs for young adults, so families can ask each provider which ages it accepts.

Family education is listed at some of the rehabs in Cologne, which helps relatives understand what treatment involves. Counselors at publicly recognized counseling centers in Cologne remain bound by professional secrecy when relatives take part, and the counseling there is open to family members who come on their own.

What does rehab cost in Cologne?

A residential stay in Cologne has an estimated typical range of €8,900 to €23,700 a month, and medical detox €5,300 to €16,600 a month. Outpatient care, offered at nearly all of the city’s rehabs, sits at an estimated €1,100 to €3,600 a month, and day treatment at €5,300 to €11,200.

Where a stay falls in each range depends on the setting, the room and the length of treatment. Rehab funded by the German Pension Insurance costs the person no more than €10 a day for up to 42 days a year.

Cologne cost ranges by level of care

Cost ranges in Cologne climb with the intensity of care, from an estimated €1,100 a month at the low end of outpatient treatment to €23,700 at the top of residential care. Medical detox and day treatment sit in the middle, and the table covers the four levels Cologne’s rehabs list.

How do I apply for pension-funded rehab in Cologne?

Pension-funded rehab in Cologne starts with an application to the German Pension Insurance on form G0100, together with a doctor’s report on form S0051. A counseling center writes the social report, and the pension body decides on the application and chooses the facility, usually after six months of contributions in the last two years.

Rehab can then take place as an inpatient stay, as full-day outpatient care or as outpatient sessions. Rehab transfers between settings are listed at most of the rehabs in Cologne.

Where can someone start without a referral in Cologne?

Without a referral, someone in Cologne can start at a free addiction counseling center, where no diagnosis, application or insurance is needed and contact can be anonymous. The charity-run center in the city center offers counseling, aftercare and referral for drug dependence, and families can use it as well.

Walk-in rehab is listed at some of the rehabs in Cologne, and aftercare at some.

What mental health support do Cologne rehabs list?

Mental health support is part of nearly all of the rehabs in Cologne, which list mental health treatment alongside addiction care. Some also list psychosocial rehabilitation, and a few list help in a mental health crisis, including mobile crisis response that comes to the person.

Doctors and counselors at publicly recognized counseling centers are bound by section 203 of the Criminal Code on professional secrecy, and records fall under the EU General Data Protection Regulation.

Traveling to Cologne for rehab

Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), with international flights, sits 9.6 miles from central Cologne in a straight line, which is how all distances here are measured. Germany belongs to the Schengen area, so visitors who need a visa can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period on a short-stay visa.

Stays longer than 90 days follow Germany’s national procedures. Rehab near major airports can be searched across Europe. Rehab is also listed in nearby Belgium and the Netherlands, and in France and Switzerland.

What is around Cologne’s city center?

Cologne’s center is ringed by parks and small lakes: the Decksteiner Weiher lies 2.9 miles away and the Liblarer See 9.5 miles out. The Herkules-Berg, a low hill 1.3 miles from the center, is one of several rises within the city, and rehab near mountains is listed elsewhere.

The nearest emergency department is 1.1 miles from the center, with at least 25 hospitals within 10 miles.

Which numbers should I keep for Cologne?

For alcohol and drug questions in Cologne, the national Sucht & Drogen Hotline answers on 01806 313031 from 8 a.m. to midnight each day, costing €0.20 a call. The Alcoholics Anonymous hotline answers from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and DigiSucht gives anonymous counseling online without charge.

Rehab is also listed in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt, as well as in Austria, Italy and Spain. All countries are on the Europe page.