Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centres in Athens, Greece

Where does public addiction help start in Athens?

Public addiction help in Athens starts with self-referral: a person can contact the public intake and orientation center in central Athens directly, or call the national SOS line 1031 to find a unit with immediate access. No doctor’s letter is needed, and the intake center also runs a program for families of people in treatment.

The center opens the way into drug-free psychosocial treatment, where the aim is to stop using rather than to stabilize on medication. Some of the rehabs in Athens list an abstinence-based approach, and a few list continuing care and discharge planning once the main stage ends.

Treatment records in Athens are covered by the EU General Data Protection Regulation and Greek Law 4624/2019, supervised by the Hellenic Data Protection Authority, the national regulator for personal data. That gives a person in treatment the right to know how their health information is held and who can see it.

What happens at the intake center in central Athens?

The intake center in central Athens is a public service that receives people directly, talks through what is going on and orients them toward the right part of the national network. For someone using drugs in Athens, that usually means a drug-free treatment program, with a parallel program that supports family members through the same period.

Families can contact the center on their own, even before the person using drugs is ready. Family education is listed at a few Athens rehabs, and a few list walk-in access for people who would rather arrive without an appointment.

How does someone get methadone or buprenorphine in Athens?

In Athens and the rest of Attica, applications for opioid agonist treatment go through MYAP, the immediate-access intake unit for the region. Methadone and buprenorphine are both provided through public units within EOPAE, and an immediate-access substitution unit operates in central Athens for people who need to start quickly.

Methadone is listed at some of the city’s rehabs and buprenorphine at a few. Some list state-funded medication-assisted treatment, and heroin and prescription opioids appear among the substances treated at some.

Do Athens rehabs treat mental health too?

Mental health treatment is listed at nearly all of the rehabs in Athens, and about half list care for a mental health condition alongside addiction, such as depression or anxiety. About half also list state-funded dual diagnosis care, so the public route in Athens can cover both conditions together.

That matters for anyone whose drinking or drug use is tied up with low mood, panic or trauma. A few Athens rehabs list psychosocial rehabilitation, which helps with work, housing and daily routine after treatment.

Can a court refer someone to treatment in Athens?

Some of the rehabs in Athens accept court referrals. Under Greek Law 4139/2013, an investigating judge can direct a person charged with a drug offense into a treatment program, in prison or in the community, and penalties can be suspended while that person stays in treatment.

A few Athens rehabs list teen rehab, mainly as outpatient support, and a few serve young adults.

How much is rehab in Athens?

Medical detox in Athens has an estimated typical range of €3,600 to €11,200 a month, and outpatient care €700 to €2,400 a month. Those are the two levels listed in the city, and outpatient care is by far the more common, offered at nearly all of the rehabs in Athens.

Fees apply mainly to private care. Nearly all of the rehabs in Athens list state-funded outpatient care and accept state insurance, so a person on the public route usually meets few direct costs.

Athens costs by level of care

Two levels of care are listed in Athens, and each has its own estimated monthly range. Outpatient treatment runs from €700 to €2,400 a month, while medical detox, which needs medical staff on hand through withdrawal, runs from €3,600 to €11,200, as the table below shows.

The length of a detox, the medicines used and how often outpatient sessions run all change the final amount, so it helps to ask a private program for a written breakdown.

Is free rehab available in Athens?

Public treatment in Athens is funded by the state, and nearly all of the city’s rehabs list state funding of some kind. EOPYY, Greece’s single public purchaser of health services, sits behind the wider health system, while the EOPAE network runs addiction care itself, from the central intake center to opioid agonist units.

Some Athens rehabs list foundation funding for part of their work, and some list state-funded detox. Anyone on a low income can ask the intake center or the 1031 line which public option fits, rather than paying a private clinic for the same level of care.

Getting to rehab in Athens

Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport handles international flights and lies 12.2 miles from central Athens, measured in a straight line, as are all distances here. Greece is in the Schengen area, so visitors who need a visa can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

Rehab is also listed in Thessaloniki, Patras, Larissa and Heraklion, and across the sea in Cyprus and Italy.

How far is Athens airport from the city?

Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport is 12.2 miles east of central Athens in a straight line, and it is the city’s gateway for international flights. Greece’s foreign ministry lists no visa category for medical treatment, so a stay longer than 90 days needs another route.

The nearest emergency department is 1.1 miles from the center of Athens, which is worth knowing for anyone arriving during or soon after withdrawal.

What is near the center of Athens?

The Acropolis and Mount Lycabettus, two hills in the heart of Athens, both rise 0.8 miles from the city center. Lake Kifisida, a reservoir, lies 4.3 miles away, and the nearest beach, Plaz Votsalákia, is 5.2 miles from the center.

Hills and water are close at hand in Athens, so a short walk or a trip to the coast can fit around outpatient sessions. Rehab near mountains is listed elsewhere in Europe too.

Can people from abroad get treatment in Athens?

People from abroad can use treatment in Athens, but Greek is the language at nearly all of the city’s rehabs, so it helps to confirm the language of therapy before arriving. English-speaking mutual-aid meetings for alcohol take place in Athens, alongside Greek meetings in the city and online.

The European Health Insurance Card covers only providers contracted to the Greek public scheme, and not a trip made for treatment. Rehab is also listed in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Greece keeps no single public register of licensed addiction providers. A person arranging care in Athens from abroad can ask a private program for proof of its authorization, and the Greek National Contact Point for cross-border healthcare can confirm whether a named provider has the right to practice.

Which numbers help in Athens?

The national SOS line 1031 answers questions about drug problems from anywhere in Athens and can name units with immediate access that day. A separate addiction helpline takes calls on 1145, and 1114 is the national line for gambling problems, so all three are worth keeping in a phone in Athens.

Listings for every country are on the Europe page.