Alcohol Rehab Centers in Maryland

Is it safe to stop drinking without medical help in Maryland?

Stopping heavy daily drinking without medical help is not safe for everyone in Maryland, because sudden withdrawal can be medically dangerous, so get a clinical assessment before any plan to quit. More serious withdrawal can bring seizures, hallucinations or delirium tremens, a state of severe confusion.

A clinician looks at drinking history, past withdrawals, other health conditions and current medications. That review decides between medically managed inpatient care, a residential setting or outpatient withdrawal management with close follow-up. Maryland programs offering this step are grouped on the Maryland detox listings.

Call 911 for a seizure, confusion, hallucinations or someone who can’t be woken. For a mental health crisis or one involving alcohol or drugs, 988 answers calls and texts in Maryland and has replaced the state’s former 211 Press 1 line. The national treatment referral line can also point callers to local services.

Once withdrawal is managed, three medications labeled by the Food and Drug Administration for alcohol use disorder, naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram, can be prescribed in outpatient care or residential programs. Maryland Medicaid, also called Medical Assistance, covers treatment for eligible residents, and free mutual-support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery meet across the state.

What types of alcohol treatment are available in Maryland?

Listed programs in Maryland offer alcohol care at six main levels, from withdrawal management to telehealth.

Maryland’s alcohol listings lean urban: 55 percent of programs are in urban areas, 35 percent in towns and 10 percent in rural areas. For three in four programs, the nearest airport is a major one, most often Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall. The median distance to the nearest airport is 12.2 miles. Each listing shows accreditation, languages spoken and groups served, such as veterans, women, teens or older adults, where the provider has supplied them.

Mutual support and recovery groups

Mutual-support groups meet across Maryland and are free to attend. Alcoholics Anonymous follows a 12-step format. SMART Recovery uses self-management and cognitive-behavioral tools. Recovery community organizations offer peer support and recovery coaching.

Are there medications for alcohol use disorder, and where can I get them in Maryland?

Three medications carry FDA labeling for alcohol use disorder: naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram.

• Naltrexone comes as a daily tablet or a monthly injection.
• Acamprosate is a tablet labeled for people who have already stopped drinking.
• Disulfiram causes flushing and nausea if alcohol is consumed and is taken only with consent.

Any of the three can be prescribed in outpatient care, by a primary care clinician or an addiction specialist, as well as in residential programs. Maryland listings note when a program reports offering medication for alcohol use disorder.

How do I pay for alcohol treatment in Maryland?

Maryland Medicaid, also called Medical Assistance, covers substance use treatment for eligible residents. Maryland expanded adult coverage on January 1, 2014, and medicaid.gov lists the state’s adult limit at 133 percent of the federal poverty level. HealthChoice is the managed care program for physical health. Specialty substance use and mental health services run through the Public Behavioral Health System, which Carelon Behavioral Health administers. Programs that take Medicaid appear on the Medicaid listings.

People without coverage can turn to the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) within the Maryland Department of Health, which oversees federal block grant funding for substance use services. Its Maryland Behavioral Health Connect directory can help locate a funded program that arranges an assessment and referral. See state-funded rehab in Maryland.

Medicare covers alcohol treatment for adults 65 and older and for some younger people with disabilities. Programs that take it are on the Maryland Medicare listings. Other payment types in the listings include private insurance, TRICARE, sliding scale fees and self-pay.

How do I get help for a family member’s drinking in Maryland?

Helping a family member usually starts with an assessment, arranged through a primary care clinician or a program’s intake staff. Maryland law gives minors the same capacity as adults to consent to alcohol treatment (Health-General 20-102(c)). A minor cannot, however, refuse certified inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment that a parent has consented to. BHA guidance from 2018 gives pregnant women and women with children priority for placement into funded treatment.

Court, DUI and emergency rules

Maryland’s DUI Education Program is licensed under COMAR 10.63.05.05 for people convicted under Transportation Article 21-902 and ordered to attend under Criminal Procedure 6-219. The program runs at least six weekly two-hour sessions. A full assessment is required unless one was done in the prior 45 days. See DUI and DWI programs in Maryland.

Courts can also commit defendants with alcohol or drug dependency to the Department for treatment under Health-General 8-507. The Maryland Judiciary’s problem-solving courts operate in 23 of 24 jurisdictions.

Maryland’s Good Samaritan law, Criminal Procedure 1-210, covers alcohol as well as drug emergencies. A person who seeks medical help in good faith has immunity from arrest, charge or prosecution for the violations the law lists. The same protection applies to the person having the emergency.

Wider options across the state sit on the Maryland treatment page. The national alcohol treatment page lists programs in other states.