Residential Rehab Centers in San Antonio

What is residential treatment, and how is it different from inpatient care?

Residential treatment is live-in addiction care with 24-hour structure, usually outside a hospital, while inpatient care adds closer medical management. The ASAM Criteria, published by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, place residential care at Level 3, with sub-levels from clinically managed low-intensity care (3.1) to medically managed high-intensity care (3.7). Some San Antonio programs call the same service inpatient, so read each listing’s description.

A level describes a type of care, not a certification. The national residential treatment guide explains the model. Residential programs in Texas need a state Chemical Dependency Treatment Facility license, issued by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, so ask intake staff for the license number before admission.

Withdrawal management is listed on site at some programs, so look for it on the listing before calling. Alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal can be medically dangerous and needs a medical assessment first. Options are on the page for detox in San Antonio.

In an emergency, call 911. For a mental health or addiction crisis, call 988. Bexar County’s local mental health authority also answers a 24-hour crisis and addiction helpline at 1-800-316-9241. Uninsured residents usually begin with the county’s Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral line, where state-funded fees follow an income-based scale.

How do Bexar County residents pay for a residential stay?

Private insurance, Texas Medicaid and state-funded care are the main routes, and each listing shows the payment types the program reports. In the Bexar service area, the state’s STAR plan map from early 2026 lists Aetna, Community First, Superior and Wellpoint. Ask your plan about prior authorization and approved days before admission. Programs that accept Medicaid appear on the Medicaid rehab listings.

Uninsured San Antonio residents usually start with the Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral (OSAR) line for Region 8, run by the Center for Health Care Services at 210-261-3076. State-funded fees follow a statewide sliding scale. Clients in the lowest income bands pay no fee, and clients above 350 percent of the federal poverty income level pay the full cost. Programs that take state funds are on the page for state-funded rehab in San Antonio.

What should I ask a San Antonio residential program before admission?

Start with the license. Texas residential substance use programs hold a Chemical Dependency Treatment Facility license from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Regulatory Services Division. Ask intake staff for the license number and look it up with the commission. Then ask who is on site overnight, whether medications for opioid use disorder are started or continued, and what the phone and visit rules are. Listings also note the genders and ages served, languages and accreditation. The stay lengths shown on a listing describe how the program is designed, not what results to expect.

What happens after a residential stay ends?

Many programs plan a step down to a partial hospitalization program or an intensive outpatient program, sometimes alongside recovery housing. Texas has no state certification for sober living. The Texas Recovery Oriented Housing Network is the state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences. VIA Metropolitan Transit runs buses but no rail, so plan step-down appointments around bus routes. Most mapped residential listings, 89 percent, sit within 25 miles of a river, most often the Medina River. For other cities, see residential rehab across Texas or the San Antonio treatment overview.