Browse · Help Getting Into Detox
Not one-size-fits-all
Help that starts with what you need
Detox programs are not all alike. Some are large and busy, others are small and feel more like a living room than a hospital. Some are for men or for women only. Some are a better fit for alcohol, others for opioids or benzodiazepines. People who have been through detox before often know exactly what helped them and what didn't. Our admissions team listens for all of that and helps you find a program that fits you, rather than whichever bed happens to be open.
Our admissions team knows these programs well: what each one is like, who it tends to suit, and what people who have been there tell us about it. Many people who call us have been through detox before, and what they tell us shapes the plan. You talk to someone who gets it, with no judgment and no script. Clear Steps doesn't provide detox itself. What we provide is help getting in, and the care that comes after.
Who needs detox first
When medical detox has to come before outpatient care
Not everyone who starts treatment needs a detox stay. Many adults with alcohol or drug problems begin directly in Day Treatment or Evening Treatment. A clinician makes that call, and these are the situations where medical detox usually comes first:
- Heavy daily drinking, especially with a history of withdrawal seizures, blackouts or delirium tremens
- Daily benzodiazepine use (Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, Ativan), because stopping suddenly can be medically dangerous
- Opioid dependence where a medically supervised start on buprenorphine or another medication is the safest first step
- A medical condition, pregnancy or a previous complicated withdrawal that needs monitoring
- No safe, sober place to be during the first days off the substance
Alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal can be dangerous. If someone is having a seizure, seeing or hearing things that aren't there, is very confused, or may have overdosed, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room now. If you are unsure whether detox applies to you, call us and describe what you use and how much.
How we help you get in
From the first call to your first day after detox
We work regularly with licensed medical detox programs across Massachusetts and know how their admissions work. When detox is needed, admissions talks you through the programs that fit, helps you contact the one you choose, or contacts it with you, and with your consent shares what it needs for admission. The detox program provides the medical care during withdrawal: monitoring, comfort medications and, for alcohol and benzodiazepines, the medications that prevent seizures. Clear Steps does not provide that care.
Bed openings, insurance approval and admission hours are up to each detox program, so how fast you get in can vary. We start working on it on the first call and keep at it until you have a plan. If you already have a detox program in mind, tell us and we will help with that one. While you are there, your next step with us can be planned so you leave with a start date, not just a phone number. Where you go after detox is your choice.
What a detox stay usually looks like
Most medically supervised detox stays run several days to about a week, depending on the substance, how long you have used it and your overall health. The detox program sets the length. Insurance, including MassHealth, usually covers all or part of a medically necessary detox stay, and the detox program confirms your coverage for the stay itself.
The step into our Needham program
Coming out of detox you start at the level a clinician recommends: Day Treatment, which your insurer may call PHP, on weekdays with no overnight stays, or Evening Treatment on Monday through Thursday evenings if you are going back to work right away. Medication-assisted treatment started in detox continues with our medical team without a gap. From there you step down to the weekly outpatient program and aftercare as you stabilize, all with the same clinicians at 392 Chestnut Street, Suite 200 in Needham.
What we treat after detox
Substances where detox is most often the first step
The detox program handles the withdrawal. Our Needham outpatient program handles what comes next, for adults dealing with:
- Alcohol Addiction
- Benzo Addiction
- Opioid Addiction
- Fentanyl Addiction
- Heroin Addiction
- Cocaine Addiction
- Meth Addiction
Stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine rarely need a medical detox stay. Most people start directly in Day Treatment or Evening Treatment, and a clinician will tell you which applies to you.
Need detox now?
Call, and we'll start helping right away.
Admissions answers 24/7. We help you find a detox program that fits you, then plan your care in Day Treatment or Evening Treatment in Needham for when it ends.
Other ways to find detox
Free public help in Massachusetts
You can also reach the Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline at 800-327-5050, free and confidential, or search licensed programs on FindTreatment.gov. Families worried about someone who won't accept help can read our Section 35 guide. Live in New Hampshire? See help getting into detox in New Hampshire.
Frequently asked
Questions about getting into detox
Does Clear Steps Recovery provide detox?
No. Clear Steps is an outpatient program in Needham, MA and Londonderry, NH, and we don't provide detox ourselves. What we do is help you get into a detox program that fits you, then continue your care with us in Day Treatment or Evening Treatment when it ends.
How do you help me get into detox?
Call (603) 769-8981 any time. Admissions asks what you are using, what matters to you in a program (the setting, a men's or women's program, the area, anywhere you have tried before) and what insurance you have. Then we talk through detox programs that fit and help you contact the one you choose, or contact it with you. You decide where to go.
How fast can I get into detox?
We start on the first call. How quickly a bed opens depends on the detox program, your insurance and its admission hours, and some programs don't admit on weekends. If someone is in medical danger right now, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Does insurance cover detox in Massachusetts?
Most private plans and MassHealth cover all or part of a medically necessary detox stay, and the detox program confirms your coverage for the stay itself. For outpatient care with us afterward, we check your benefits at no cost. Plan pages for our Needham center: MassHealth, Harvard Pilgrim and Tufts, Mass General Brigham Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare and Optum. We are not in network with Medicare at this time.
Do I have to come to Clear Steps after detox?
No, that choice is yours. If you continue with us, your first day in Day Treatment or Evening Treatment in Needham can be planned before you leave detox, so there is no gap in care.
Who decides whether I need detox before outpatient treatment?
A licensed clinician. Heavy daily drinking, daily benzodiazepine use, opioid dependence and a history of complicated withdrawal usually point to detox first. Many people start directly in Day Treatment or Evening Treatment without it.
What happens the day I leave detox?
You come to our Needham center for your first day of Day Treatment, which your insurer may call PHP, or your first Evening Treatment group that evening, whichever a clinician recommended. Medication started in detox continues with our medical team without a gap, and you sleep at home. From there you step down to the outpatient program and aftercare as you stabilize.
Can you help someone in New Hampshire get into detox?
Yes. Our Londonderry team helps the same way. See help getting into detox in New Hampshire.
