What Happens on Your First Visit to a De-Addiction Centre

Fear of the unknown is what keeps families waiting for months: “What will they do to him inside? Will he be locked up? Will the whole neighbourhood find out?” Here is exactly what happens after you reach a centre.

Before you go — three things

• Phone first. Ask the OPD days and timings, and whether admission is available. Find the centre and its number here.
• Carry: the patient’s Aadhaar card, any earlier prescriptions, medicines or reports, and one trusted companion. Government centres usually do not require money for treatment.
• Go early. In government OPDs registration happens in the morning; arriving early avoids the crowd.

Step by step, once you arrive

1. Registration. A slip is made, as in any OPD. Name and address are recorded — this record is confidential; no information goes to the neighbourhood or the police.

2. The conversation (assessment). The doctor or counsellor asks calmly: which substance, for how long, how much per day, when it was last used, previous attempts to stop, and how home and work are going. Answering honestly is entirely in your favour — the medicine dose depends on it. Nobody will scold you; they have seen hundreds of such cases.

3. Physical and mental check-up. BP, weight, pulse, blood tests if needed — along with questions about sleep, anxiety and low mood, because in more than half of cases a mental health problem runs alongside the addiction.

4. The decision — outpatient or admission. The doctor advises whether OPD visits are enough or a few days of admission would be better. Not everyone needs admission. With alcohol and sleeping-pill dependence, supervision in the early days is usually considered necessary, because sudden stopping can cause seizures.

5. Medicines and the next date. Medication to control craving and restlessness is given, along with a follow-up date. At government centres these are usually free or very low cost.

6. Talking with the family. Good centres brief the family separately — what to do at home, what to avoid, how to give the medicines, and how to handle the difficult early days.

How long does the first visit take?

Usually one to three hours, depending on the queue. Treatment starts on the same visit — you do not have to keep coming back before anything happens.

What does not happen (the rumours)

• Forced confinement: a government or recognised centre does not lock up an adult against their will. Stay away from places offering to “pick up” people.
• Police or a case: coming for treatment does not trigger any police report. This is treatment for an illness, not a crime.
• Beating or chaining: that is abuse, not treatment. If you see it anywhere, report it immediately.

Sources: WHO, NDDTC-AIIMS · Medically reviewed by: Dr. Brij Kishor Saini, MBBS, MD (Psychiatry) · Translated from the doctor-reviewed Hindi original · Last updated: August 2026