Most people arrive not really knowing what to expect. What we often hear later is that they felt safe sooner than they thought they would, and properly supported, sometimes for the first time in years.
What residential rehab involves
What residential rehab involves
Residential rehab is somewhere you stay for a period of weeks while the drinking or drug use is interrupted and the reasons behind it are worked through. Most people stay a minimum of 28 days.
Treatment includes one-to-one therapy, group work, and structured daily support, with medically supervised detox where needed, supported by clinical cover day and night.
The work is trauma-informed. If you're neurodivergent, the pacing and environment are adjusted around how you process things.
The focus isn't just on stopping. It's on understanding what's been driving it, and building something more stable in its place.
What We Treat
Abbington House provides drug and alcohol addiction treatment within a single residential stay. Three paths most often lead people here.
Drug Addiction
For people whose drug use has become difficult to control. Treatment that addresses what's driving it, not just the substance.
Alcohol Addiction
For people whose drinking has begun to affect their health, relationships, or daily life, with support from people who understand.
Dual Diagnosis
For people living with addiction alongside anxiety, depression, ADHD, or trauma. Both addressed together, not treated in isolation.
The people here
Abbington House is run by people who have been through addiction and recovery themselves.
That shapes how things are handled here. There’s a clear understanding of what people are dealing with, and how change actually happens. You’re not explaining everything from scratch.
“I know how difficult it can feel to reach out. I’ve been there myself. My job is to make sure people feel safe, listened to and properly supported as they take the next step.”
Michael Williams
Treatment Manager
Michael Williams
Treatment Manager
The setting
The setting
Abbington House is a home rather than a hospital — twenty-one rooms, private, contained, and separate from what's been happening outside.
It's based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. People come from London and across the UK.
How admission works
Most people start with a phone call. We listen to what's been happening and talk through whether residential treatment is the right next step. Families are often the ones who make that first call. If it is, we carry out an assessment, check availability, and arrange admission within 24 hours where needed.
Abbington House is a self-funded private residential rehab centre. For more on how private rehab works — costs, timelines, and the admissions process — see the overview.
After residential treatment
Residential treatment is where things begin. What happens after matters just as much.
People stay connected through aftercare, ongoing support, and a community that continues beyond their stay.
Families are part of this too. Our family therapy work runs alongside treatment and continues after discharge.