Addiction Help and Support in Hertfordshire

If alcohol or drug use is becoming difficult to manage, support is available across Hertfordshire, whether you’re looking for yourself or someone close to you.

This guide explains how to reach the county’s commissioned drug and alcohol service, where to find peer-support meetings, and what help is available for families. It also covers the difference between community and residential support, and when someone may need more structure than local services can provide.

Abbington House is based in Stevenage, and we do not operate treatment centres in the other areas listed. These guides explain the support available locally and what accessing Abbington House involves where residential treatment is the right option.

Not everyone needs residential treatment, and it is not always the first step. Many people are supported effectively while continuing to live at home. The question is usually not whether things are bad enough. It is whether they are becoming harder to manage safely.

Urgent help

If someone is unconscious, having a seizure, struggling to breathe, severely confused or otherwise in immediate danger, call 999.

For urgent medical advice that is not an immediate emergency, contact NHS 111. Alcohol and some drugs can cause serious withdrawal symptoms, so anyone who may be physically dependent should get medical advice before stopping suddenly rather than attempting to manage withdrawal alone.

The county drug and alcohol service in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire’s commissioned community drug and alcohol service is Spectrum, delivered across the county by Change Grow Live. It runs from four main hubs — in Hatfield, Stevenage, Watford and Hertford — with satellite sessions in other towns including St Albans, Borehamwood, Hemel Hempstead, Rickmansworth and Bishop’s Stortford.

Spectrum is free and confidential. It provides advice, assessment, one-to-one and group support, family and carers’ groups, needle exchange and clinical treatment including substitute prescribing where appropriate. You can refer yourself directly or be referred by a GP or another professional — you do not need to see a GP first.

You can reach Spectrum on 0800 652 3169 or visit the Spectrum Hertfordshire service page. For the nearest hub or satellite session, see the town guides below.

Children, young people and young adults up to the age of 25 can access Spectrum’s separate families and young people’s service. It also supports young people affected by someone else’s alcohol or drug use.

AA, NA and SMART Recovery meetings

Peer-support meetings take place across Hertfordshire, both in person and online. There is usually no referral requirement and no charge to attend.

Alcoholics Anonymous — 12-step peer support for people affected by alcohol. Use the AA meeting finder or call 0800 9177 650.
Narcotics Anonymous — 12-step peer support for people affected by drug use. Use the NA meeting finder or call 0300 999 1212.
SMART Recovery — practical, non-12-step meetings focused on managing urges, behaviour and long-term change. Use the SMART Recovery meeting finder.

Peer-support meetings may be used alongside professional treatment and can provide ongoing support after formal treatment ends. They are not a replacement for medical care where withdrawal, overdose risk or serious physical or mental-health difficulties are present.

Choosing between local and residential support

Community treatment, like Spectrum, allows someone to remain at home while attending appointments, groups or clinical reviews. It can be a good starting point where the home environment is reasonably stable, withdrawal can be managed appropriately and the person is able to attend consistently.

Residential treatment provides accommodation, daily structure and support throughout the day and night, away from the usual home environment. It serves a different purpose from community or outpatient treatment and may be considered where remaining at home makes change particularly difficult. Our guides to private and NHS addiction treatment and residential versus outpatient treatment explain the differences in more detail.

Local addiction-help guides across Hertfordshire

Each guide below is for people from that town — how to access the local Spectrum route, town-specific peer support, help for families, and what other options may be available where someone needs more structure or support than community treatment can provide.

People also access support from smaller towns, villages and rural parts of Hertfordshire. Spectrum can explain which service route is most appropriate based on where the person lives.

What the local picture shows

Alcohol and drug problems affect individuals and families throughout Hertfordshire, including people who are still working, parenting and managing many everyday responsibilities.

Our Hertfordshire addiction statistics bring together local information about alcohol-related harm, drug-related deaths, mental health and access to treatment. Statistics cannot explain what is happening inside one household, but they help show that addiction affects people across the county and is not limited to one background, age group or part of Hertfordshire.

Support for families and loved ones

Alcohol and drug problems rarely affect only the person using the substance. Partners, parents, siblings and adult children may have spent a long time worrying, covering responsibilities, checking what is happening or responding when things go wrong.

Spectrum provides groups and support for families and carers across Hertfordshire. Our guidance for families and loved ones explains what to look out for, how to approach a conversation and where to find further support.

When residential treatment may be appropriate

Community services work well for many people. Residential treatment may be considered where someone needs more structure, support throughout the day and night, medically supervised detox where clinically needed, or time away from an environment closely connected to their alcohol or drug use.

Abbington House is a private residential drug and alcohol rehab centre in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. We support people from across the county where residential treatment appears appropriate, and we will say if a local or community service appears to be the better fit. Our work also involves ongoing relationships with charities and recovery organisations across the county, including through funded and subsidised places for people who need them.

A residential stay includes accommodation, therapy, the 16-week online family programme and aftercare, with medically supervised detox arranged where clinically needed. Read more about residential rehab at Abbington House.

Talk through the options

If you are unsure whether community or residential support is appropriate, our team can listen to what has been happening and explain whether treatment at Abbington House may be suitable.

If you are still working out what kind of help may be right, our guide to understanding your treatment options is the better place to begin. For free community support in Hertfordshire, contact Spectrum using the details above.

Call 01438 583222 to discuss whether residential treatment at Abbington House may be appropriate, or read about assessment and admissions.