South San Francisco Drug & Alcohol Rehab, Detox & Treatment Resources
Sitting in a small valley just north of San Bruno and east of the Coast Bridge is South San Francisco. Visitors frequent the area from around the world via nearby San Francisco International Airport. Residents and tourists can easily travel from South San Francisco to nearby downtown San Francisco using the city’s shuttle service that connects to BART stations for a variety of activities such as shopping, dining and entertainment.
Sadly, not all the popular entertainment choices in South San Francisco are legal or healthy. Much like the rest of the country, the city is experiencing a growing alcohol and substance abuse problem that shows no signs of slowing down. Along with opioids like prescription pain pills andheroin, alcohol,methamphetamineand even hallucinogen misuse is a troubling trend in the West Coast city.
Fortunately, there are various drug and alcohol treatment facilities in South San Francisco. Additionally, there are resources across the state to help people that want to stop using alcohol and drugs. Professionals understand that substance misuse isn’t a crime or a lapse in morality. Instead, it’s a chronic disease that needs to be treated the same as other diseases — with regular care to reduce the chances of a relapse. Learn about the differenttreatment options availableto help you or a loved one find the right path to sober living.
Finding Help in South San Francisco
Alcohol & Drug Rehab Centers in San Francisco, California
San Francisco is fighting along with the rest of California to stop the spread of substance misuse, and help those struggling with addiction get into a treatment program and on the road to ending their dependence on drugs and alcohol. Prescription opioid use in most California counties is growing fast, along with heroin, and the threat now includes fentanyl. The prescription-strength painkiller is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin.
Unfortunately, the work to reduce the number of prescriptions has also sent many legitimate users to the black market when their doctors cut off their supply. Unable to stop using, they turn to a cheaper alternative with a much bigger high: heroin. The biggest danger is that it’s easier to overdose on heroin and fentanyl. But it doesn’t have to end that way. Many places can help, drug and alcohol treatment. The following treatment facilities are the most common and effective options for helping people overcome addiction.
San Francisco Residential Treatment Programs
There are two types of residential treatment programs. The most common is the short three- to six-week program that uses intense cognitive and behavioral therapy. Most facilities use a combination of individual counseling and group sessions. Individual therapy addresses your addictions and any underlying mental health conditions that may contribute to substance misuse, as well as strategies to cope with cravings. These are intense, highly restrictive hospitalizations, and patients attend several meetings per day during treatment. The other type of residential care is less restrictive, and in a community setting. Patients spend a minimum of six months in these programs. While in treatment, they take part in sobriety groups, attend individual therapy sessions and meet regularly with someone who oversees the patients’ progress and adjusts the program as necessary. Long-term residential treatment also includes skills training to help you ease into your home community with the tools you need to be successful in your recovery.
Partial Hospitalization Programs
Some people in rehabilitation need longer to heal and find their way to sobriety. Partial hospitalization, also known as a day treatment program, helps patients transition slowly into their home communities. These facilities are less restrictive than either type of residential facility, but still offer the structure that many patients find helpful in their recovery.
San Francisco Outpatient Treatment Programs
The least restrictive programs are held in outpatient centers. You can enter this type of program if you have commitments to family or work that prevent you from committing to a full hospitalization or day treatment program. This is also a good choice if you are transitioning from a residential facility and need the extra support during your re-entry into the community. Here you will attend as many group and individual sessions as you need during the week until you are able to sustain sobriety on your own.
Choosing the right type of rehab facility for your addiction is a major step in your recovery. Review the different programs and ask questions before making a decision that affects your future. Learn about the type of treatment, the evidence that supports the program, how the facility adapts to patients’ changing needs and what kind of aftercare is offered.
South San Francisco Drug & Alcohol Detox Centers
Detoxification is a vital part of your recovery. Before you can learn to live without alcohol and drugs, you need to rid your body of them. As the substances leave your body, you will experience withdrawal symptoms that can vary in severity. By attending a hospital setting, like a drug or alcohol detox center with a full medical staff to monitor your vitals, it will be easier to get through the detox process. This has been shown to increase the chances of a successful recovery.
Recovery Meetings Near You
Completion of a rehab program is just one step on the road to lifelong sobriety. To reduce the chances of a relapse, it’s important to continue with aftercare. Like any chronic disease, regular follow-ups and outpatient treatments are vital to maintaining your health. Shortly before your discharge from a rehab facility, your team of professionals should set up your first individual counseling sessions, and provide you with a list of nearby AA, NA and SMART Recovery meetings. It’s important to attend the meetings regularly to help with your recovery, as well as to build a new support system outside of the treatment program.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Meetings
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has been helping men and women that have the desire to live their lives free of alcohol dependence since 1939. The loosely organized fellowship follows a 12-step program that combines faith, accepting responsibility for your actions and seeking forgiveness from those that you’ve hurt because of alcohol misuse. The only requirement to attend an AA meeting is the desire to stop drinking. Here are a few meetings in South San Francisco to help you continue your recovery.
South City Women’s Discussion Group
280 Country Club Dr.
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Grupo 29 de Mayo
405 Grand Ave. Ste. 205
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Stepping Stones Group
215 W. Orange Ave.
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Meetings
After your discharge, it’s important to continue attending regular NA meetings. You may be able to attend outpatient meetings at the same rehab facility. If not, NA is a global, community-based, non-denominational, multilingual and multicultural global organization that sponsors regular daily meetings at multiple times and locations throughout the area. If you can’t make your regular meeting, check out online meetings. Founded in 1953, NA also offers educational literature to help men and women resist the temptation to misuse drugs and alcohol.
The Dry Dock
2118 Greenwich St.
San Francisco, CA 94123
Bernal Heights Community Center
515 Cortland Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94110
Polish Club
3040 22nd St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
SMART Recovery Meetings
The purpose of SMART Recovery is to offer support to people who want to stop addictive behaviors. SMART (or Self-Management and Recovery Training) helps members achieve this through a four-point program that promotes self-help, education and life changes.
SMART Recovery treats all addictive behaviors, and advocates the use of medicines and mental health treatment, along with education and open discussions, to empower individuals struggling with addiction. Below are a few meeting locations near South San Francisco. If you can’t fit those into your schedule, the group also offers online meetings.
Meeting #1398
969 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94607
Saint Francisco Memorial Hospital Weyerhauser Room
900 Hyde St. Flr 2
San Francisco, CA 94109
Walden House
815 Buena Vista Ave. West
San Francisco, CA 94117
Al-Anon and Nar-Anon Meetings
If your loved one is struggling with addiction, you are not alone. Whether they are still misusing alcohol or drugs, are in a treatment facility or are out on a daily treatment program and working on sober living, Al-Anon and Nar-Anon are there to help you through cope with their addiction. These groups understand that loving someone who misuses drugs or alcohol isn’t easy. The organizations host local and online meetings, offer literature to help guide and answer questions and are a good start when searching for additional resources. Below are a few locations where you can find a meeting in South San Francisco.
Al-Anon
Unity Lutheran Church
609 Southwood Dr.
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Nar-Anon
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
178 Clinton St.
Redwood City, CA 94062
It’s important to remember that addiction is complicated, and not all treatments work for everyone. Choosing a treatment facility is a big step in your recovery, and the decision shouldn’t be made without thorough research and thought about which program meets your needs. Although there are many great options for drug rehab in South San Francisco, there’s nothing wrong with searching outside the city’s boundaries to find a facility that fits you. Depending on your resources, it may be necessary to seek treatment at a reputable, national clinic with a caring and professional staff.