South Gloucestershire Drug and Alcohol Services

Alcohol Detox

If you’re thinking about detox, talk it through with your GP, who can refer you for this service, or you can talk to your SGDAS or Robert Smith Unit worker about it if you are already receiving support.

Detox is available in South Gloucestershire in two ways:

In-patient detox

Some people need to detox on an in-patient basis.  This means going into a specialist unit for a period of time (usually two weeks) to undergo a detox programme tailored to your needs.


Your worker can make a referral for this service on your behalf.  This will involve an assessment by the Robert Smith Unit to make sure that an in-patient detox is most suitable to meet your needs.


Before you are admitted for detox, your worker will help you to prepare for this and talk through your plans for when you finish your detox.  This is called an ‘aftercare’ plan.

Community Detox

SGDAS and the Robert Smith Unit work together to help people detox from alcohol at home.  If this is something that you are thinking about, you can talk to your GP about this, who can make a referral on your behalf.  If you are already receiving support from SGDAS or the Robert Smith Unit, you can talk to your worker about this.

For further details call SGDAS on 08000 733 011 (free from a landline or callbox) or 01454 868750