Drug Detox and Alcohol Rehab in Houston, Texas

Our detox campus for Houston is The Right Step Houston, at 12350 Wood Bayou Drive in Harris County. It sits about 9 miles east of the center of Houston in a straight line, and farther by road.

Its own page lists medical detox, residential rehab, a partial hospitalization program, an intensive outpatient program that runs virtually, and aftercare planning [1]. So a person can start with withdrawal care and move on to treatment at the same campus.

This page is for someone who may call today, for themselves or for a family member. It covers who needs medical detox and why alcohol is different, what comes after detox, how to check that any Texas program is licensed, what is due when you arrive and what to pack. Our page on The Right Step Houston has the campus profile. Our page on admissions at The Right Step Houston covers the first call and the assessment.

Where Houston Residents Go for Drug and Alcohol Detox

East, to Wood Bayou Drive. The campus has served the Houston community since 1994, according to its own what-to-expect page [2]. Adult men and women are treated at the same location, with gender-specific housing and treatment groups [2].

After medical detox, the same site lists residential rehab, partial hospitalization, virtual intensive outpatient care and aftercare planning [1]. That matters most in the first week. Federal guidance says that successfully linking detoxification with treatment reduces the “revolving door” of repeated withdrawals [7]. That link is easier when nobody has to find a second program while still unwell.

We publish only our own campuses, so this is not a list of every program in Harris County. If a bed at the right level is not open in Houston, the next-nearest campus we run in Texas is Promises Brazos Valley in College Station. It is about 79 miles northwest of Houston in a straight line, and farther by road. Its own page lists medical detox, inpatient rehab, inpatient mental health rehab, a partial hospitalization program, an intensive outpatient program and aftercare [3].

For the rest of the state, see our guide to drug and alcohol rehab across Texas.

When Detox Needs Medical Supervision

It depends mostly on the substance. Alcohol and sedatives are the ones where the withdrawal itself can be dangerous.

Federal guidance says the signs of acute alcohol withdrawal generally start 6 to 24 hours after the last drink [4]. It adds that withdrawal may begin while there is still a significant amount of alcohol in the blood [4]. MedlinePlus says symptoms tend to peak by 24 to 72 hours, but may go on for weeks [5]. The majority of alcohol withdrawal seizures occur within the first 48 hours after drinking stops or is cut back, with peak incidence around 24 hours [4].

At the severe end, the same chapter lists seizures, delirium tremens and swings in body temperature, pulse and blood pressure as outcomes that can lead to fatal consequences [4]. The same chapter calls hospitalization, or some form of 24-hour medical care, generally the preferred setting for alcohol, sedative-hypnotic and opioid withdrawal, based on principles of safety and humanitarian concerns [4]. If the person uses benzodiazepines, our page on benzodiazepine treatment in Texas explains why that withdrawal is handled with the same care.

If someone is having a seizure, is unresponsive or has trouble breathing, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988.

Opioids work differently. Unlike alcohol and sedative withdrawal, uncomplicated opioid withdrawal is not life-threatening, though medical problems can develop and should be quickly identified and treated [4]. The larger danger comes afterward. MedlinePlus notes that most opioid overdose deaths occur in people who have just detoxed, because withdrawal lowers tolerance and a much smaller dose can cause an overdose [6].

No amounts or schedules appear on this page. Medication during detox is a decision for the clinician who examines the person. Our page on medical detox explains what supervision adds.

After Detox: Residential Care, Partial Hospitalization and Virtual IOP

Detox is the start, not the treatment. Federal guidance describes it in three parts: evaluation, stabilization and fostering the patient’s entry into treatment [7]. It states plainly that detoxification is not substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation [7]. MedlinePlus puts the same point simply: most people need long-term treatment after detox [6].

Here is how the Houston campus describes the steps that follow.

• Residential rehab. The program follows a 30-day treatment model. The average stay is approximately 23 days, although actual length varies with clinical needs and insurance coverage [2].
• Partial hospitalization. It can be a step down from residential care or a direct starting level [2]. The campus notes reasonable boarding fees for people who choose to stay at the facility while treated at outpatient levels of care [2].
• Intensive outpatient care. This level is provided virtually and is available to Texas residents [2]. The campus’s own page says intensive outpatient clients live off-site and attend scheduled appointments online [1].
• Aftercare planning. A plan for next steps once treatment ends, including follow-up appointments and support groups [1].

Which level fits is decided at assessment, not in advance. Our explainers on inpatient rehab and outpatient rehab describe each tier in general terms.

How to Check That a Houston Program Is Licensed

Ask for the license. Texas law says a person may not offer, or claim to offer, chemical dependency treatment without a license, unless the person or program falls under one of the law’s exemptions [8]. The same chapter lists a detoxification facility, an outpatient care facility and a recovery center among the kinds of treatment facility it covers [8].

This is a useful filter in a large metro area. Any program can build a website. A licensed one can tell you who issued its license and when it expires, and the statute says a license lasts two years from the date it is issued [8].

Ask the question early, on the first call, and write down the answer. It takes a minute, and it applies to anyone you speak with, including us.

What Is Due on Admission, and What Rehab Costs

Money is often the question behind the question. The Houston campus is direct about how it handles it.

Its what-to-expect page says a staff member reviews what you owe at admission, or as soon as you are medically stable [2]. The deductible is due when you are admitted. The coinsurance and any remaining out-of-pocket balance are billed after treatment, once services are complete [2]. The page also says it is your responsibility to check your own benefits with your insurer before admission, that your plan may not be a participating provider with The Right Step Houston, and that you are responsible for all non-covered and out-of-pocket costs of your stay [2]. What you owe can also vary with your plan, your length of stay, the services you receive and anything your plan does not cover [2].

For a sense of scale, our own cost page puts detox at $250 to $800 a day and basic residential care at $2,000 to $20,000. Those are our published ranges, not federal figures and not a price for this campus. See what rehab costs for the full list, and our guide to how insurance coverage for rehab works for the terms.

Commercial Plans: Checking Aetna, Cigna and Other Coverage

Under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, a plan that covers mental health and substance use care may not apply harsher limits to it than it applies to medical and surgical care, and that reaches prior authorization and step therapy as well as visit and day caps [9]. The scope is worth knowing: it applies to non-federal governmental plans with more than 50 employees, to group health plans of private employers with more than 50 employees, and to the individual market [9]. Plans from small employers are not covered directly; they get comparable protection through the Affordable Care Act’s essential health benefits requirement.

One thing parity does not do. It does not require a group plan to offer mental health or substance use benefits in the first place [9].

What your own plan pays, and whether it treats a campus as in network, depends on the plan and the product line. Only a benefits check on your card answers that. If your card says Aetna or Cigna, start with our pages on Aetna coverage in Texas or Cigna coverage in Texas, then have the benefits verified before admission.

Texas Medicaid, Humana Plans and State-Funded Services

Texas Health and Human Services says most Medicaid services are delivered through health plans [10]. It names its programs as STAR, STAR Kids, STAR Health, STAR+PLUS and CHIP, and says a person not enrolled in one of these may have Traditional Medicaid [10]. The health plan printed on the member’s ID is the place to start a Medicaid question [10]. Our page on Texas Medicaid and addiction treatment covers more.

Humana members can begin with our page on Humana coverage in Texas. The advice is the same for every carrier: verify first, then plan.

The state also funds its own services. Texas Health and Human Services lists adult substance use services as withdrawal management, intensive and supportive residential treatment, outpatient treatment and medication-assisted treatment [11]. It lists Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral Services as a public resource [11]. For a mental health or substance use emergency where no one is in immediate danger, it lists Texas 2-1-1, option 8, and a 24/7 Local Mental Health Authority crisis hotline [11]. The same page says an average of five Texans die every day from fentanyl poisoning [11].

For a program we do not operate, the federal locator at FindTreatment.gov is the place to search.

Admission Day at the Houston Campus: What to Bring and What to Expect

The campus publishes its arrival rules, so there is no need to guess. Our page on what to expect at The Right Step Houston carries the full packing, smoking, phone and visiting rules.

• Bags. No more than two suitcases, because storage is limited [2].
• Papers. A picture ID, your insurance card and your prescription or pharmacy benefits card [2].
• Medicines. A complete list of what you take, and current prescriptions in their original labeled bottles. The nursing department secures them, and your physician decides what you take during treatment, which may not include everything you were taking before admission [2].
• Phones. Personal cell phones, smartwatches and other devices are stored for the whole stay. Facility landlines are available during free time and after programming, with no initial blackout period [2].
• Rooms. Housing is gender-specific, in private or semi-private rooms. Private rooms are not guaranteed and requests for them are not accepted, and patients share a restroom with one neighboring patient [2].

Visits work differently here than many families expect. The campus does not currently offer in-person visitation [2]. It does describe supervised group outings, and passes away from the facility as treatment progresses when clinically appropriate [2]. Family can drop off necessary belongings, such as clothing, at designated times; the campus asks that you contact it in advance to confirm when drop-offs are accepted. A staff member receives the belongings, and a drop-off does not include an opportunity to visit [2].

Getting there is your arrangement. The campus does not pay for travel, but its representatives can help coordinate travel plans [1]. It can pick up patients who arrive by Greyhound bus if the arrival is arranged in advance [2]. Our guide to how admission works walks through the order of events from the first call.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. The Right Step Houston. (2026). The Right Step Houston: Addiction Treatment in Houston, TX. Advanced Recovery Systems. https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/locations/the-right-step-houston/
2. The Right Step Houston. (2026). What to Expect at The Right Step Houston. Advanced Recovery Systems. https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/facilities/what-to-expect-the-right-step-houston/
3. Promises Brazos Valley. (2026). Promises Brazos Valley: Addiction Treatment in College Station, TX. Advanced Recovery Systems. https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/locations/promises-brazos-valley/
4. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2006). Detoxification and Substance Abuse Treatment, Chapter 4: Physical Detoxification Services for Withdrawal From Specific Substances. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, via NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64116/
5. MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. (2026). Alcohol withdrawal. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000764.htm
6. MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. (2026). Opiate and opioid withdrawal. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000949.htm
7. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2006). Detoxification and Substance Abuse Treatment, Chapter 1: Overview, Essential Concepts, and Definitions in Detoxification. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, via NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64119/
8. Texas Legislature. (2026). Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 464: Facilities Treating Persons With a Chemical Dependency (Sections 464.001, 464.002 and 464.004). State of Texas. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/HS/htm/HS.464.htm
9. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2026). The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). CMS.gov. https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/private-health-insurance/mental-health-parity-addiction-equity
10. Texas Health and Human Services. (2026). Medicaid and CHIP Members. State of Texas. https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicaid-chip/medicaid-chip-members
11. Texas Health and Human Services. (2026). Mental Health and Substance Use. State of Texas. https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/mental-health-substance-use

This page is for general information and is not medical advice. Only a licensed clinician who knows your history can tell you what is right for you. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911. For free, confidential support 24/7, call or text 988.

Author

Kevin Wandler, MD

Chief Medical Officer, The Recovery Village