Yes. Almost everyone has a rough idea of what’s going on with them, but they lack information; seeking professional help is a way to get past that blind spot. Harmful use, abuse, and addiction aren’t the same thing—there are different levels—and during an assessment, a professional listens to you and clearly explains which stage you’re at. Seeking help does not commit you to anything with the center.

It starts when you call or write: that first conversation gives us an idea of the urgency and what’s going on. Next comes the in-person interview at the center—about 45 minutes long—with a professional trained to listen. It’s an open, pressure-free conversation, during which we’ll also listen to anyone accompanying you, if you agree. We review your history of substance use, previous attempts at recovery, your expectations, and the severity of your situation, and we come away with a preliminary diagnosis. If any information is missing, we may suggest additional interviews or a neuropsychological evaluation.

There’s no need to decide beforehand. The moment you request a consultation, a question arises (“Is this normal? Should I be worried?”), and that question itself already has therapeutic value. We don’t have an answer until we sit down with you for an assessment interview. That’s when we can determine if there’s a problem and, if there is, what the solution is.

That doubt can be the first step toward treatment. Addictions change the brain, and the brain is the only organ that doesn’t recognize itself as sick; we call this a lack of awareness of illness, and it’s common. We take a motivational approach: we guide you in asking yourself questions and reaching your own conclusions. If, after that process, you decide on controlled use, we’ll evaluate the risks with you, because with some substances and people it’s possible, and with others it isn’t. The final decision is yours. In our experience, many people who come to us with this uncertainty are the ones who make the most progress.

Yes. You can come in for an initial consultation to tell us what you’ve observed and receive guidance on how to proceed. What we cannot do is diagnose or provide a treatment estimate for someone who hasn’t come in. Often, the family identifies the problem before the person does, and that information is valuable when they later come in for a consultation.

It depends on the professionals involved, whether hospitalization is necessary or outpatient treatment is sufficient, and whether medication is prescribed. The minimum cost is that of a single individual psychology session, and it increases depending on the complexity of the case. We do not provide prices over the phone or to anyone inquiring on behalf of someone else: a preliminary evaluation is necessary to make a preliminary diagnosis and provide a recommendation, and based on that, we can estimate a monthly cost. We do not use fixed-term contracts, termination clauses, vouchers, or monthly discounts; we are clinicians, and our priority is your recovery, not your continued enrollment.

There are individual, group, and family programs, and they are not mutually exclusive. After the assessment, the team will recommend the program that best fits your situation. We understand that you’re aware of what you’re going through, but—as in any medical specialty—the recommendation comes from the team; if you’re not convinced, you’re free to seek another option. And if you don’t want to involve your family or join a group, you don’t have to: we prioritize individual psychotherapy and don’t force anyone.

This happens often, and we understand the frustration. The only way to ensure abstinence is through a 24-hour supervised admission, and we recommend admission based on medical and psychological criteria—not as a means of control. We do not offer à la carte treatments, because when it comes to addiction, neither the individual nor the family (which has also been affected) can view the situation objectively, and well-intentioned solutions sometimes perpetuate the problem. What we do is examine what went wrong before and build from there.

An active role. It’s not enough to go to therapy, take your medication, or participate in activities during a hospital stay: you need to identify what’s driving your substance use, take responsibility for relapses by following instructions, and, above all, tell the truth. Without that, you and the team waste valuable time. The tasks are tailored to where you are in life and your progress; arriving when your health is severely compromised is not the same as arriving at a different stage of motivation.

Yes, and it’s one of our core values. To ensure this, each professional sees a limited number of patients in one-on-one sessions. Improvement goes hand in hand with the stability of the team and the bond of trust that is built. This demands more from us, which is why we also ask for commitment and respect when it comes to keeping appointments. If you need to switch professionals, you can request it.

It depends on the patient’s progress, impulse control, improvement in symptoms such as depression or anxiety, and the team’s assessment. Detoxification usually lasts weeks; rehabilitation, months. The average duration of a full course of treatment is one year, and some people remain in follow-up care for longer, though less frequently. The brain needs about a year without substances to readjust, and that year is also the time it takes to change habits if you work toward that goal from day one.

It’s a process. When you request it or your counselor determines that the goals have been met, a meeting is scheduled with the coordination team. They review your goals, progress, obstacles, your wishes, and a prognosis, and based on that, they decide on your discharge and the type of follow-up (monthly, bimonthly, semiannual, annual, or on demand during times of stress). Afterward, you’ll have one or more debriefing sessions so you can gain a complete understanding of your process.

We don’t publish it, and here’s why. There’s no independent body that audits those figures, so each center defines success however it sees fit: Is it a success to discharge a patient even if they relapse years later? To complete the program even if they continue using? To hear nothing from those who dropped out? What we do is set realistic goals with you at the beginning and review them periodically. People with an addiction live with their urges for years; success isn’t just about not using—it’s about addressing what drove them to use in the first place.

There are many models: the 12-step programs, which originated in the 1950s with a religious foundation; resort-style centers where hospitality takes precedence over treatment; coercive approaches, which rely entirely on the patient’s willpower; and à la carte treatments without an underlying model. We work within a clinically validated model, understanding addiction as a neurobiologically based biopsychosocial illness, and using a unified transdiagnostic model that looks beyond behavior: how you function, what support systems you have, how you manage the urge to use, and how to prevent relapses, with the support of psychopharmacology when necessary. We do not believe that one model is better than another for everyone; the decision about which one helps you is yours.