Medical detox helps you through withdrawal with medical care. At Renewed Life Center in Lakeside, Cape Town, an assessment helps our medical team decide what care you need. Dr John Wulz, our GP, examines you after arrival, and treatment continues beyond detox through the residential programme.
If you may be dependent on alcohol or sedatives, do not stop suddenly on your own. Tell us what you take, how often and whether withdrawal has gone badly before.
If you have already stopped and are becoming unwell, seek medical care today. A seizure, confusion, difficulty breathing or being unable to wake someone needs emergency medical help immediately. Do not wait for our reply.
When to contact us about detox
You do not need a name for the problem. Write to us if one of these sounds like you or someone close to you:
If you use cocaine, tik or cannabis, or mix them with alcohol or pills, write to us as well: after the assessment our medical team decides whether you need a medical detox first or can go straight into the programme.
Assessment, medical care and the next step
Before admission
The counselling assessment takes 45 to 90 minutes. Tell the team about every substance and medicine you take, previous withdrawal, health conditions and how you have been feeling. Our medical team uses the assessment to decide whether you need detox and what level of care is appropriate.
After you arrive
Dr John Wulz, our GP, examines you and reviews your existing medication. His background is in mental health and emergency medicine. If detox is needed, our medical team manages it; medication is used when clinically indicated and prescribed by a medical professional.
The centre’s detox period is generally three days to two weeks, depending on your needs and the medical team’s decision. This is not a timetable for stopping a medicine yourself: a prescribed reduction plan is set individually by the doctor.
As you become ready for therapy
Detox manages withdrawal; counselling and group work follow as you become ready to take part.
Planning the journey
You can contact us while you are still drinking or using. Discuss your condition and journey with the team before booking or setting off; do not wait until the day of travel to mention withdrawal or a previous seizure. We can arrange collection at Cape Town airport. If you are already unwell, seek local medical care first.
What comes after detox
Many people drink or use to quiet something else: anxiety, low mood, old trauma or exhaustion. Our team treats that alongside the addiction in one plan, through dual diagnosis treatment. Your own counsellor works with you one-to-one every week, alongside group work every weekday. Most clients stay for a second month, so detox here is the start of treatment. The programmes for alcohol and drugs describe those weeks.
If you are writing for someone else
A husband, wife or parent can write first and talk to our team before the person has agreed to come. Tell us what they take and whether stopping has gone badly before, and we will talk through the next steps with you. After the assessment, our medical team will say whether a medical detox is needed. If they drink or take pills every day, do not push them to stop suddenly at home in the meantime. Once they are with us, their counsellor is your contact and shares news with their agreement.
How to start
Tell us what is being taken, how much and for how long. We answer the same day, and the first conversation, by WhatsApp, video or phone, is free, confidential and lasts 20 to 40 minutes. If you are considering a stay that ends when the detox does, say so on that call and we will explain what is possible.
The fee depends on the programme and how long you stay. We give it on the first call and send it in writing the same day; ask what your quote includes for the doctor’s assessment, a detox if you need one, and any medication. Admission can be immediate, and in most cases it takes place within three days of first contact.
Book a free first conversation
Questions about medical detox in Cape Town
Do I need a medical detox?
Our medical team makes that call once you have been assessed. Until then, if you drink heavily or take sedatives, sleeping tablets, mandrax, GHB, opioids or codeine every day, or a past withdrawal brought fits or hallucinations, do not stop on your own; tell us what you take when you get in touch.
How long does detox take?
The centre describes an initial detox period of three days to two weeks. Your medical team decides the care and timing you need; this does not set a deadline for all withdrawal symptoms or for completing a prescribed medication taper.
Can I come only for a detox?
Detox is the start of our treatment programme. If you are seeking a short stay focused on detox, raise it on the first call so the team can explain what is suitable after assessment. Most residential clients stay into a second month of treatment.
Will I be given medication?
Only when there is a clinical reason and a doctor prescribes it, and Dr Wulz reviews the medicines you already take when you arrive. With benzodiazepines, the World Health Organization advises reducing gradually rather than stopping at once, because that eases the symptoms and lowers the risk of fits; your doctor plans how.
What if my last withdrawal went badly?
Tell us at the assessment. What happened last time helps the team decide the level of care you need.