Encino · San Fernando Valley · Los Angeles
Medical detox is the medically supervised process of clearing alcohol or drugs from the body while a clinical team manages withdrawal. Here it runs under 24-hour nursing and physician oversight. Most people finish in 7–10 days.
“New Spirit Recovery helped me when I was detoxing hard for about a week. The staff were kind to me the whole time. When I thought about leaving early, they helped me slow down and choose recovery instead. By discharge I was grateful I stayed — they even set up appointments for my leg issues, and I’m doing better now.”
“New Spirit Recovery has changed my whole life drastically — they gave me a second chance to rewire my life and live a new one. The staff is caring and genuine, and the director and operations director guided me through the program and gave me every opportunity to be a better person. They set me up for success and I can’t thank them enough for saving my life.”
“New Spirit Recovery was beneficial to my recovery. Here I learned tools to help me manage my emotions safely — journaling and breathing have been amazing tools I picked up while here. All the staff were incredible and patient. I am grateful to have come here and actually use the tools suggested.”
“This program teaches you how to set realistic goals and become a better version of yourself, with all the tools to start building a new foundation. The therapist and case manager give each client an individualized, tailor-made treatment plan. Serene surroundings, a private chef, daily groups, and weekend outings. If you’re looking for a way out of addiction, give New Spirit Recovery a call.”
“The staff is amazing. I was completely unable to detox on my own and find the right path. The food and facilities were amazing — and I found my way again. My mom and I go to church together again now. Thank you all so much.”
CA DHCS licensed detox · most admissions within 24–48 hours
The first 7–10 days
Most people complete medical detox in 7 to 10 days. Withdrawal usually begins 6–24 hours after the last use and peaks around 72 hours. Medical necessity can extend it to 21 days; a benzodiazepine taper in particular takes longer. Here is the shape it takes, hour by hour.
A nurse practitioner evaluates you the moment you walk in. That covers use history, withdrawal risk, prior detoxes, medical and psychiatric history. Monitoring starts immediately, and comfort medication begins per protocol. This is what medical detox actually does: it manages withdrawal under supervision rather than leaving you to face it alone.
Withdrawal symptoms emerge as the substance leaves your central nervous system. What that looks like depends on what you were using. A nurse scores your symptoms on the same standardized scales a hospital uses and treats them as they appear, rather than waiting for them to escalate.
Alcohol. Begins 6–24 hours after the last drink. One of two withdrawals with real mortality risk: seizures and delirium tremens are why medical alcohol detox belongs under supervision, never at home.
If you are thinking about harming yourself, you do not have to wait for a bed. Call or text 988 any time, or call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
Withdrawal usually peaks in the first 72 hours. This is where 24-hour nursing matters most. Comfort medication is titrated to what you actually need and adjusted through the day, not set once at intake. Where medication-assisted treatment is indicated, our physician prescribes it and reviews it regularly to reduce craving and support relapse prevention.
A nurse is awake in the house every hour, checking vitals, scoring withdrawal, and escalating to the medical director before a symptom becomes an emergency.
As acute withdrawal fades, appetite and sleep return. A chef cooks for the day your appetite comes back. When you are medically stable enough to sit in a group, you enter the Rewired curriculum: ten modules on emotional regulation, triggers, and accountability, built by our co-founder Erica Spiegelman and run here and nowhere else.
Detox on its own rarely holds, so discharge planning starts the day you arrive. Most people step directly into residential treatment with the same clinical team. No re-explaining yourself to a stranger. If the right next step is elsewhere, we arrange it and hand you off personally.
See how detox fits the full programWhy people choose this one
When you press the call button at 4am, someone is already awake and already knows your chart. On the worst night, that ratio is the whole difference.
Most people arriving at detox carry something underneath it: trauma, depression, PTSD. Our clinical director holds a dual mental-health and substance-use background, and we treat both at once.
Jobs, custody hearings, probation officers, FMLA paperwork, a flight from another state. We handle that coordination as part of treatment.
Free Insurance Verification
Check your coverage in about 60 seconds. No obligation, no cost.
Your information is confidential and used to check your benefits and contact you about treatment. It is never sold.
Where you’ll actually be
No fluorescent lights, no shared ward. Just a licensed home in Encino with real bedrooms, a chef, and roughly one staff member per client. Detox is undignified enough without an institutional hallway of strangers.
Take a look around before you ever pick up the phone. The video walks through the living spaces, bedrooms, and grounds where you’ll spend your first 7 to 10 days.
Verify your coverage to get startedWhere detox sits
Medical detox is for adults 18+ withdrawing from alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids, heroin, fentanyl, or methamphetamine where withdrawal needs medical management. It is the first level of care. A clinical assessment determines placement. Here is how it compares.
| Level of care | Medical oversight | Typical length | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Detox This page | 24-hour nursing, physician oversight | 7–10 days (up to 21 by medical necessity) | Active withdrawal needs medical management |
| Residential Treatment | On-site clinical staff, physician oversight | Often part of a ~35-day course | Medically stable, needs a structured environment |
| Step-down (PHP / IOP / OP) | Scheduled clinical contact | Varies by plan | Stable and returning to daily life with support |
Small enough to know your name
Co-Founder
Author and recovery specialist. Created the Rewired curriculum, ten modules that run here and nowhere else.
Clinical Director
Licensed since 2018, dual mental-health and substance-use background. Oversees clinical programming. Twenty-four years in recovery himself.
Director of Nursing
Runs all nursing operations across detox and residential care. An LVN since 2020, with a background spanning direct client care and nursing leadership.
Clinical Psychologist
Clinical supervisor and a professor at Cal Lutheran. Works across sites on crisis management and treatment planning.
Program Director
Directs day-to-day operations and client care. Seven-plus years in the industry, five in management.
Operations Director
Handles the logistics that make admission possible, including travel and transport from LAX or Burbank.
The question everyone asks first
What you pay for medical detox depends on your plan: your benefits, deductible, copay, and coinsurance. Most PPO plans cover medical detox when it is medically necessary. Anyone quoting a price before reading your policy is guessing.
Coverage varies more than people expect, and is routinely better than assumed. We check your benefits for free and tell you exactly what we find, whether or not you come here.
We do not accept Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Medicare. Cash pay is available; ask an admissions counselor what that looks like.
Veterans: we hold a VACCN/TriWest contract. Mention it when you call.
4.8 average on Google
Reviews published by clients and families on Google, where our average is 4.8 out of 5.
These are unpaid reviews posted publicly on Google by individual clients and families. They describe those people’s own experiences, which vary; they are not a promise of any particular outcome, and no one was compensated for them.
Looking for medical detox near you?
Our detox facility is in Encino, off the 101 at Balboa. We admit from across the Valley, greater Los Angeles, and nationwide.
Common questions
A clinical team clears alcohol or drugs from your body while managing withdrawal. That means continuous nursing, vital-sign monitoring, standardized withdrawal scoring, and comfort medication titrated to what you need, under physician oversight, in a safe environment.
Comfort medications manage symptoms as they emerge, and medication-assisted treatment is used where clinically indicated to reduce craving and support relapse prevention. Everything is prescribed and reviewed by a physician. Your doctor explains exactly what is being prescribed and why.
A 3-day detox covers only the acute withdrawal phase, which peaks 24–72 hours after last use. For most substances that is not the full course. Most people need 7 to 10 days, and benzodiazepine tapers run longer. A clinical assessment sets the real length.
Most people complete detox in 7 to 10 days. Medical necessity can extend it to 21 days. Benzodiazepine tapers in particular run longer, because stopping quickly is the dangerous part.
Most major PPO plans cover medical detox when it is medically necessary. Cost depends on your benefits, deductible, copay, and coinsurance. We check your coverage for free and tell you the real number first. We don’t accept Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Medicare; cash pay is available.
Not safely. Withdrawal complications need immediate intervention and continuous vital-sign monitoring, and neither is possible over video. For alcohol and benzodiazepines specifically, unsupervised withdrawal can be fatal.
No. Medication-assisted treatment is given at controlled doses under medical supervision, as part of a treatment plan, to quiet craving enough that the rest of treatment can work, not to get you high. The evidence behind it is strong.
Most people step into residential treatment. Detox alone rarely holds. Discharge planning starts the day you arrive. If the next step is elsewhere, we arrange it and hand you off personally.
Adults 18 and over withdrawing from alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids, heroin, fentanyl, or methamphetamine, where withdrawal needs medical management. A clinical assessment confirms it is safe and appropriate before you travel.
Ten minutes, a few questions, and a real answer about your coverage. Someone picks up at any hour, including this one.