Sentinel Alcohol Detox
1107 West Century Drive, Louisville, CO, 80027
Active
- Outpatient
- Detox
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Medicaid
What Happens When You Start Drug Rehab
If you are looking for alcohol detox in Boulder right now, it is most likely because you or someone close to you cannot safely stop drinking alone, or because a quit attempt has already gone badly. That fear is well founded. Alcohol withdrawal can turn dangerous fast, and no one expects you to ride it out at home.
If there are seizures, hallucinations, confusion, or a racing heart, do not wait for a detox bed. That is a 911 emergency, and the nearest emergency room can keep the person safe while a longer plan is sorted out. When you contact a detox program, the first day usually starts with a short screening over the phone.
Staff ask how much the person drinks, how long they have been drinking, when the last drink was, and what happened during past attempts to stop. These questions are not judgment. They exist to gauge how risky withdrawal might be.
If the program has a bed, the person comes in, gets a medical check, and settles into a supervised setting where withdrawal symptoms can be watched and treated. You can help most by having the answers ready: how much and how often they drink, any other medications or health problems, and whether they have withdrawn before. Licensed programs in the Boulder area are set up for exactly this kind of call.
You do not need perfect words or a formal diagnosis to start. The job of the first call is simply to find out whether the person can detox safely and where.
Call (877) 712-7713
How the Main Types of Care Compare
Detox is the first stop for most people who have been drinking heavily every day. It is a short stay, usually three to seven days, where nurses and doctors watch you while the alcohol leaves your body and treat the shaking, sweating, anxiety and sleep problems that come with it. Some people can do this at home with a clinic checking in on them, but if you have had seizures, hallucinations or DTs before, or if you drink in the morning to stop the shakes, you need a medical detox with staff on hand.
Residential rehab comes after detox. You live at the facility for a few weeks to a few months, go to counseling and group sessions all day, and stay away from the places and people that usually come with drinking. It costs more of your life, but it removes you from temptation while you build new habits.
Outpatient care means you sleep at home and go to treatment a few hours a day or a few evenings a week. It works best when you have a stable home, someone supportive there, and a drinking problem that has not landed you in the hospital. A simple way to choose: if stopping drinking makes you physically sick, start with detox.
If you cannot imagine staying sober at home next week, add residential. If your life mostly holds together and the drinking is the main thing coming apart, outpatient may be enough. You can also step down as you get stronger, from detox to residential to outpatient.
Call (877) 712-7713Levels of Care, Explained
Medical Detox
Round-the-clock medical monitoring while your body clears alcohol safely.
Residential Care
You live on site for weeks, with therapy and structure every day.
Outpatient Care
Scheduled sessions while you keep living at home and working.
Aftercare
Ongoing support and check-ins that help sobriety last.
Questions Worth Asking on the First Call
Before you commit to anything, call the programs near you and ask the same questions of each. Ask when the next opening is and whether you can do the assessment over the phone today. Ask whether there is medical staff on site, especially overnight, and what happens if withdrawal gets worse than expected.
Ask what the daily schedule looks like, how long the program lasts, and what the total cost is with your insurance applied. Ask whether they use medication to treat withdrawal symptoms and cravings, or only counseling. Ask what happens after discharge, whether there is follow-up care, and how they handle a slip.
Ask what you should bring and what you cannot bring. Finally, ask whether family can visit or take part in counseling. Write the answers down as you go, because these calls blur together fast when you are stressed.
What Addiction Treatment Costs and Who Covers It
When preparing to pay for alcohol detox in Colorado, it helps to know that several funding routes are common throughout the state. Health First Colorado, Colorado's Medicaid program, is a frequent source of coverage for residents who meet its eligibility criteria, while others use private insurance plans that generally include behavioral health services. For people without coverage, sliding-scale fees based on income are often available, meaning the final bill reflects what an individual can realistically afford.
Paying out of pocket is also standard practice, and some facilities allow patients to arrange payment plans to spread the cost over time rather than paying a lump sum up front.
How Getting Help Works
- 01 CallReach our free, confidential helpline any time, day or night.
- 02 AssessmentA short conversation helps match you with the right level of care.
- 03 Medical detoxIf needed, withdrawal is managed safely under medical supervision.
- 04 Next stepsYou leave with a clear plan for ongoing treatment and support.
How to Choose Between Rehab Facilities Near Boulder
Start with two hard filters before you compare anything else. First, can the program get you in now? A bed that opens in three weeks does not help you tonight, and motivation fades fast, so ask each place for its actual intake day and whether a phone assessment can be done today.
Second, can they handle medical withdrawal? If you shake, sweat or vomit when you stop drinking, you want a program with medical staff on site, not just counselors. After those two, compare on these points: whether they take your insurance and what your out-of-pocket cost would be, whether they offer medicine to ease withdrawal and cravings, how long the program runs and what happens after it ends, whether family can be involved, and whether they have experience with any other problem you have, like pain, depression or anxiety.
Visit if you can, or at least walk the place mentally from the phone call. If the person answering sounds rushed and judgmental, that tells you something. Good programs answer questions directly, tell you what to bring, and explain what the first day looks like.
Write down what each one says and compare later when you are calmer.
If you are looking for alcohol detox in Boulder right now, it is most likely because you or someone close to you cannot safely stop drinking alone, or because a quit attempt has already gone badly.
Emergencies Come First, Substance Abuse Treatment Second
If you or someone with you is shaking hard, seeing things that are not there, badly confused, running a racing heart, sweating through clothes, or has had a seizure after stopping drinking, treat it as a medical emergency right now. Call 911 or get to the nearest emergency room. Do not wait for it to pass, do not drive yourself if you are impaired or shaking, and do not try another drink to calm things down.
Severe alcohol withdrawal can turn deadly within hours, and ER doctors treat it every day without judgment. Tell them plainly how much was being drunk and when the last drink was. Once the immediate danger is handled, the hospital can point you toward detox and rehab from there, so going tonight does not mean the process is over.
It means it is starting.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 now.
Call (877) 712-7713Compare 7 Drug Treatment Centers Within 25 Miles of Boulder
2255 South 88th Street, Louisville, CO, 80027
Active
- Hospital inpatient
- Detox
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Medicaid
350 Interlocken Boulevard, Suite 100, Broomfield, CO, 80021
Active
- Day treatment
- Detox
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Private insurance
1308 Vivian Street, Longmont, CO, 80501
Active
- Residential
- Detox
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Medicaid
8725 Wadsworth Boulevard, Suite C, Arvada, CO, 80003
Active
- Residential
- Detox
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Medicaid
8800 Fox Drive, Suite 110, Denver, CO, 80260
Active
- Day treatment
- Detox
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Medicaid
10160 West 50th Avenue, Suite 4, Wheat Ridge, CO, 80033
Active
- Outpatient
- Detox
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Medicaid
Map of Substance Abuse Treatment Options in and Around Boulder
Talk to Us
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Which Facilities Report the Widest Range of Options Near Boulder
These lists use only what the 7 active facilities listed for Boulder report to SAMHSA's FindTreatment.gov. No facility pays to be included or can ask to be moved. Reporting more options is not a measure of quality, outcomes or suitability for any person. A missing option means the facility did not report it to the source, not that it is not offered. Call the facility to confirm everything before relying on it.
Widest Range of Levels of Care Reported
How this list is made: each facility scores one point for each of these 5 levels of care (settings) it reports to SAMHSA's FindTreatment.gov (Residential (24-hour); Outpatient; Intensive outpatient; Partial hospitalization / day treatment; Hospital inpatient). A facility needs at least 3 to appear. Facilities are shown from the highest count to the lowest; facilities with the same count are in alphabetical order, which has no other meaning. Up to 10 are shown.
- Centennial Peaks Hospital, Louisville, CO: reports 4 of 5 levels of care (settings): Outpatient; Intensive outpatient; Partial hospitalization / day treatment; Hospital inpatient. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported.
- Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, Denver, CO: reports 3 of 5 levels of care (settings): Outpatient; Intensive outpatient; Partial hospitalization / day treatment. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Porch Light Health, Arvada, CO: reports 3 of 5 levels of care (settings): Residential (24-hour); Outpatient; Intensive outpatient. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Porch Light Health, Longmont, CO: reports 3 of 5 levels of care (settings): Residential (24-hour); Outpatient; Intensive outpatient. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Sandstone Care, Broomfield, CO: reports 3 of 5 levels of care (settings): Outpatient; Intensive outpatient; Partial hospitalization / day treatment. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported.
Widest Range of Payment Options Reported
How this list is made: each facility scores one point for each of these 7 payment and cost-assistance options it reports to SAMHSA's FindTreatment.gov (Medicaid; Medicare; Private health insurance; Military insurance (TRICARE); Cash or self-payment; Sliding fee scale; Payment assistance). A facility needs at least 4 to appear. Facilities are shown from the highest count to the lowest; facilities with the same count are in alphabetical order, which has no other meaning. Up to 10 are shown.
- CFHW Specialty Behavioral Health Servs, Louisville, CO: reports 7 of 7 payment and cost-assistance options: Medicaid; Medicare; Private health insurance; Military insurance (TRICARE); Cash or self-payment; Sliding fee scale; Payment assistance. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported.
- Porch Light Health, Arvada, CO: reports 6 of 7 payment and cost-assistance options: Medicaid; Medicare; Private health insurance; Military insurance (TRICARE); Cash or self-payment; Sliding fee scale. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Porch Light Health, Longmont, CO: reports 6 of 7 payment and cost-assistance options: Medicaid; Medicare; Private health insurance; Military insurance (TRICARE); Cash or self-payment; Sliding fee scale. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Centennial Peaks Hospital, Louisville, CO: reports 5 of 7 payment and cost-assistance options: Medicaid; Medicare; Private health insurance; Military insurance (TRICARE); Cash or self-payment. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported.
- Magnolia Medical Group, Wheat Ridge, CO: reports 5 of 7 payment and cost-assistance options: Medicaid; Medicare; Private health insurance; Military insurance (TRICARE); Cash or self-payment.
Widest Range of Medication Options Reported
How this list is made: each facility scores one point for each of these 4 medications used in treatment it reports to SAMHSA's FindTreatment.gov (Buprenorphine; Methadone; Naltrexone; Medication for alcohol use disorder). A facility needs at least 2 to appear. Facilities are shown from the highest count to the lowest; facilities with the same count are in alphabetical order, which has no other meaning. Up to 10 are shown.
- Centennial Peaks Hospital, Louisville, CO: reports 3 of 4 medications used in treatment: Buprenorphine; Naltrexone; Medication for alcohol use disorder. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported.
- CFHW Specialty Behavioral Health Servs, Louisville, CO: reports 3 of 4 medications used in treatment: Buprenorphine; Naltrexone; Medication for alcohol use disorder. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported.
- Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, Denver, CO: reports 3 of 4 medications used in treatment: Buprenorphine; Naltrexone; Medication for alcohol use disorder. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Magnolia Medical Group, Wheat Ridge, CO: reports 3 of 4 medications used in treatment: Buprenorphine; Naltrexone; Medication for alcohol use disorder.
- Porch Light Health, Arvada, CO: reports 3 of 4 medications used in treatment: Buprenorphine; Naltrexone; Medication for alcohol use disorder. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Porch Light Health, Longmont, CO: reports 3 of 4 medications used in treatment: Buprenorphine; Naltrexone; Medication for alcohol use disorder. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Sandstone Care, Broomfield, CO: reports 3 of 4 medications used in treatment: Buprenorphine; Naltrexone; Medication for alcohol use disorder. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported.
Widest Range of Client Groups Reported
How this list is made: each facility scores one point for each of these 12 age groups and client groups accepted it reports to SAMHSA's FindTreatment.gov (Adolescents; Young adults; Adults; Seniors; Pregnant or postpartum women; Adult women; Adult men; Veterans; Active duty military; Criminal justice clients; Clients who have experienced trauma; Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders). A facility needs at least 5 to appear. Facilities are shown from the highest count to the lowest; facilities with the same count are in alphabetical order, which has no other meaning. Up to 10 are shown.
- Porch Light Health, Arvada, CO: reports 12 of 12 age groups and client groups accepted: Adolescents; Young adults; Adults; Seniors; Pregnant or postpartum women; Adult women; Adult men; Veterans; Active duty military; Criminal justice clients; Clients who have experienced trauma; Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Centennial Peaks Hospital, Louisville, CO: reports 11 of 12 age groups and client groups accepted: Young adults; Adults; Seniors; Pregnant or postpartum women; Adult women; Adult men; Veterans; Active duty military; Criminal justice clients; Clients who have experienced trauma; Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported.
- Porch Light Health, Longmont, CO: reports 11 of 12 age groups and client groups accepted: Adolescents; Young adults; Seniors; Pregnant or postpartum women; Adult women; Adult men; Veterans; Active duty military; Criminal justice clients; Clients who have experienced trauma; Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Magnolia Medical Group, Wheat Ridge, CO: reports 10 of 12 age groups and client groups accepted: Adolescents; Young adults; Adults; Seniors; Pregnant or postpartum women; Adult women; Adult men; Criminal justice clients; Clients who have experienced trauma; Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders.
- CFHW Specialty Behavioral Health Servs, Louisville, CO: reports 9 of 12 age groups and client groups accepted: Adolescents; Young adults; Adults; Seniors; Adult women; Adult men; Criminal justice clients; Clients who have experienced trauma; Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported.
- Colorado Medication Assisted Recovery, Denver, CO: reports 6 of 12 age groups and client groups accepted: Young adults; Adults; Seniors; Adult women; Clients who have experienced trauma; Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; CARF accreditation reported.
- Sandstone Care, Broomfield, CO: reports 5 of 12 age groups and client groups accepted: Adolescents; Young adults; Adults; Clients who have experienced trauma; Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Also reports: State licence, certification or accreditation reported; Joint Commission accreditation reported.
Common Questions About Drug Treatment Centers in Boulder
How do I know if alcohol withdrawal needs an emergency room instead of a detox program?
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room for seizures, hallucinations, confusion, a racing heart, or any withdrawal the person cannot get through safely. A detox program is for withdrawal that staff determine can be managed with supervision, and the screening call is how that decision gets made.
What should I have ready before I call a detox program?
Have the person's drinking history ready, meaning how much and how often they drink, when the last drink was, prior attempts to stop, other medications, and any health conditions. Staff will also want to know whether the person is ready to come in, since most programs admit people voluntarily.
How long does alcohol detox take?
It depends on how much and how long you have been drinking, and on your health. People with milder dependence often feel flu-like symptoms, anxiety, shaky hands and broken sleep for three to seven days, with the worst around the second or third day. If you have been drinking heavily around the clock for years, withdrawal can be more severe and can include seizures or confusion, so it is safer to be assessed by a medical detox program before stopping. Being medically supervised does not make you weak; it makes the first week survivable and more comfortable.
Is it safe to quit drinking cold turkey at home?
Not always, and that is important to know. Going cold turkey can be genuinely dangerous if you have been drinking heavily for a long time, because the body can react with seizures, hallucinations or dangerous changes in heart rate and blood pressure. If you drink daily, drink in the morning, or have had bad withdrawal before, talk to a doctor or a detox program before you stop. They can assess your risk and, if needed, give medicine that makes withdrawal safer and far more tolerable.
Can I go straight to rehab if I already finished detox somewhere else?
In most cases, yes. Rehab programs accept people who have already finished detox elsewhere, and the detox process transfers. When you call, tell them exactly where and when you detoxed and what medication, if any, you were given, because that changes how they start you. If you detoxed at a hospital, ask for your discharge paperwork and bring it to the intake appointment. If you are still finishing detox, some programs will hold a bed while you complete it, so it is worth asking about a reservation now rather than waiting until you are discharged.