Victoria Detox

Welcome to the Victoria, British Columbia detox page. Detoxification services in Victoria are quite robust with several separate programs servicing a city that is quite small compared to it’s provincial cousin, Vancouver.

Do You Need Detox or Treatment?
Many people often mix up ‘detox’ with ‘treatment’ so we should clarify what both words mean. Detox means a service that focuses on physical stabilization of individuals who have consumed toxic amounts of alcohol or drugs. Most stays in the Victoria detox programs are overnight but can run as long as a week. Beds in Victoria detox services are in high demand so that is why the stays are so short.

Treatment, on the other hand, focuses on the psychological aspects of addiction. Treatment can last several weeks to several months if it is primary treatment. Primary treatment is more intensive with more clinical staff. Another form of residential treatment called support recovery or sober living has a length of stay of six months to several years but does not offer as much clinical support. The process is as follows: detox to primary treatment to sober living.

Victoria Detoxes Don’t Address the Psychological Aspects of Addiction
It is important to remember that detox is for physical stabilization only. Detox does not provide psychological services. That is the role of residential or outpatient treatment. For people who are in need of residential treatment, please note there is no programs available in Victoria for people who are coming out of detox.

If you are looking for a residential program, consider Sunshine Coast Health Center. We have 30, 42, 60 and 90 day lengths of stay and also provide medical detoxification so there is no wait time to get into our program. Located in Powell River, Sunshine Coast Health Center may be just the break you need to start a new life of sobriety. For more information contact our Admissions Coordinator toll-free at 1(866) 487-9010, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or go to our Contact Us page to send us an email.

Detoxes in Victoria Are No Charge
If you have a valid Medical Services Plan (MSP) card and live in British Columbia there is no charge to access a Victoria detox service.

Don’t Detox Alone
Think again if you are considering detoxing at home. Detoxing from alcohol or from a combination of alcohol and other drugs (particularly prescription drugs) can be life-threatening. When travelling to a detox take a cab, a bus, or get a ride from a sober friend or family member. If your admission to alcohol detoxification is delayed consider small sips of alcohol rather than going cold turkey during the hours leading up to your detox admission. For more information on withdrawing from alcohol refer to the following rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/alcohol.html”>alcohol information page.

Detox Programs Listed Outside of Victoria, Within British Columbia
For detox services in Vancouver visit www.vancouverdetox.com or for detox services in the rest of British Columbia visit the BC medical services page of canadadrugrehab.ca.

Central Referral Lines for Victoria Detox Services and Online Nursing Support
The central referral line for accessing detox services in Victoria is the Withdrawal Management Services Intake. Access to this service can be made by various professionals, community partners and individual clients by calling (250) 213-4441 or by faxing a referral to (250) 213-4445. Referrals are triaged daily.

For online nursing support, the BC Nurse Line is staffed with Registered Nurses and provides triage, assessment of symptoms, translation services, call transfer to emergency services (crisis lines, ambulance), and referral to non-emergency programs (detox, outpatient counselling). Nurses also provide inter-rim self-care instructions for individuals who cannot immediately access counselling or medical services such as detox. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
BC Nurse Line
Toll-free: 1(866) 215-4700 or 811
Deaf and Hearing-Impaired: 1(866) 889-4700 or 711

Adult Victoria Detox Programs
There are two detox programs in Victoria for adults.

Eric Martin Pavillion has 21 medical detox beds. Clients need to go to 1125 Pembroke St (VWMS) for an assessment and then referral into the beds at this program or beds at the Pembroke location.
Victoria Medical Society
Eric Martin Pavillion
5A-2334 Trent St.
Victoria, BC V8R 4Z3
Phone: (250) 519-7708 (Main)
Phone: (250) 213-4441 (Intake)
E-mail: administrator@victoriamedicalsociety.org

For adults who require detox in Victoria, Victoria Withdrawal Management Services provides the following services:

  1. Sobering and Assessment Centre provides shelter and assessment for inebriated clients for less than 24 hours. Clients can walk in for service if appearing at this address. Otherwise, individuals will require a police or hospital referral. This is a 20-bed facility.
  2. Victoria Detox provides short term (approximately 7 days) detoxification for acute medical withdrawal. This service requires a physician referral faxed to (250) 213-4445.
  3. Pembroke Place Stabilization Unit is a 17 bed medical detox service. Clients need to go to 1125 Pembroke st. for a referral to this program.

Victoria Withdrawal Management Services (VWMS)
The Sobering and Assessment Centre
1125 Pembroke Street
Victoria, BC V8T 1J3
Phone: (250) 213-4441
Fax: (250) 213-4445
Website: www.viha.ca/mhas/locations/victoria_gulf/vwms.htm

Victoria Detox Programs for Youth

The Youth Withdrawal Management program is intended for youth ages 13 to 19 years of age. There are two tiers of detox services:

  1. Tier I acute detox is 7 -10 days of 24 hour supervised care.
  2. Tier 2 detox provides youth with an opportunity to stay an additional 20 days in the care home depending on the youth’s recovery needs and transition plans. Youth in the Withdrawal Management Program are assigned a Youth and Family Support Worker.

Referrals to the Youth Withdrawal Management Program are made to the Detox Intake Worker.

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Victoria
Youth Withdrawal Management Care Homes
1240 Yates St.
Victoria, BC V8V 3N3
Phone: (250) 384-9133 ext. 216 (ask for Care Home Programs and Dalyce Dixon)
E-Mail: ddixon@bgcvic.org
Website: bgcvic.org/

For youth in Victoria that require detox there is also the Victoria Youth Empowerment Society which also provides an emergency youth shelter (up to 19 years of age), a mental health care worker, an outreach team for street youth, and a lifeskills program (vocational training) for individuals up to age 24.

Victoria Youth Empowerment Society (VYES)
Specialized Youth Detox
533 Yates St.
Victoria, BC V8W 1K8
Phone: (250) 383-3514
E-Mail: syd@vyes.ca
Website: www.vyes.ca/

Victoria Detox Support
There are some excellent volunteer organizations in Victoria that work with Victoria detox programs. They are available to help individuals and their families navigate addiction and detox services as well as provide transition services to residential programs, many of which are located outside of Victoria.

For people who are struggling in recovery or are looking to embark on the path to recovery there is . In  Umbrella Society. Their peer support workers, staff and volunteers help others by listening empathically and sharing invaluable coping strategies. They are not therapists, but the services they offer provide significant therapeutic value. See their video for more information.

Umbrella Society for Addictions and Mental Health
901 Kings Road
Victoria, BC V8T 1W5
Phone: (250) 380-0595
E-Mail: wecanhelp@umbrellasociety.ca
Website: www.umbrellasociety.ca

LifeRing Secular Recovery provides an opportunity for people in detox an opportunity to share their stories and spend time with others. There are meetings at the Eric Martin Pavillion detox and meetings in other locations in the city as well. LifeRing is a group of people that are committed to the recovery community in Victoria and provide support services that go beyond just hosting meetings.
LifeRing Secular Recovery
Toll-Free: 1(888) 920-2095
Website: www.liferingcanada.org/

Victoria Home Detox Support
There is currently no home detox support in the city of Victoria. Home detox support is nurse-supervised detoxification provided at the patient residence rather than at a designated facility.

Victoria Private Detox
Sunshine Coast Health Center has a private, 5-day, fee-for-service residential detox. There are multiple daily flights from Victoria with a brief stopover in Vancouver before flying to Powell River, the home city for Sunshine Coast Health Center. For more information visit the Fees Schedule page or call toll-free 1(866) 487-9010.

Where Addicts are Treated Like Human Beings