Inpatient treatment

The most commonly provided inpatient programme is detoxification or managed withdrawal from alcohol or poly-drug abuse. Detoxification lasts 4-7 days. Benzodiazepine or other medication, acupuncture and supportive counselling are used to assist in withdrawal. Some units offer rehabilitation programmes lasting 4-8 weeks or in some cases even longer. In therapeutic communities, most of which cater to young people, no medications are used.

Järvenpää Addiction Hospital is the only specialised hospital for the treatment of addictions in Finland. Established by the National Board of Social Welfare in 1951, the hospital was transferred from the state to the A-Clinic Foundation in 1994. The hospital offers a variety of inpatient programmes, including short-term alcohol detoxification, short-term and long-term managed withdrawal from various substances, a therapeutic community programme, a women’s programme, a family treatment programme, and work ability assessment including a rehabilitation plan. Lofexidine and buprenorphine are used for the management of opioid withdrawal, buprenorphine is also used when starting substitution treatment. The hospital's research and training unit focuses on research in addiction treatment methods, working in co-operation with the universities of Helsinki and Kuopio and with the National Public Health Institute. The hospital's laboratory serves both research and clinical work.

During 2011, the Foundation's inpatient detoxification, rehabilitation and residential services were used by appr. 6 000 people. The total number of inpatient days was 91 400 in detoxification and rehabilitation services.