The cost of rehab in South Africa

Changing your life for the better is a significant step for anyone to take. Whether switching careers, moving cities, or taking a definitive move towards better, enduring health, it takes courage – and plenty of research and resources.

If you’re experiencing dependency, stress or burnout, admitting you need help to make the health and lifestyle changes required for recovery is an essential first step. However, finding the best place to begin that recovery process is not always straightforward.

Going to rehab should be a positive turning point in your life. Therefore, you must ensure that the facility you choose is right for you – a destination where you will feel safe and get the best possible treatment for your problems.

A stay at a residential recovery facility is often the best way to get you back on the right path. However, the cost of rehab is often prohibitive.

That needn’t be an obstacle, though. After all, it’s your future you’re talking about, and there are plenty of affordable options if you do your research.

Consider going abroad for rehab

With air travel nowadays, the world is becoming increasingly smaller. This means you aren’t limited to only looking close to home for treatment, which can be highly advantageous.

As you will no doubt have seen, there has been a growing trend for health tourism, with destinations such as Turkey, Mexico, and the Middle East attracting increasing numbers of visitors seeking cosmetic procedures such as hair transplants, tummy tucks, facelifts, dentistry, and so on. However, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t seek treatment abroad for your mental well-being, too.

Starting your recovery abroad could have many benefits, including the following:

1) Removing yourself from your usual environment

With drug or alcohol dependency, many of your triggers can come from the environment you most regularly find yourself in. This is why a change of scenery could be massively beneficial.

Leaving the country – and going somewhere far-flung like South Africa – takes you out of your normal environment, far from the reasons for your drinking or drug taking, and away from the enabling people in your life. This can allow you to disconnect and focus fully on your recovery. As a result, you can break your cycle of old habits and significantly decrease the chance of relapsing into them.

2) Treating this break as an adventure

Rehab isn’t something you should dread. In fact, heading to the other side of the world could give you the break and feeling of adventure your life needs in this delicate moment for your personal development.

Exploring new places during recovery is an excellent way to broaden your horizons and start seeing your own world in a different light. Choosing a destination far removed from your norm will help you regain control over your choices. 

Of course, weather and mental and physical health also have a well-documented link. So why not head to a country with a milder climate than back home, where you can enjoy abundant year-round sunshine, like South Africa?

3) Much easier to make a fresh start

Combining rehab with going abroad and being in new, unfamiliar surroundings can make it much easier to start afresh. Taking a step back and moving away from your everyday life for a while can give you a new perspective on your current lifestyle and relationships with others and generate a stronger determination for change.

What’s more, putting yourself into a completely alien environment makes it easier to form new, healthier habits that will serve you on your path to long-term recovery. This is partly because being far from home makes the process more memorable and meaningful.

4) Your privacy is guaranteed

When you’re a successful individual, discretion is understandably paramount when it comes to seeking help for substance abuse or other mental health conditions. When heading abroad, you automatically get more privacy by virtue of the fact that you’re much less likely to bump into anyone you know.

If you’re worried that news about you entering rehab could get out among your professional acquaintances, going abroad for treatment could be the solution you need – guaranteeing confidentiality, safety, and peace of mind so that you can focus entirely on your recovery.

5) Much more affordable options available

You can’t put a price on your health. But, if money is a concern and you’re not willing to compromise on the quality of care, going abroad for rehab is an excellent option.

South Africa has an abundance of world-class rehabs at a fraction of what it would cost in the US or Europe.

Rehab in South Africa: excellent value for money

With the current state of the economy and a lot of market uncertainty, spending money on health is often forced down the list of priorities for many people. But it needn’t be that way.

There is a range of affordable options for rehab available all around the world. It’s simply a case of broadening your horizons to find an option that best suits your needs and budget.

In fact, you may find that facilities abroad provide much more than their equivalents in Europe or the US. And for a much lower price.

Factors such as local economy or currency fluctuations mean you can often get a better, more personalised treatment plan abroad. You may also get access to specific and expert treatments that would otherwise not be available to you in your home country. 

South Africa is one such destination. It provides excellent value for money as a leading holiday destination and a place for luxury rehabilitation. This is because, among many other factors, the South African Rand has depreciated enormously against the US dollar, Pound Sterling, and the Euro in recent years. This means that world-class, luxury treatment can be found for just a fraction of the cost of back home. 

Top quality, pioneering treatment

When potential patients look at receiving care abroad, especially outside Europe or the US, they are often concerned that the standard of care will not be as good as they can get back home.

In South Africa, you needn’t worry about that. South Africa is a pioneer in medical research and now has an abundance of world-class rehab centres, with particular excellence in the fields of substance abuse, burnout, and dual diagnosis. Such facilities simply couldn’t operate unless their standards of care were internationally recognised.

Sadly, this comes as a result of South Africa being one of the top nations in the world for drug use. The Central Drug Authority concluded that illicit drug use in the country was twice the global average, and South Africa was among the top 10 nations for alcohol consumption.

Many professionals working at recovery centres in South Africa received their qualifications abroad and have extensive experience working in an international environment. Treatment plans, therefore, are delivered in English.

Luxury treatment for a fraction of the price

Entering rehab can be a major challenge for anyone. Therefore, it is massively helpful if your new surroundings are optimised for your recovery. That means luxury accommodation and not worrying about anything except for your fresh start on the road to recovery.

Luxury rehab can be incredibly expensive. For example, luxury inpatient rehab in the US can cost between $40,000 and $125,000 per month.

There is considerably more variation in the UK, with programs starting at £30,000 per month and rising to as high as £250,000 per month.

Luxury inpatient rehab in Australia can be between A$40,000 and A$100,000 per month, while in Canada, it’s around $20,000–$40,000 per month.

Meanwhile, South Africa is renowned for offering exceptional quality treatment at competitive prices.

At White River Manor’s five-star luxury lodge, a 28-day stay in our Standard Private Room starts from around $15,000 (approximately €13,750 or £12,500). Our Manor Suite – our most luxurious private open-plan villa with a private bathroom, private garden with plunge pool, flat-screen TV with satellite, and outdoor shower – is available from around $33,000 (approximately €29,750 or £27,000).

Please note: our prices change according to currency fluctuations. Consult our latest pricing here.

As you can see, these prices are significantly lower than US and European treatment centres and come with the added benefit of being in our all-inclusive, five-star lodge immersed in magnificent, natural surroundings.

But what else do you get for your money?

All of your needs taken care of

Here at White River Manor, we have an army of professionals at your service, all working to ensure you always feel safe and supported and to create a personalised treatment program that best suits your needs.

With decades of experience, we recognise that one size doesn’t fit all. We know that striking the right balance doesn’t only concern your mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being: your physical health is also vitally important. This is why we adopt a holistic approach to care.

Our world-class team includes clinical and counselling psychologists, a professor of psychiatry, a CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) expert, a behavioural specialist, and an on-site dietician and personal trainer who work alongside a dedicated team of nurses, 24 hours a day.

We believe in allowing you to focus on your recovery entirely. That’s why your comfort is our number one priority. All rooms are serviced daily and turned down in the evenings as you relax after the day’s activities. A full laundry service is also available throughout your stay.

You needn’t worry about food either. Good nutrition is an essential part of healing and recovery, so every day, White River Manor’s professional chefs prepare a variety of fresh meal options for a balanced and healthy diet to satisfy the most demanding palates.

We have an à la carte menu of gourmet meals and classic fine foods with options matched to your specific dietary requirements. We also have a well-stocked milk bar, café, and delicatessen offering coffee, pastries, and freshly prepared snacks.

And what would rehab be without a little “me time”? Treat yourself, recharge, and relax. Get a full-body massage, facials, manicures, pedicures, and much more at our on-site spa.

Incomparable surroundings

All of this occurs in a truly breathtaking part of the world. This is just one reason why South Africa is one of the top locations in the world for substance recovery programs.

Research shows that nature profoundly affects our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Even by just looking at it, we can start to feel better, and our vitality increases.

South Africa has no end of wonderful nature that will take your breath away – and White River Manor is at the heart of it all. Nestled along the river of the same name and set within a beautiful 100-year-old garden, our recovery centre is surrounded by an agricultural farmscape and rolling hills, with the tropical African Lowveld forests in the distance.

What’s more, it’s also within a stone’s throw of the Kruger National Park – one of South Africa’s largest and most renowned game reserves, where you can encounter ‘The Big Five’. 

During a stay at White River Manor, we run a number of activities and day trips, where our guests can enjoy the mild climate and bright skies, and benefit from better moods, higher quality sleep, and lower blood pressure.

Start your recovery now at White River Manor

If the country where you reside can’t inspire you to get clean and healthy, consider a trip to South Africa. It really has everything… quality of care, luxury accommodation, and incomparable surroundings – all for just a fraction of what it would cost in Europe or the US.

If you suffer from burnout or addiction, consider heading to South Africa for the best value and results.

To learn more about our personalised dependency and wellness programs and how they might help you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.