Alcohol use disorder · 90-day residential

Alcohol Rehab in Kenya That Takes the Underlying Causes Seriously

Alcohol use disorder rarely arrives alone. Beneath it sits anxiety, depression, unprocessed trauma, or a family system under chronic stress. Our 90-day residential programme treats the drinking and what’s driving it — medically supervised detox, trauma-focused therapy, and family inclusion from day one.

Medically supervised detox on-site

90 days

Minimum residential stay

24/7

On-site nursing during detox

1:1

Individual therapy throughout

SHA

Social Health Authority accepted

How to recognise alcohol use disorder

Alcohol use disorder is diagnosed clinically using the DSM-5 framework — eleven criteria, grouped by severity. You don’t need to wait for the most extreme signs to act. Mild and moderate AUD respond well to the same 90-day approach, often with better outcomes.

Mild signs

2–3 criteria

Moderate signs

4–5 criteria

Drinking is interfering with work, family, or school responsibilities
Drinking has continued despite arguments or strain in relationships
Activities that used to matter — hobbies, sport, friendships — have been dropped
Drinking in physically risky situations (driving, before work)

Severe signs

6+ criteria

Continuing to drink despite a known physical or mental health condition made worse by it
Tolerance — needing more alcohol to feel the same effect
Withdrawal symptoms — shaking, sweating, nausea, anxiety — between drinks or in the morning
Drinking has caused or is causing serious physical harm

This page is for orientation, not diagnosis. If two or more of the above describe your situation or a family member’s, a clinical assessment can clarify what’s actually happening — that’s a free first step at Primrose.

Why alcohol detox needs medical supervision

Alcohol is one of the few substances where unmanaged withdrawal can be life-threatening. Stopping suddenly at home, without medical oversight, carries real risk.

Do not stop drinking suddenly without medical oversight

For someone drinking heavily and daily, abrupt cessation can trigger seizures or delirium tremens (DTs) — a medical emergency. Our detox is supervised by a consulting physician and 24/7 nursing, with medication used where clinically indicated.

Hours 6–12

Onset

Anxiety, restlessness, mild tremor, nausea, sweating, sleep disruption. The body begins to register the absence of alcohol.

Hours 24–72 · Peak risk

Peak medical risk window

For heavy long-term drinkers, this is when seizures and delirium tremens are most likely. Continuous monitoring matters most here. Medication is titrated against clinical signs using the CIWA-Ar protocol.

Days 4–7

Stabilisation

Acute symptoms ease. Sleep and appetite begin to return. Clinical focus shifts toward the first one-on-one counselling sessions and a full psychiatric assessment.

Weeks 2–8

Post-acute withdrawal

Mood swings, low motivation, cravings, and disrupted sleep can persist for weeks. This is expected — and it’s exactly the window where structured therapy and routine do most of the work.

The 90 days, tailored for alcohol

The shape of the programme is the same across conditions. What changes for alcohol is the clinical emphasis in each phase.

Phase 1

Medical detox

Days 1–14

Supervised detox with CIWA-Ar monitoring, baseline lab tests, nutritional support (thiamine, B-complex), psychiatric assessment, and the first one-on-one counselling sessions.

Phase 2

Underlying causes

Days 15–45

Individual therapy and trauma-focused work begin in earnest. Most clients are surprised by what surfaces here — depression, anxiety, or grief that the alcohol had been muting for years.

Phase 3

Group work and family

Days 46–75

AA meetings every Friday, deeper group work, and the bulk of structured family therapy. Peer relationships within the cohort become an important part of recovery.

Phase 4

Relapse prevention

Days 76–90

A written relapse-prevention plan, identification of personal triggers, an aftercare plan involving the family, and a structured handover into ongoing community support.

What's distinct about how we treat alcohol

Approach

The drinking is the symptom, not the diagnosis

It is possible to stop someone drinking for 90 days using little more than the structure of a locked facility. That is not what we do. We treat the conditions underneath — anxiety, depression, trauma, unresolved grief, family-system stress — because if those are left untouched, relapse is the rule, not the exception.

This is the same reason we insist on 90 days. The underlying work is not done in two weeks.

Family involvement

Drinking damages relationships — recovery has to address them

By the time someone enters treatment for alcohol, the partner, parents, or adult children have usually been doing their own kind of survival for years. Family therapy is built into the 90 days — not as an optional extra, and not handed off to a separate provider after discharge.

We also work with the family on the dynamic that often makes recovery harder: well-intentioned enabling. More on the family programme →

For families

If you're the one noticing it

Most calls to Primrose don’t come from the person drinking. They come from a partner, a parent, or an adult child who has noticed a pattern that’s been getting worse for months or years, and who has tried — usually more than once — to raise it.

If that’s where you are right now, you don’t need to have it all figured out before you call. The first conversation is free, takes about twenty minutes, and is not a sales pitch. If Primrose isn’t the right fit, we’ll tell you and point you somewhere that is.

Drinking is starting earlier in the day

Lunch becomes "just one." Afternoons become routine. A pattern you used to recognise as "after work" is now any time of day.

Promises to cut back keep failing

The intention is genuine — the follow-through isn't. This is the criterion that distinguishes a habit from a disorder.

Hidden bottles, hidden receipts

By the time you find them, the person has usually been hiding more than just the alcohol — including from themselves.

Morning shakes, morning drinking

Physical withdrawal symptoms — and using a drink to relieve them — is a marker of physical dependence. At this stage, medical detox is no longer optional.

The family is starting to organise around the drinking

Plans get cancelled. Topics get avoided. Children change their behaviour. When the family system shifts to accommodate the drinking, the alcohol is no longer just a personal issue.

If alcohol isn't the whole picture

Alcohol use disorder often sits alongside other substance use or a mental health condition. We treat all of it together, with one clinical team and one plan.

Drug addiction

Cannabis, heroin, cocaine, prescription medication, methamphetamine. Detox protocol varies by substance — same 90-day frame, different clinical content.

Dual diagnosis

When alcohol use disorder sits alongside a diagnosed psychiatric condition. Integrated treatment, not two separate referrals.

Family programme

Structured therapy for partners, parents, and adult children — woven into the 90 days, not added as an afterthought at discharge.

Common questions about alcohol treatment

Can my loved one detox at home?

For light or social drinking, sometimes yes. For someone drinking heavily and daily, no — abrupt cessation can trigger seizures or delirium tremens, both medical emergencies. If you’re unsure, call us. A short conversation with our nursing team will clarify whether home detox is safe in your specific situation, or whether supervision is needed.

What if they aren't ready to stop drinking?

Very few people enter rehab feeling ready. Most arrive ambivalent, defensive, or angry — and leave 90 days later grateful that someone made the call. Addiction affects the part of the brain responsible for self-awareness, which is why family-led admissions are common and lawful in Kenya. We can help you think through how to approach the conversation.

Does the programme use medication?

During detox, yes — medication is used where clinically indicated to manage withdrawal safely, titrated against signs using the CIWA-Ar protocol. After detox, medication is used only where it’s specifically helpful (for example, treating an underlying anxiety disorder or depression). Decisions are made by our consulting psychiatrist, not by protocol alone.

Is the programme abstinence-only?

For alcohol use disorder at the moderate-to-severe end, yes — the clinical evidence for abstinence is far stronger than for moderation in this population. For people closer to the mild end, a clinician may discuss harm-reduction approaches as part of the assessment. Either way, the goal is built into your specific treatment plan, not assumed.

What happens after the 90 days?

Discharge is structured, not abrupt. Each client leaves with a written relapse-prevention plan, an aftercare schedule, and continued contact with our team. Many clients continue with AA or our alumni community after the residential phase. Recovery is long-term — the 90 days is the beginning, not the end.

If alcohol has stopped being something you can manage on your own

Call us. The first conversation is free, takes about twenty minutes, and is not a sales pitch. If Primrose isn’t the right fit, we’ll tell you and point you somewhere that is.

Available 24/7. Confidential.