Medical detox for alcohol and drugs in Astana

Reviewed byRinat Zhumabekov, MDAddiction psychiatrist, experience 21 years · updated 8 Nov 2026

Key facts

Who provides care

An addiction physician and nurses; a psychiatrist and an internist if needed

Where

At home in mild cases, or in the clinic’s inpatient unit in Astana

Duration

From 1–3 days for alcohol to 5–10 days for opioids and mixed substance use

Anonymity

Medical confidentiality under the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, no registration with the state dispensary

When it is urgent

Seizures, delirium, loss of consciousness, slow breathing — call 103 or 112 immediately

Outcome

Safe recovery from the acute state and readiness for addiction treatment

What you should know

The word “detox” is everywhere these days, but in addiction medicine it means a very specific medical treatment: helping a person get through alcohol or drug withdrawal without serious complications. It is important for relatives to understand that detox is not a magical “blood cleanse” after which the addiction disappears, but a necessary first stage. Here we explain what the doctor does, how you can help, what is better not to do, and what awaits the family once detox is over.

In Astana, we hear from families where someone drinks for weeks, takes sedatives without a prescription or uses drugs. Loved ones are often the last to find out — the person lives separately, works shifts, or has moved from the regions and rents an apartment. The Narcology 24 doctor comes to any district, on the left and right banks, and to Kosshy and Koyandy, and decides together with the family where detox is safer — at home or in an inpatient unit.

When your loved one needs medical detox

• the person cannot stop using without severe withdrawal symptoms
• trying to quit brings on shaking, sweating, insomnia and anxiety
• they use alcohol together with sleeping pills or other substances
• previous withdrawal episodes brought seizures, hallucinations or confusion
• they have lost noticeable weight, eat poorly and look exhausted and dehydrated
• they say themselves that they want to stop but are afraid of drug or alcohol withdrawal
• the family is planning alcohol “coding” (a treatment widely used in Kazakhstan and CIS countries) or rehab, which require sobriety

If heavy drinking has lasted more than two or three days, or there is shaking, vomiting, blood-pressure spikes or insomnia, you need a doctor rather than stopping alone. Phone advice is free. For seizures, confusion or hallucinations call 103 or 112.

Why detox is needed and why it should not be done “the home way”

With prolonged use, the body adapts to the substance, and stopping it abruptly causes withdrawal syndrome. With alcohol, this means tremor, blood pressure problems and insomnia, and in severe cases seizures and delirium. With opioids, it means aches, chills, vomiting and intense cravings. With mixed use, the picture is unpredictable. Medical detox makes it possible to get through this period under supervision and to notice dangerous changes in time.

Relatives sometimes try to “bring the person round” themselves — with herbs, pharmacy pills, saunas or folk remedies. This can be dangerous: dehydration, strain on the heart, and interactions between medications and alcohol. In Astana in winter, there is the added risk of hypothermia if a person in withdrawal leaves home into the frost and wind. It is safer to entrust detox to a doctor.

How we help

Myths and facts

How a home visit works

1. Call or message usThe dispatcher answers 24/7 and in 3–5 minutes checks the person's condition, age, how long the drinking or use has lasted, chronic conditions and the address. No surname needed.
2. The doctor sets offAn addiction doctor or psychiatrist comes with equipment and medication. Travel time depends on the district — usually within an hour. If inpatient care or an ambulance is needed, we'll say so straight away.
3. Examination and treatmentBlood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation, blood sugar if needed and a neurological check. Then an IV drip or other treatment as indicated, 1–3 hours.
4. A plan for the next daysAdvice for the family on what to do overnight and tomorrow, phone follow-up and a repeat visit if needed.
5. Further treatmentCoding, psychotherapy, rehab or psychiatric follow-up — once the acute state has passed and the person is ready.

Prices in Astana

The final cost is agreed before treatment starts. Prices are in tenge and do not constitute a public offer.

Where to get help

In astana you can get help at home, at one of our two branches (6 Auezova St., office 37, Astana, 176 Imanova St., Astana) or online if you need a consultation rather than a procedure. The dispatcher answers 24/7 and will tell you straight away which option is safest.

Confidential and private

Information about your request, diagnosis and treatment is protected by medical confidentiality under the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Public Health and the Healthcare System”. We do not share it with employers, schools, the police or neighbours; the only exceptions are those expressly set by law. A first name is enough to call us, and paid confidential treatment does not mean a registry entry.

Questions and answers