Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about addiction, recovery and how we work.
If your question isn’t here, call or WhatsApp Steven on +27 76 402 7083.
About Urban Recovery &
our approach
Urban Recovery is an outpatient recovery service based in Centurion, also available online across South Africa. We help people break free from alcohol, drugs, prescription medication, gambling, pornography and other compulsive behaviours, without leaving work or family to go into rehab.
Most treatment focuses on stopping the behaviour. We focus on what comes after: rebuilding your mind, health, relationships, purpose and habits so that you don’t need to escape anymore. Our objective is simple: build a life you don’t need to escape from.
Not necessarily. Inpatient rehab is the right call when someone needs medical detox or a safe environment to stabilise. But many people can recover while staying at home and working, with structured outpatient support and a recovery community. Our assessment will tell you honestly which you need.
Recovery is a long-term process, not a 28-day event. Lasting change happens in real life, where the triggers and pressures actually are. Outpatient work lets you practise new skills in that environment week by week, with support and accountability over months rather than weeks.
Urban Recovery was founded by Steven Smith, a recovery specialist and coach with 26 years experience in leading people and 14 years of lived recovery experience who has run this outpatient programme continuously since February 2020. The team includes Nanette, a certified Recovery and Life Coach with an Honours degree in Psychology, and Suzanne, an HPCSA Registered Counsellor and BWRT® practitioner. As well as a team of Facilitators with lived experience, A Practicing Psycologist, and a General Practitioner.
REBUILD combines psychology with spiritual principles, and faith is one of the anchors we explore. You don’t need to be religious to join, and nothing is forced on you.
Addiction is continuing a substance or behaviour despite harm, and struggling to stop when you try. We see it as a symptom of something deeper. Often it’s an attempt to self-medicate pain, stress or trauma. That’s why we treat the whole person, not just the habit.
Getting started, cost & logistics
Ask yourself: Have I tried to cut down and couldn’t? Do I hide it or lie about it? Is it costing me money, sleep, relationships or work? Do I need more to get the same effect?
If you answered yes to any of these, it’s worth a conversation. Our free online REBUILD Audits for alcohol, drugs and sexual behaviour are a private first step.
Book a Biopsychosocial Assessment (R750, about 45 minutes, in person or on Zoom). We look at your health, emotions, relationships, work and use, then recommend the right path and give you the first steps of your REBUILD Plan. Or simply join a Monday group first. It’s free.
- Monday Recovery Groups: Free
- Biopsychosocial Assessment: R750 once-off
- Recovery Coaching: R850 per session (4–6 recommended)
- REBUILD Programme (8 months): R3 850 per month, or R25 500 once-off
Do you accept medical aid?
No. We’re a private, self-pay service, for two reasons.
First, most medical aids offer very limited cover for outpatient recovery work. Their addiction benefits mainly cover detox and short inpatient rehab stays, not an 8-month programme.
Second, a claim for addiction treatment puts a diagnosis on your medical record. That record can come up later, when you apply for life, disability or income-protection cover, or when you switch medical schemes. Many of our clients would rather keep their recovery private.
Paying privately means your recovery stays between you and us. To make it manageable, REBUILD can be paid monthly (R3 850) rather than once-off.
Do you offer refunds?
No. All fees are paid upfront, before sessions start, and are non-refundable. This is deliberate and it’s part of the treatment. Recovery gets hard at some point, usually around the time real change starts. That’s when people are most tempted to quit and ask for their money back. Paying in advance is a commitment you make to yourself on a clear-headed day, and it keeps you showing up on the hard ones.
If you’re unsure, start with the assessment before committing to REBUILD.
Yes. REBUILD is built around working life. It meets once a week for two hours (15:00–17:00 on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday), so most people only need to leave work early one afternoon a week. Many clients arrange this through flexitime, an adjusted schedule, or annual or sick leave. If you need it, we can give you a letter confirming your attendance that doesn’t state the reason for treatment. Monday groups run in the evening, outside working hours.
Yes. The assessment, coaching, REBUILD and Monday groups are all available on Zoom, so you can join from anywhere in South Africa.
Centurion, serving Pretoria and Johannesburg, and online across South Africa.”
Our programmes are for adults 18 and older. We work with teenagers from 16 with a parent or guardian’s consent, after an assessment to confirm the programme is the right fit. If you’re worried about a younger child, start with a parent consultation and we’ll help you find the right support.
No. We’re an outpatient service. If you need medical withdrawal management (common with alcohol, benzodiazepines and opioids), we’ll help you arrange it through a preferred doctor or a medical facility first, then support your recovery afterwards.
The programmes
The REBUILD Programme is an 8-month outpatient recovery programme: 12 modules, weekly two-hour sessions, 96 contact hours in total. It combines teaching, group processing, reflective workbook tasks and real-life application. All materials and unlimited access to support groups are included.
Because habits that took years to form don’t unravel in four weeks. Eight months gives you time to practise new skills through real situations (a payday, a holiday, a bad week at work) with support while you do it.
Why addiction starts and keeps going; how to manage cravings and triggers; how to handle emotions and stress; how to spot relapse red flags early; and how to rebuild identity, confidence, relationships and purpose. The 12 modules run from Understanding Addiction through to Happiness is a Choice.
No. The modules target the patterns underneath every addiction (shame, emotional avoidance, triggers, distorted thinking), so they apply equally to gambling, pornography and other compulsive behaviours.
Coaching is practical and forward-looking: goals, decisions, accountability and next steps. Counselling works more with the past and with emotional healing. Many people use recovery coaching alongside or after REBUILD. Suzanne offers short-term counselling where that’s needed.
People in recovery and their supporters meet from 19:00 to 21:00, in person in Centurion or on Zoom. You can listen or share, learn a recovery tool and connect with people who understand. No one is forced to speak.
What’s shared in the group stays in the group.
Zoom ID: 464 717 982 | Password: Recover
You need to arrive not under the influence, but you don’t need to have it all figured out. Many people come to their first group still using and unsure. That’s exactly the point.
Yes. Most people we work with have tried before. Relapse after a short programme usually means the support stopped before the new life was built. That’s the gap REBUILD exists to close.
Alcohol
Warning signs include drinking more or longer than you planned, needing a drink to relax or sleep, hiding how much you drink, morning shakes or anxiety that ease with a drink, and people close to you raising concerns. Our Alcohol Dependence Audit gives you a private read on where you stand.
Yes. Binge drinking (several drinks in one sitting) can be as harmful and as hard to stop as daily drinking. What matters is loss of control and consequences, not the calendar.
Not always. If you drink heavily every day, stopping abruptly can cause dangerous withdrawal, including seizures. See a doctor before you stop so withdrawal can be managed safely. Then we’ll support everything that comes after.
It’s a useful mirror, whether it’s OcSOBER, Dry January or a month you pick yourself. If a month off feels easy, great. If you find yourself counting days, negotiating exceptions or drinking again early, that’s important information, and a good reason to talk to us.
For some people with mild problems, moderation can work. For most people whose drinking has caused real damage, abstinence is simpler and safer. Your assessment helps you decide honestly rather than hopefully.
Drugs
Which drugs do you help with?
All of them, including:
- Alcohol
- Cannabis (dagga)
- Cocaine
- Crystal meth (tik)
- Heroin and nyaope
- MDMA, ecstasy and other party drugs
- Prescription medication:
Codeine painkillers: Myprodol, Mybulen, Adco-Dol, Betapyn, Syndol
Tramadol: Tramazac, Tramal, Dolorol Forte
Anxiety medication (benzodiazepines): Xanor (alprazolam), Rivotril (clonazepam), Valium or Pax (diazepam), Ativan (lorazepam)
Sleeping tablets: Stilnox (zolpidem)
Stimulants: Ritalin, Concerta, Vyvanse
Nerve-pain medication: Lyrica (pregabalin), gabapentin
- Combinations of any of these, especially with alcohol
The substance differs; the patterns underneath are remarkably similar.
Private use being legal doesn’t make it harmless. A significant percentage of regular users become dependent, with irritability, poor sleep and cravings when they stop, plus effects on motivation, memory and mental health. If you can’t go without it, it’s worth looking at.
Not automatically. But if weekends are stretching, the comedown is costing you time and relationships, you’re spending more than you can afford, or you’ve broken promises to yourself about it, those are early signs worth taking seriously. Our Drug Abuse Screening Audit is a private place to check.
We address the emotional patterns that drive use, and Suzanne offers short-term counselling. Where there’s a diagnosable mental-health condition, we work alongside doctors, psychiatrists or psychologists rather than replacing them.
Prescription medication
Yes. Painkillers (codeine, tramadol and other opioids), sleeping tablets (such as zolpidem) and anxiety medication (benzodiazepines like alprazolam/Xanor or diazepam) can all lead to dependence, even when they started for a genuine reason. It’s far more common than people think, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Taking more than prescribed or more often, running out early, seeing more than one doctor or pharmacy, buying over-the-counter codeine products in bulk, feeling unable to cope without them, or using them for mood rather than the original symptom.
No. Please don’t stop suddenly. Coming off benzodiazepines, sleeping tablets or opioids too fast can cause severe withdrawal, and with benzodiazepines it can be dangerous. We can help you find a doctor and support you through it. We support the emotional and behavioural side while a doctor manages the medical side.
Recovery doesn’t mean refusing all medication. It means using it honestly, as prescribed, with your doctor fully informed of your history. We’ll help you build that honesty and the non-medication coping skills that make you less reliant on it.
Gambling
Yes. Gambling disorder is a recognised condition. It activates the same reward pathways as drugs, which is why the pull feels physical: the chase, the near-miss, the need to win it back.
Chasing losses, betting more to get the same buzz, borrowing or using money meant for bills, hiding sports-betting or casino apps, lying about wins and losses, and feeling restless or irritable when you can’t play.
Use self-exclusion with every licensed operator, delete the apps, install blocking software, and hand control of your bank card to someone you trust for a season. Practical barriers buy time; REBUILD deals with why you reach for the bet in the first place.
Debt is often the most urgent pressure. We help you face it honestly, make a plan, and involve family where appropriate. The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation also offers free counselling and referrals on 0800 006 008 (24 hours), or WhatsApp “HELP” to 076 675 0710.
Pornography & compulsive sexual behaviour
Whatever label you use, the experience is real: people who repeatedly try to stop and can’t, who lose hours, who escalate to content they don’t feel good about, and whose relationships and focus suffer. Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder is now recognised by the World Health Organization. We treat it with the same seriousness as any other addiction.
You’ve tried to stop and failed; you use it to cope with stress, boredom or loneliness; it takes more time or more extreme content than before; you hide it; or it’s affecting your relationship, sexual function, work or self-respect. Our Sexual Behaviour Audit is a confidential place to start.
No. Shame keeps this addiction alive, and our team has heard it all before. Many of our facilitators have walked through recovery themselves. Conversations are private and handled with respect.
Yes. Discovery is often a crisis for the partner as well. The person struggling works on recovery through REBUILD or coaching; partners get their own support through coaching and the Monday groups, which are open to supporters.
Blockers and accountability apps help, but they’re guardrails, not recovery. Lasting change comes from addressing what you’re medicating (stress, loneliness, unresolved hurt) and building real connection. That’s the work REBUILD does.
Families & supporters
You can’t force recovery, but you can change the environment around it: stop covering for consequences, set clear boundaries, speak calmly when they’re sober, and get support for yourself. Families who get help themselves often see their loved one move towards help sooner.
No. You didn’t cause it, you can’t control it and you can’t cure it alone. You may have been told otherwise: by them, by others, or by your own guilt. Our article “Is This My Fault?” covers this in depth.
Helping supports recovery; enabling protects the addiction from its consequences. Paying off gambling debts, calling in sick for them, or giving money that’s likely to fund use are common forms of enabling, even when they come from love.
Yes. Monday groups are open to supporters, and Nanette, who grew up with a loved one’s addiction, offers recovery coaching for families.
Yes. Many first calls come from a worried parent, partner or loved one. We can meet with you first to work out the best approach, including how to raise it with your loved one.
Confidentiality, relapse & urgent help
Yes. What you share stays with us and isn’t shared with your employer, family or anyone else without your consent, except where the law requires it, such as an immediate risk to life.
What about the other people in the group?
Every group starts with the same agreement: who you see here, and what they share, stays here. We ask everyone, including supporters and online participants, to respect that. Please don’t record sessions, take screenshots, or talk about another member’s story outside the group, even with good intentions.
We can’t legally guarantee what other people do. That’s why you choose how much you share, and you can always talk to a facilitator one-on-one about anything you’d rather keep private. On Zoom you’re welcome to use your first name only and keep your camera off.
Only if you choose to tell them. You don’t have to disclose the nature of your treatment to take time off. An attendance letter or sick note doesn’t need to state a diagnosis. Online sessions give you extra discretion.
You keep going. A relapse isn’t a failure or a reason to be removed; it’s information about what needs strengthening. We work through it honestly with you and adjust your plan.
If there’s a medical emergency or overdose, call 10177 or 112 immediately.
- Substance Abuse Helpline (24 hours): 0800 12 13 14 (SMS 32312)
- SADAG Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0800 567 567
- Responsible Gambling helpline: 0800 006 008
To talk to us, call or WhatsApp Steven on +27 76 402 7083.
Still have a question?
The first conversation is the hardest part. We’ll keep it private and simple.