Alcohol Rehab and Detox in Scranton, PA

Scranton sits in the Lackawanna Valley, about 76,000 people inside a county of roughly 217,000, with Wilkes-Barre and the Wyoming Valley a short drive south. If your drinking has moved past where you want it, the hard part usually isn't whether treatment exists here — it's picking the right level of care and knowing how to pay for it. This page covers both, plus the one part of alcohol withdrawal that can turn into an emergency.

What alcohol treatment looks like near Scranton

The SAMHSA treatment locator lists 30 substance use facilities within 30 miles of Scranton:

• 7 offering detoxification (withdrawal management)
• 9 with residential programs
• 25 offering outpatient services
• 21 that list medication for alcohol use disorder — naltrexone, acamprosate, or disulfiram

Those medications work best alongside counseling, not instead of it. Naltrexone and acamprosate reduce craving and help people stay away from alcohol; disulfiram makes drinking unpleasant. Counts shift as programs open and close, so confirm current openings by phone.

Locally, the single county authority for publicly funded assessment and referral is the Lackawanna and Susquehanna County Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs, at 123 Wyoming Avenue in Scranton (570-963-6820). Its case management program is the front door for Medical Assistance-eligible clients, people who are uninsured or underinsured, and anyone who isn't sure where to begin.

Why alcohol detox needs medical supervision

Alcohol is one of the few substances where stopping suddenly can be life-threatening. SAMHSA's detoxification guidance treats alcohol withdrawal as a medical process — evaluation, stabilization, and a hand-off into ongoing treatment — not something to white-knuckle at home. A heavy, long-term drinker can progress to seizures, usually within the first 48 hours, and to delirium tremens (DTs), a state of severe confusion and agitation that can be fatal without medical care.

If someone is shaking, sweating heavily, confused, hallucinating, or has had a seizure while cutting back on alcohol, call 911. For a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988.

The local picture in numbers

• CDC's provisional county-level data count 48 drug overdose deaths in Lackawanna County in the 12 months ending December 2025, down from 55 the year before.
• Statewide, the Pennsylvania Department of Health's 2024 overdose brief reports 3,341 drug overdose deaths in 2024, a 29.2% decrease from 2023.
• Scranton's population is about 75,905, and roughly 12.6% of residents are foreign-born; the median household income is about $50,739. If you would be more comfortable in a language other than English, say so when you call — it is a reasonable thing to ask.

Where to get help in Scranton

• PA Get Help Now — 1-800-662-4357. A free state line that helps Pennsylvania residents find treatment, including publicly funded programs.
• Lackawanna and Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs — 570-963-6820. The county's assessment and referral door (case management: 570-963-6315).
• Scranton Counseling Center — 570-348-6100, 24 hours a day. Telephone crisis services are screened by a crisis clinician, and the Crisis Receiving and Stabilization Unit at 329 Cherry Street accepts walk-ins around the clock (570-245-0579).
• Search findtreatment.gov from a Scranton ZIP and filter by detox, residential, or outpatient care, plus the payment options you need.

Paying for alcohol treatment

Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid, and Medical Assistance covers medically necessary substance use disorder treatment. Physical HealthChoices plans in the Northeast region include AmeriHealth Caritas Northeast, Geisinger Health Plan, Jefferson Health Plans EverWell, and UPMC for You. For Medicaid members in Lackawanna County, behavioral health and drug and alcohol benefits are managed by Community Care Behavioral Health (member services: 1-866-668-4696; 24/7 crisis: 1-833-822-3010), under the Northeast Behavioral Health Care Consortium.

If you have private insurance, federal parity rules require your plan to cover substance use treatment on terms comparable to medical care. Ask about in-network programs and prior authorization before you commit.

How to start today

1. If this is a medical emergency, call 911. For a crisis, call or text 988, or reach the Scranton Counseling Center crisis line at 570-348-6100.
2. Call or text (800) 653-9376 to talk through your options with a treatment specialist, or use this form:

Calling is free; the referral service is paid for by treatment providers, and we check your benefits before you commit.

3. Call the county Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs at 570-963-6820 for publicly funded assessment and referral, or search findtreatment.gov to compare programs.
4. Ask each program two things: whether it offers medical withdrawal management, and whether it offers medication for alcohol use disorder. Both make a stable start more likely.

For alcohol, the step that most often goes wrong is trying to stop alone. That is exactly what medical care is built to make safe.

Frequently asked questions