Addiction

Why a residential stay works when outpatient care has not

Most guests who book an addiction program have tried the outpatient options first. A therapist at home, a recovery group, maybe a short detox in a general hospital. The teaching lands in the session and then loses to the old environment the moment the guest walks back through their own front door. The triggers, the people, the patterns, and the access to the substance all stay in place.

A residential stay removes all of that at once. For the length of the program the guest lives inside a private clinic with a full clinical team. The environment is controlled and the substance and the triggers are out of reach. The daily rhythm gets rebuilt around therapy, medical care, movement, nutrition, and sleep. The clinical work goes deeper than anything outpatient care can deliver because the guest is there for it 24 hours a day.

We work with a single clinic in this category because the work is specialist and the standard is very high. Kusnacht Practice on Lake Zurich runs the most discreet and the most clinically serious addiction and mental health program in our portfolio. The stays are fully private, which means one guest at a time in a dedicated residence with a personal clinical team. The rest of this page covers the five Kusnacht Practice formats that can be used for addiction work.

Types of addiction programs at Kusnacht Practice

Kusnacht Practice runs five programs that can be configured for addiction work. The right pick depends on the substance and the complexity of the case. It also depends on whether a co-occurring mental health concern is involved and whether family work is part of the plan.

• Addiction Treatment Program (6 to 12 weeks). The flagship addiction format. A dedicated residential program built around medical detox where needed, daily one-to-one therapy with a lead psychiatrist and therapists, medical care, family work, and the BIO-R® biomolecular restoration protocol. The length lets the clinical team go beyond stabilisation into the deeper therapy work and the relapse prevention plan. This is the right pick for alcohol, drug, and behavioural addictions where the guest wants the deepest possible clinical intervention.
• Mental Health Program (6 to 12 weeks). The Kusnacht Mental Health Program runs the same residential model for guests whose primary concern is depression, anxiety, trauma, or burnout. The addiction often sits alongside one or more of these. Guests who have tried to stop drinking or using and have found the underlying mental health concern still driving the behaviour usually need the Mental Health Program rather than the pure Addiction Treatment.
• Game Changer Stay (14 to 21 nights). A shorter high-intensity format for guests who are not ready or able to commit to the full 6 to 12 week program. The Game Changer Stay runs the same clinical team and the same residential model compressed into 2 to 3 weeks. The goal is a rapid intervention, stabilisation, and a clear plan for the next 6 to 12 months including either a return for a longer stay or a structured outpatient follow-up.
• BIO-R® Longevity: Detox Blueprint (14 to 21 nights). BIO-R® is the Kusnacht biomolecular restoration protocol used across the addiction, mental health, and longevity programs. The Detox Blueprint is the shorter format for guests who want the biomolecular work combined with a longevity angle. It can be used as a preparation stay before a longer Addiction Treatment, as a consolidation stay after, or as a standalone for guests in stable recovery who want to keep the medical work current.
• Couples & Family Therapy (14 to 28 nights). Addiction rarely affects only the guest. The Couples & Family Therapy program brings partners or family members into the residential setting for structured therapeutic work alongside the primary guest. The format can run as part of a longer Addiction Treatment stay or as a standalone program for families working on the aftermath of recovery. Including family in the clinical work is often what makes the long-term recovery stick.

How to choose the right program

If you have tried outpatient treatment and the addiction is still driving the daily life, book the Addiction Treatment Program. Six weeks is the clinical minimum for meaningful work on the deeper patterns. Twelve weeks is what the Kusnacht team recommends for complex cases. That includes poly-substance use, long-duration alcohol dependence, and cases where previous inpatient work has not held.

If the addiction sits alongside a serious mental health concern like major depression, severe anxiety, trauma, or bipolar, book the Mental Health Program. Treating the addiction alone without addressing the underlying mental health rarely holds. Tell the booking team about the full clinical picture so they can match the right format.

If you cannot commit to 6 to 12 weeks but need a serious intervention now, book the Game Changer Stay. Two to three weeks is shorter than the full program but longer than a crisis detox. It gives the clinical team enough time to stabilise the guest and build a real forward plan.

If you are in stable recovery and want to consolidate the clinical work, book the BIO-R® Longevity: Detox Blueprint. This is the right pick for guests who have completed a longer stay and returned to normal life. A 14 to 21 night top-up keeps the medical work current.

If a partner or family member is central to the recovery work, book Couples & Family Therapy. It runs either as part of a longer Addiction Treatment stay or as a standalone program. The clinical team will advise on which format fits the situation best.

If you are booking for a loved one who is resistant to treatment, talk to the Serenity Ways team early. Kusnacht Practice has handled this situation many times. The clinical team can advise on the right approach including how to frame the stay and how to prepare the guest.

What to expect during the stay

Day one is the clinical intake. A psychiatric assessment with the lead physician, a full medical workup with blood work and imaging, and the start of medical detox if needed. Kusnacht Practice runs a fully private intake with no other guests present. The assessment team builds a personalised daily schedule for the first week of the stay.

The stay itself runs inside a private residence with a dedicated clinical team. Daily therapy with a lead psychotherapist. Weekly sessions with the lead psychiatrist. Medical care including nursing support, physiotherapy, and the BIO-R® biomolecular restoration protocol. Structured daily living including nutrition, sleep, movement, and the therapies chosen for the specific case. The clinical depth is what distinguishes Kusnacht from both outpatient care and less specialist residential clinics.

The best clinical work happens in the second half of the stay. The first weeks are stabilisation and the start of the therapy. The deeper work on the patterns, the underlying causes, and the relapse prevention plan tends to happen from week 3 onwards. The full 6 to 12 week format gives the team the time needed for this depth. Shorter formats like the Game Changer Stay do useful crisis work but the deeper therapy benefits from the longer window.

The stay ends with a written aftercare protocol covering the first 6 to 12 months at home. Ongoing therapy, medication if prescribed, medical follow-up, and the specific relapse prevention plan for the guest. The Kusnacht team runs follow-up calls and can arrange aftercare coordination with a therapist at home. Most guests benefit from a shorter return stay 6 to 12 months after the first program to consolidate the work.

What does a Kusnacht Practice stay cost?

Kusnacht Practice is a private clinical facility and all stays are priced on a bespoke basis. The clinic does not publish fixed prices because every program is built around the clinical needs of the individual guest. The overall cost reflects the length of the stay and the complexity of the case. It also reflects the level of medical and therapeutic support and whether family work is included.

As a reference point, a fully residential program of this type typically starts around CHF 100,000 for a shorter high-intensity stay. A full 12-week Addiction Treatment program runs to several hundred thousand Swiss francs. The cost includes accommodation in a private residence, full board, the personal clinical team, all therapies and medical care, and the BIO-R® biomolecular restoration protocol. Most international health insurance plans do not cover this level of private clinical care.

Before quoting, Kusnacht Practice runs a private clinical intake call to understand the guest and the situation. The quote and proposed program are built after that call. Contact the Serenity Ways team for an introduction and to arrange the initial clinical conversation.