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Costa Rica Treatment Center
Aerial view of the Atenas center: a lawn ringed by forest, with the pool at its edge

Addiction treatment center · Costa Rica

Treatment that stays with you all the way through

Detox to aftercare. One team, one journey. Treatment built around you.

4.6 Google reviews
30 days
Guarantee Continued care commitment

For clients who complete our 120-day program

Licensed and accredited
IAFA · Instituto sobre Alcoholismo y FarmacodependenciaMinisterio de Salud · Costa RicaColegio de Enfermeras de Costa Rica
Colegio de Profesionales en Psicología de Costa RicaColegio de Médicos y Cirujanos de Costa Rica
What matters to us
65%
Abstinence at 1 year
600+
Patients treated
10+
Years caring
1:1
Staff-to-patient ratio
We understand

You may have been here before. Searching, hoping, not quite finding the right place. This time feels different because it is.

Our story

The place I needed but could never find

Gernot Holtz, founder of CRTC, smiling in the gardens at the Atenas center.

I built Costa Rica Treatment Center because I lived what you are living. I know the exhaustion. The hope that fades. The programs that almost worked. When I finally found real recovery I made a promise to myself. To build the place I needed but could never find. A place where no one gets lost. Where the work goes all the way through. Where someone always picks up the phone. That is what this is.

Gernot Holtz Patient, then founder · Costa Rica, 2016

Leadership is closely involved in the admissions process.

Our promise to you
30 days
at no additional cost

Some programs end at discharge. Ours doesn't. If you lose your path within 6 months of completing your journey, the door is always open. At no extra cost. Because your recovery does not end when you leave.

Two centers · One philosophy

Two distinct environments, the same approach

The garden at the San José residence, with sun loungers on the lawn in front of the house under a clear blue sky.
San José · Rohrmoser

Structured. Private. Urban.

In the heart of San José, a warm and structured residential environment where clinical depth meets genuine human care. Every day has purpose. Every person is known.

Capacity
18 residents
Setting
Urban residential
Room
Shared and private
From $8,950 / month
Tell me more about San José
A white garden cottage with a tiled roof and two wooden chairs on the porch, set on a sunny lawn among palms at the Atenas center.
Atenas · Riverside

The therapeutic retreat

Nestled in the mountains of Atenas, surrounded by nature, rivers and stillness. A deeply private retreat where the setting itself becomes part of the healing. Intimate, discreet and truly personal.

Capacity
10 residents
Setting
Mountain / river valley
Room
Private suite
From $14,350 / month
Tell me more about Riverside

Not sure which center is right for you? We will help you decide. Talk to someone who understands

Where healing begins

Step inside the home we built

You've just met each center from the outside. These two short films let the people who built them show you the rest.

Play the San José video tour
San José · A quiet home in the heart of the city
Play the Riverside video tour
Riverside · Stillness in the mountains of Atenas
Whoever brought you here

Looking for help takes courage

Family support

You are here for someone you love

Watching someone you care about struggle is one of the hardest things a person can carry. Looking for help takes courage.

Direct admissions

You are here for yourself

You have been through enough to know that something needs to change. Looking for help takes courage.

Their words · Their journey

From the people who lived it

★★★★★
When I arrived at CRTC, I was hopeless and broken. The night before, I had almost ended my life with a bottle of methadone pills just to make the pain stop. I didn't really feel like I deserved another chance at recovery. Before coming to…
★★★★★
I'm so grateful I chose CRTC. They gave me the knowledge to understand, address and change my self destructive behaviours. I really liked the holistic approach to heal my mind, body and spirit. The program content was comprehensive enough…
★★★★★
CRTC gave our daughter her life back and a fighting chance. I have waited a full year to write this review. I am a mom of a 21 year old girl that went through the full 90 day in-patient CRTC program, arriving in September of 2023. 
We are…
One journey · Four chapters

From your first night to the life that follows

From the moment you arrive to the life you build after, we walk every step with you. One team. One philosophy. All the way through. Outpatient is offered separately.

  1. I

    Detox

    Your body needs to clear before anything else can begin. Our medical team is with you every hour of this process, managing withdrawal safely.

  2. II

    Residential

    This is where the real work happens. Therapy, reflection, holistic healing and gradual real-world reintegration. Your treatment plan is built around you specifically.

  3. III

    Reintegration

    You are ready to return to daily life, but not alone. This phase bridges the structure of residential with the reality of the world outside.

  4. IV

    Aftercare

    Discharge is not the end. We stay connected, check in and remain a presence in your life long after you leave.

Where we can help

Treatment for what you're actually facing

01 Alcohol

Alcohol has a way of becoming invisible until it isn't. We know how it works and we know how to help you find your way out of it.

Learn about alcohol treatment

02 Cocaine

Cocaine addiction often hides behind success and high performance. We know the cycles and what it truly takes to break free.

Learn about cocaine treatment

03 Opioids

Opioid dependency is one of the most physically demanding addictions to overcome. Our medical team walks every step with you, safely and without judgment.

Learn about opioid treatment

04 Meth

Methamphetamine changes the brain in ways that make recovery feel impossible. We know it is not. We have seen people find their way back and we will be with you through all of it.

Learn about meth treatment

05 Benzos

Benzodiazepine withdrawal requires careful medical supervision and a team that truly understands what your body is going through. That is exactly what we offer.

Learn about benzo treatment

06 Marijuana

If it has taken more than it has given, we are here. No judgment. Just real support to help you find a different way.

Learn about marijuana treatment

07 Prescription drugs

It often starts with a legitimate need. Then something shifts. We understand how this happens and how to help you reclaim your life from it.

Learn about prescription drug treatment

08 Mental health

Addiction rarely arrives alone. We treat the whole person, not just the substance. Whatever is underneath, we are equipped to address it alongside your recovery.

Learn about mental health treatment

09 Dual diagnosis

When addiction and a mental health condition exist together, they need to be treated together. Our team holds both at once so nothing gets left behind.

Learn about dual diagnosis treatment
Why Costa Rica

Distance is the first intervention

Distance from your environment is not an obstacle. It is the first intervention. Removing yourself from the people, places and patterns that have fed the addiction creates the space for something new to take hold. Costa Rica gives you that distance. But it gives you something more.

Therapeutic distance

Leaving your triggers behind is not running away. It is the smartest first step you can take.

Nature as medicine

The rainforest, the rivers, the stillness. These are not amenities. They are part of the treatment.

Safe and credible

Fully licensed, English-speaking team, world-class medical care.

The CRTC difference

One team, one method, a promise that holds

One team from your first call to the day you leave, and every day after. A method built around who you are, not a program you fit into. A guarantee that holds beyond discharge. This is what we built, and why it works.

  • 65%
    Abstinence at 1 year
  • 600+
    Patients treated
  • 1:1
    Staff to patient ratio
  • 4.6 Google rating
    Based on 69 verified patient reviews
  • 30-day guarantee
    If you relapse within 6 months of finishing, you can come back at no cost
  • Since 2016
    A decade treating addiction and mental health in Costa Rica
  • Dual diagnosis
    Treated with expertise
  • Mental health
    Addressed alongside addiction
  • Full continuum of care
    Detox to aftercare, one team
As seen in Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)CBSNBCThe Tico Times
For families and professionals

Here to help someone you care about?

Programs & guidance

Support for families

Supporting a loved one through addiction is one of the hardest things you will ever do. We have a dedicated space for you.

Referrals & partnerships

Support for professionals

Looking to refer someone you believe needs this level of care? We work closely with interventionists, clinicians and employers who share our commitment to lasting recovery.

Take the first step

The first step is a conversation

You do not have to have everything figured out. You just have to be ready to start the conversation. We are here. Day or night.

Your privacy is always protected

Stories and insights

From the journal

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What Is Pharmakeia

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What Is Pharmakeia? Understanding the Spiritual Root of Addiction

TL;DR: The ancient biblical word pharmakeia, translated as “sorcery,” offers a powerful lens for understanding modern addiction. It describes the use of substances to create…

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