Substance use and addiction services – Institutional rehabilitation

Substance use and addiction rehabilitation is predominantly provided by private service providers

In spring 2025, there were at least 43 units in Finland offering institutional substance use and addiction rehabilitation, and these were mainly part of private service provision.
There had been little change in the number of units providing institutional rehabilitation or in their ownership structure compared to 2021.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) conducted surveys on institutional substance use and addiction rehabilitation in 2025 and 2021. Units were asked to report the number of clients and rehabilitation periods for the year preceding the data collection.

The number of clients and rehabilitation periods has decreased compared to 2020

In 2024, there were 2,923 clients, representing a decrease of approximately one fifth compared to 2020. There were 3,167 rehabilitation periods in 2024, a decrease of more than one third (36%).

No significant changes in the number of client places or personnel

Although the number of clients declined, the number of client places and personnel remained largely unchanged.

In 2024, units providing institutional substance use and addiction rehabilitation had 484 client places, compared to 486 in 2020.

In 2025, the total number of personnel in these units was 513, compared to 509 in 2021.

A range of psychosocial methods are used in rehabilitation

Motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioural therapy, and the 12-step programme were the most commonly used psychosocial methods recommended by the Council for Choices in Health Care in Finland. These methods were used in the treatment of alcohol dependence, drug dependence, and gambling-related problems in both 2025 and 2021.

In 2025, contingency management was also in use in a small number of units; this had not been observed in the previous survey.

Training related to the use of these methods had generally increased. In contrast, employees reported receiving considerably less supervision related to the use of these methods in 2025 compared to 2021.

Sources

• Cavén, A et al. (2025) Laitosmuotoinen päihde- ja riippuvuuskuntoutus Suomessa 2025. Tutkimuksesta tiiviisti 42/2025. (Julkari) (in Finnish)
• Kuussaari, K et al. (2026, forthcoming 6 May 2026) Observations on changes in institutional substance use and addiction rehabilitation 2021–2025. In Kuussaari et al. (eds.) The State of Substance Use and Addiction Services – Perspectives on a Changing System. Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Report 4/2026. (Julkari) (in Finnish)
• Nevalainen E, Kuussaari K, Partanen A, Heiskanen M, Määttänen M (2022). Laitosmuotoisen päihdehoidon ja -kuntoutuksen saatavuus ja käytetyt menetelmät 2021. Työpaperi 12/2022. Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki. (Julkari) (in Finnish)

Description of statistics

The study examines institutional substance use and addiction rehabilitation in Finland.

Institutional substance use and addiction rehabilitation refers to rehabilitation that is provided on a 24-hour basis in a unit with appropriate facilities and sufficient personnel.
Rehabilitation may consist of medical and/or social rehabilitation and is of limited duration.

Units providing institutional rehabilitation are asked about their operations (including the number of clients and rehabilitation periods in the previous year), the rehabilitation provided, personnel, psychosocial methods used, and cooperation with other actors.

The survey has been conducted twice to date: in 2021 and 2025.
Units were identified from several sources:

1. rehabilitation institutions approved by Kela providing substance use or addiction rehabilitation,
2. THL’s Register of Social Welfare Establishments (TOPI),
3. specialised units such as “Pidä kiinni” mother-and-child homes, and
4. other sources of information (e.g. regional authority websites).

A total of 44 units were identified in 2021 and 43 in 2025.
In 2021, 34 units responded to the survey; in 2025, 33 units responded.
The questionnaires were largely comparable across both survey rounds and were implemented as Webropol surveys.

Update schedule

The next data collection will be carried out in 2029.