Finding Addiction Treatment in Colorado: Your Complete Guide

Colorado has built a substantial addiction treatment infrastructure, with hundreds of licensed programs serving communities across the Front Range, the Western Slope, the Eastern Plains, and mountain communities in between. Whether you are in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, a small farming community in the San Luis Valley, or a resort town in the mountains, treatment resources are within reach — though navigating them can be challenging without a guide.

This article is that guide. We’ll walk you through the levels of care available in Colorado, how to find programs, special populations served, and how to access the right type of help for your specific situation.

Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration and Treatment Oversight

Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration (CBHA), formerly the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH), oversees the licensing and regulation of substance use disorder treatment programs in the state. Treatment programs in Colorado are licensed based on the level of care they provide, aligned with the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria — a nationally recognized framework for matching people to appropriate treatment intensity.

Understanding the ASAM levels gives you a vocabulary for discussing options with providers, insurers, and treatment programs:

ASAM Level 1 (Outpatient): Weekly individual or group counseling, typically one to nine hours per week. Appropriate for people with mild substance use disorders and strong support systems.

ASAM Level 2.1 (Intensive Outpatient / IOP): Nine or more hours per week of structured programming, often three days per week for three or more hours each. A strong option for people who cannot take extended time away from work, school, or family.

ASAM Level 2.5 (Partial Hospitalization / Day Treatment): 20 or more hours per week of clinical programming. Near-residential intensity while allowing the person to return home at night.

ASAM Level 3 (Residential): 24-hour care in a non-hospital setting. Colorado has residential programs ranging from short-term (30-day) to extended care (90 days or more).

ASAM Level 4 (Medical Detox/Inpatient): Hospital-based care for medically complex withdrawal or acute psychiatric crises.

Treatment Programs Across Colorado

Colorado’s treatment landscape varies by region:

Denver Metro Area

The Denver metro area has the densest concentration of treatment resources in Colorado, including:

Arapahoe House / Behavioral Health Group: A long-established Colorado provider with multiple locations offering outpatient, intensive outpatient, and opioid treatment programs.
AllHealth Network: Integrated behavioral health with substance use treatment in the southeast Denver metro.
WellPower (formerly Mental Health Center of Denver): Offers integrated mental health and substance use services, including for unhoused individuals.
Denver CARES: Denver’s detox center, serving people who need medical stabilization and connections to treatment.
Stout Street Health Center: A federally qualified health center serving Denver’s unhoused and low-income community, offering integrated primary care and substance use services.

Front Range (Fort Collins, Boulder, Colorado Springs)

SummitStone Health Partners (Fort Collins/Larimer County): Comprehensive behavioral health services including substance use treatment.
Mental Health Partners (Boulder): Integrated mental health and substance use services in the Boulder Valley.
Diversus Health (Colorado Springs): Large behavioral health system offering comprehensive addiction services in El Paso County.

Mountain Communities

Mountain towns face unique challenges: high cost of living limits treatment facility development, seasonal populations strain services, and geography creates access barriers. However, organizations including:

Mind Springs Health: Serves Summit, Eagle, Garfield, Pitkin, and surrounding counties with behavioral health and substance use services, including some residential options.
Roaring Fork Valley Community Health: Integrated health services including substance use counseling in the Aspen area.
Colorado Crisis Services: Walk-in crisis centers in Glenwood Springs, Steamboat Springs, and Pueblo offer immediate connection to treatment resources.

Western Slope (Grand Junction)

West Springs Hospital: The primary inpatient psychiatric and detox resource for the Western Slope.
Axis Health System: Provides substance use treatment services across La Plata and surrounding counties in southwest Colorado.
Mesa County Human Services: Coordinates publicly funded substance use treatment for Grand Junction and surrounding communities.

Eastern Plains and Rural Colorado

Rural Colorado faces the most significant treatment access challenges. Key resources include:

Telehealth-delivered services: CBHA and SAMHSA both support expanded telehealth delivery of substance use services. Buprenorphine can now be prescribed via telehealth in Colorado, dramatically improving rural access to MAT.
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): Serve rural communities with sliding-scale addiction services. Colorado Rural Health Center maintains a directory of rural health resources.
CBHA Regional Service Areas: The CBHA has organized Colorado into regional service areas, each with designated community behavioral health centers that provide treatment regardless of ability to pay.

Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT) in Colorado

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognizes MAT as a cornerstone of effective opioid use disorder treatment. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) data shows that medications like buprenorphine reduce overdose deaths by 50 percent or more among people with opioid use disorder.

Colorado has made expanding MAT access a priority:

Buprenorphine: Now available at many primary care clinics, community health centers, and via telehealth providers. Colorado removed prior authorization requirements for buprenorphine in Medicaid (Health First Colorado), making access faster.

Methadone: Available at licensed Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) including Behavioral Health Group and others. OTPs are located primarily in Front Range communities, but Colorado has explored mobile methadone units to serve rural areas.

Naltrexone (Vivitrol): Monthly injectable, available at primary care providers and treatment programs across the state. Particularly useful for motivated individuals who have completed detoxification.

For alcohol use disorder: Naltrexone (oral and injectable), acamprosate, and disulfiram are available through primary care providers and addiction medicine specialists. NIDA data suggests these medications are significantly underutilized nationally, but Colorado providers are increasingly prescribing them.

Colorado Crisis Services: Your 24/7 Entry Point

Colorado Crisis Services is a statewide network of crisis support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It is a critical entry point to the treatment system:

Crisis line: Call or text 844-493-8255, or text “HELLO” to 741741 (Crisis Text Line)
Walk-in crisis centers: Located in Denver, Aurora, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, Pueblo, Glenwood Springs, and more
Mobile crisis teams: Available in many Colorado communities to come to you

Colorado Crisis Services can provide immediate stabilization and connect you or your loved one to appropriate substance use treatment — on the spot, without insurance required for the initial contact.

Finding a Program: Practical Steps

Call a helpline first: The CBHA helpline and the Colorado Addiction Hotline can conduct a brief phone screening, identify programs that match your needs and insurance, and help you take immediate next steps.
Use the SAMHSA Treatment Locator: findtreatment.gov allows you to search by location, substance, insurance accepted, and special populations served.
Contact your county human services: Every Colorado county has a human services department that can connect residents to publicly funded treatment and navigate the system.
Contact your insurance company: Call the member services number on the back of your insurance card and ask for a list of in-network substance use disorder treatment providers in your area.
Ask your primary care provider: PCPs in Colorado are increasingly trained in addiction medicine and can prescribe buprenorphine, coordinate referrals, and support your overall care.

What to Look for in a Quality Program

Not all treatment programs are created equal. When evaluating options, ask:

Is the program licensed by the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration?
Does it offer or coordinate medications for addiction treatment (MAT)?
Does it address co-occurring mental health conditions?
What is the average duration of treatment, and what does aftercare look like?
Does it accept your insurance (Health First Colorado, private insurance, or sliding-scale fees)?
Are peer support specialists available?
Does it offer family involvement?

SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) can help identify programs using evidence-based approaches.

Take the First Step

Knowing where to start is often the hardest part. That is exactly why the Colorado Addiction Hotline exists — to be your first call, your guide, and your advocate in finding the right treatment.

Call us today. Available 24/7, our counselors can assess your situation, answer questions about specific programs, verify insurance benefits, and connect you directly to care. Whether you need immediate detox, outpatient counseling, or just want to talk through your options, we are here.

Recovery begins with a single step. We are ready to walk alongside you.

Sources: Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (CBHA); Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM); Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)