The Sydney Retreat

About The Sydney Retreat

The Sydney Retreat is a private, not-for-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Stanmore, in Sydney’s Inner West. Its structured 28-day residential programme welcomes adult men and women into a comfortable, community-oriented setting where they can step away from alcohol and drugs and focus fully on recovery. Rather than operating as a hospital or medical detox, the retreat follows a non-clinical, mutual-help model shaped by Twelve Step Facilitation, the Minnesota Model and spiritual principles. Guests explore the nature of addiction, develop practical tools for maintaining sobriety and build relationships with a wider recovery network. Group work, mindfulness, life-skills education and relapse-prevention planning support this process. A distinctive part of the programme is its emphasis on lived experience. Staff and volunteers from the recovery community offer encouragement, practical guidance and an understanding of the challenges guests may face during early sobriety. Weekly addiction education and regular AA or NA meetings add further structure to each guest’s stay. The Stanmore property offers shared accommodation, welcoming common areas, outdoor spaces and recreational facilities. After completing residential care, guests may remain connected through recovery meetings, follow-up support and sober living options designed to strengthen the transition into everyday life.