This platform wasn’t built by a corporate team or a faceless agency. It was built by people who’ve worked within the addiction treatment sector and knew it needed to be better.
Open Recovery was founded by marketing professionals who have spent over a decade working with rehabs across the UK.
We’ve written entire websites and built countless campaigns. We know what information people find helpful and understand what harmful messaging looks like.
Many of us also have personal experiences of addiction, trauma, or neurodivergence. We understand how overwhelming it is to look for help while also sifting through scary messaging and hard sales tactics.
This platform is our way of doing better for the industry and - most importantly - for the people it serves.
When someone searches for help, they deserve proper guidance, not guesswork. But behind many rehab listings, there’s often a business model that prioritises clicks, leads, or commission over clarity.
For those seeking treatment – especially people doing so for the first time – the process is already extremely overwhelming. Most people won’t know what makes a good rehab; they don’t know what to look for and what treatments are effective. Instead of being given straightforward, transparent information, they’re met with vague descriptions, outdated details, or misleading claims. Some directories list rehabs based on who pays the most rather than who provides the best care, leaving people to make life-changing decisions based on incomplete or biased information.
This kind of ‘guesswork’ leaves vulnerable people in a difficult situation. For example, they might end up in a clinic that doesn’t suit their needs, offers inadequate treatment, or, worse, pressures them into spending money they don’t have. When profit takes priority over ethics, people searching for help are seen as leads to convert rather than individuals in crisis. This not only puts lives at risk but also damages trust in the addiction treatment industry as a whole.
We’ve worked within that system and seen people feeling confused, pressured, or misled, especially those navigating treatment for the first time.
So we asked : What if we could use everything we know about digital strategy to do the opposite?
To remove pressure, highlight ethical centres and give people a clearer idea of what's available to them based on their needs.
Open Recovery doesn’t take referral or broker fees. We don’t sell your data. We do offer sponsored listings and premium visibility, but these are always clearly marked and will never impact our verification process.
Every centre we list is vetted using our Open Rehab Initiative – a framework developed by us designed to assess transparency, honesty and ethical alignment.
The more clearly someone understands their options, the better their chances of finding a place that fits their needs.
Our job isn’t to point people in one direction. It’s to light the whole path.
This transparency helps people avoid:
We want Open Recovery to be a model for what ethical, helpful addiction support can look like online.
We’re not anti-industry. We’re pro-transparency, pro-access and pro-human.
Showcasing verified, values-led centres
Supporting informed decisions
Encouraging and empowering individuals and their families. Not manipulating them
Using marketing for good
Learn more about each rehab's score, strengths and treatment approach - all in one place.
