Syabu addiction treatment: methamphetamine (ice) rehab in Malaysia
Syabu addiction treatment is structured therapy over several months. At Salus in Cyberjaya, Selangor, that means a 90-day residential stay built on the Matrix Model, a programme designed for stimulant dependence. If you are looking for methamphetamine (ice) addiction treatment in Malaysia for someone you love, this page explains what happens, what it costs and how to begin.
Signs that syabu use has become addiction
Families rarely see all of these, and you do not need to be sure before you ask for advice. These are the patterns people describe most often when they first call.
- Days without sleep followed by a day or two of sleeping through, and the cycle repeats.
- Weight loss, a thinner face, and changes to the teeth and skin over a few months.
- Moods that swing between talkative, restless and over-confident, and flat, irritable and withdrawn.
- Money, phones or belongings from the house going missing, with explanations that keep changing.
- Suspicion that does not match reality: checking windows, accusing relatives, hearing things that are not there.
- Old friends replaced by new contacts who are never introduced, and a phone that is always kept private.
How syabu addiction treatment works at Salus
No medicine is currently approved to treat methamphetamine dependence itself, so treatment is psychological and behavioural, and research points to what helps. Salus combines the Matrix Model with treatment for the depression, anxiety, trauma or sleep problems that often sit underneath. Psychiatrists and psychologists work from one plan.
01
Rest and medical review
The first days are for sleep, food and a medical review while the crash passes. A psychiatrist sees every guest on arrival, with 24-hour care and medical oversight.
02
Assessment and diagnosis
Medical, psychiatric and psychological assessments lead to a diagnosis, and the diagnosis decides the therapy. The plan is written with the person and reviewed every week.
03
Matrix Model sessions
Individual and group therapy, family education and relapse-prevention work, with cognitive behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing at the core.
04
Handling cravings
The Matrix Model teaches practical ways to deal with cravings, triggers and risky situations, with relapse prevention built into the sessions.
05
A life that holds the change
A Salus Clinician works alongside medical care to plan sleep, routine, people and purpose across six areas of life, with a written aftercare plan and continued support once home.
Ninety days, residential, in Cyberjaya.
A private room, all meals, 24-hour care with medical oversight, individual and group therapy, family sessions and a written plan for going home. One price, with nothing added later.
90 days
Four phases: Restore, Connect, Participate, Integrate
RM7,000 per month
All-inclusive
What are the first weeks without syabu like?
Stopping methamphetamine is not medically dangerous in the way that stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines can be, but it is hard, and it is where most attempts to stop at home fall apart. The crash comes first: days of deep sleep, hunger and heavy low mood. The US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) puts the peak of withdrawal two to three days after the last use, easing over about a week.
After the crash comes the part families underestimate. Low mood, anxiety, poor concentration and strong cravings can last for weeks and sometimes months, set off by places, people and stress. That is why the first phase at Salus is built around sleep, food, routine and a medical review before therapy starts. Some people also become paranoid or hear things that are not there. That is a medical matter, it usually settles as the drug leaves the body, and the psychiatrist who sees every guest assesses it. If someone is violent, psychotic or has collapsed, call 999 first.
How long does syabu rehab take, and what does it cost?
The Matrix Model is designed to run over several months. NIDA's review of treatment research finds that most people need at least three months in treatment to cut down or stop, with the best results from longer stays, and that is why Salus is a 90-day stay. Progress through the four phases, Restore, Connect, Participate and Integrate, follows readiness rather than the calendar, so the plan moves at the person's own pace.
Matrix Model therapy, accommodation, meals, 24-hour care and medical oversight, family sessions and an aftercare plan all sit inside one fee of RM7,000 per month. Over 90 days that is about RM21,000. Payment plans can be discussed.
How do I help someone who will not stop using syabu?
Choose a calm moment, not when the person is high, exhausted or in the middle of a crash. Say two or three things you have actually seen and how they make you feel. Do not argue with paranoid ideas, because you will not win and the conversation will end. Expect denial, and expect that it may take several conversations over several weeks.
You can phone Salus first, without the person knowing, and describe what you are seeing. A clinician can advise on how to approach this particular person, and a professional's voice sometimes lands differently from a parent's. Once the person is here, family sessions are part of the plan.
Questions families ask.
What is syabu, and is it the same as ice?
Syabu is the Malaysian name for crystal methamphetamine, and ice is another name for the same drug. Amphetamine-type stimulants, mostly syabu, made up 139,909 of the cases recorded by the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) in 2024, about seven in ten. Six in ten of all recorded cases involved people aged 15 to 39.
Is there a medicine for syabu addiction?
No medicine is currently approved to treat methamphetamine dependence itself, according to NIDA. Doctors can treat what surrounds it, such as low mood, anxiety and poor sleep. The approaches with the best evidence are behavioural: cognitive behavioural therapy and structured programmes such as the Matrix Model, both of which are part of the programme at Salus.
Does Salus treat the depression and anxiety that come with syabu use?
Yes. Many people who use syabu also carry depression, anxiety, trauma or attention difficulties, and the drug tends to return as a way of treating them. Every guest is assessed by a psychiatrist and a psychologist on arrival, and those conditions are treated in the same plan as the dependence.
Will he crave syabu after the 90 days?
Cravings months after stopping are normal and do not mean treatment failed. What decides the outcome is whether the person has sleep, routine, people and purpose to hold the change. Leaving is planned from the first week, with a written aftercare plan, continued counselling and a support group, and family sessions so relatives know what to expect.
Will anyone know he is at Salus?
Only the people you choose to tell. Clinical information stays with the care team, and in the hotel he is just another guest. A first call, in confidence and with no obligation, lets you ask before anyone decides anything.
The clinical team behind Solace Asia.
Salus is part of Solace Wellbeing Group, which opened Solace Asia in 2014. It shares Solace's clinical leadership, methods and advisory board of senior Malaysian psychiatrists and clinicians, in a residential setting designed to cost less.
2014
Solace Asia founded
5,000+
Patients treated across the group
90
Days in the programme
Other conditions we treat.
- Start herePrivate rehab Malaysia
- PerakDrug rehab Perak
- JohorDrug rehab Johor
- SelangorPrivate drug rehab Selangor
- Kuala LumpurDrug rehab Kuala Lumpur
- AlcoholAlcohol addiction treatment
- DrugsDrug rehabilitation centre
- Heroin and opioidsHeroin and opioid treatment
- KetumKetum addiction treatment
- Prescription medicinesPrescription medicine addiction
- GamblingGambling addiction treatment
- Gaming and internetGaming and internet addiction
- Mood and dependenceDual diagnosis treatment
- OCDOCD and addiction treatment
Insights
Further reading
Syabu and methamphetamine: what families in Malaysia need to know, and where help starts
Syabu is now the drug behind most recorded addiction cases in Malaysia. Here is how dependence takes hold, what the first weeks off it are like, and what treatment that works looks like.
5 min readHow to talk to someone you love about getting help
The conversation most families dread, and how to have it in a way that keeps the door open. Practical guidance from the Salus admissions team.
3 min readWhy ninety days? What the research says about how long recovery takes
Three months is not an arbitrary number. Here is the evidence behind a 90-day programme, and what happens inside it.
3 min read
Sources
- 1Agensi Antidadah Kebangsaan via Bernama, 13 May 2025: amphetamine-type stimulants 139,909 cases in 2024
- 2NIDA, Methamphetamine research topic: effects, withdrawal and treatment
- 3NIDA, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide
- 4NIDA, Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: how long does drug addiction treatment usually last
This page is general information, not medical advice, and does not replace an assessment by a qualified clinician. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.
One conversation is enough to start.
Call, message or write to us. You will speak with a member of our admissions team, not a call centre. Every enquiry is confidential and there is no obligation.
Available daily, including weekends and public holidays.
Confidential · No obligation
