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ASA Ruling Highlights Importance of Clear Service Descriptions in Addiction Treatment Marketing

Recent ASA Decision: Detox Today (July 2025)


The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against Detox Today regarding clarity in their service descriptions. This case offers valuable insights for marketing practices in the addiction treatment sector.

The Case Overview

Detox Today's website included claims about "Medical & Psychological Addiction Treatments," "medical assessments," "doctor consultation and prescription medications," and references to "our medical and therapeutic teams."

The ASA investigation revealed that:

  • Detox Today is staffed by one individual and offers remote private treatments to help people stop drinking

  • They work alongside registered medical professionals but in completely separate roles

  • Their services do not require CQC registration


The ASA's Assessment

The ASA found that "the website did not make a clear delineation between the services offered directly by Detox Today and those performed by third-party professionals."

The ruling stated: "As a consequence, we considered consumers were likely to understand that Detox Today directly provided medical services and had medically qualified staff. The implication of claiming to offer such services was therefore that Detox Today had CQC registration; however, that was not the case."


Industry Considerations

This ruling highlights several important considerations for addiction treatment marketing:

Service Clarity: The distinction between services provided directly versus those accessed through third-party professionals needs to be explicit in all marketing materials.

Professional Terminology: Language like "our doctors" or "our medical team" may create expectations about in-house staffing that don't align with actual service delivery models.

Regulatory Implications: Different service models have different regulatory requirements. Marketing should accurately reflect these distinctions.

Consumer Understanding: Marketing communications should enable consumers to make informed decisions about the nature and scope of services they're considering.


Broader Context

This case reflects ongoing challenges in the addiction treatment sector around marketing clarity. People seeking help need accurate information about:

  • Who will be providing their care

  • What regulatory oversight applies

  • How services are structured and delivered

Clear, transparent and accurate marketing serves both consumer protection and sector credibility. 

Resources

EMCAT promotes transparency and ethical marketing practices in addiction treatment services. We believe clear, transparent communication serves both providers and those seeking help.


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