Medically reviewed by Dr Alexander Lapa (Psychiatrist)
MBBS, PG Dip Clin Ed, OA Dip CBT, OA Dip Psychology, SCOPE Certified
Drug rehabilitation provides individuals suffering with a drug addiction to start their road to recovery and beat their addiction. With personalised treatment programmes and sessions with leading therapists, recovering addicts are provided with the help and support to beat their battle with drug addiction.
At Addiction Advocates, our 24/7 advice and support helpline can help answer your questions about drug rehab and refer you to the leading rehabilitation centres in your area and across the United Kingdom.
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What is Drug Rehab?
Drug rehabilitation is a place for recovering addicts to take part in a programme that helps them withdraw from the use of drug substances and learn more about their addiction.
Through taking part in intensive treatment programmes, many individuals are able to implement prevention techniques in their day-to-day life so that they can lead a brighter, drug-free future.
What addictions do drug rehabs treat?
There’s not just one method for treating drug addiction that can be used across various substances. That’s why most drug rehabs provide tailored treatment programmes that are inclusive for all individuals suffering with a drug addiction.
Rehabilitation centres have specialist staff that are fully trained and qualified to help work with people recovering from various drug addictions. These can include:
- Cocaine addiction
- Ketamine addiction
- Heroin addiction
- Prescription drug addiction
How to Know when you Need Drug Rehabilitation
The ability to self-evaluate and acknowledging that you require professional help can be hard for individuals suffering with a drug addiction, as they are so wrapped up in their addictive behaviours.
If you think that you or a loved one might have a drug addiction issue but aren’t quite sure, then there are signs that you should look out for before seeking help.
Suffering from Withdrawal symptoms
After continuous long-term drug use, the body and the mind become reliant on it to continue functioning properly throughout the day. When withdrawing from using, individuals can experience intense withdrawal symptoms that can often lead to them reusing and repeating the process.
Physical withdrawal symptoms
People can experience mild to severe physical withdrawal symptoms that can cause extreme discomfort or pain. These can include:
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Muscle aches
- Sweating
- Heart palpitations
Psychological withdrawal symptoms
Not only does the body become the reliant on the drug but the mind does too, causing psychological withdrawal symptoms that can be mentally tormenting. These can include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Insomnia
- Paranoia
Denial or lack of acceptance
One of the most difficult parts of the recovery journey for individuals with a drug addiction is the acceptance of having an issue.
Many people with a drug addiction issue refuse that they have a problem with their drug use and claim that they are in control of their behaviour. This can lead to months or years of refusal to get help, which in the meantime can cause serious harm to your overall health and wellbeing.
Loved ones such as family members and partners are quicker to spot the signs of drug addiction as they can see an addiction from a different perspective. This means that it’s important to listen to your loved ones about their opinion and accept you need to seek professional help.
What is Included in Drug Rehab?
Taking part in drug rehabilitation requires three intensive phases that require an individual to fully immerse themselves in recovery. Each phase plays a key part on a recovery journey and contribute to future relapse prevention.
Phase One: Detoxification
As a result of drug abuse, your body can quickly become reliant on the substance which means that when you are not using, you experience intense withdrawal symptoms until you use again.
To ease intense withdrawal symptoms from your body’s reliance on substance use, you will take part in effective detoxification which can last anywhere between 5 to 9 days before symptoms ease off.
During this time, you will be medically supervised by a team of medical staff who will monitor you to ease your symptoms and ensure that you are comfortable.
Phase Two: Treatment and Therapies
The main part of your journey in rehabilitation will be taking part in intensive treatment programme, where you will be able to speak to leading therapists about your addiction issues and learn new techniques for relapse prevention.
A lack of understanding or awareness about addiction, causes and how to prevent it from affecting your day-to-day life is an issue for many recovering addicts which can often lead them to a feeling of despair.
By speaking to therapists about your feelings, and learning techniques for halting your addictive tendencies can help you lead a brighter future.
Types of treatment options
Primarily using CBT (Cognitive-Behavioural-Therapy) at the core of the therapy treatments, therapists can perform sessions with you in a range of different environments to suit you best. These can include:
- One-on-one-therapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Art therapy
Phase Three: Aftercare and Support
Your rehabilitation journey doesn’t end once your treatment programme is finished, in fact it’s only just began. You receive aftercare and support for up to 12 months from your rehabilitation provider, so that you can receive help as you continue to navigate your recovery.
With access to a helpline for support and advice, as well as regular check-ups on your progress with a member of staff, you can ask questions about your recovery to help stay on track.
How Much Does Drug Rehab Cost in the UK?
On average, the cost of drug rehab in the UK with approval from the CQC ranges from £4,000 to £11,000, based on a 7 to 28 day stay at a clinic.
These prices are variable and depend on a number of factors that can influence how much you pay for drug rehab, including the rehabilitation provider, chosen treatment programmes, duration of stay, location and level of facilities provided.
The price of outpatient rehab programmes are more cost-effective than inpatient treatment programmes as the individual does not benefit from 24/7 care and support whilst at home.
How Long Does Drug Rehab Last For?
The duration of your time in drug rehabilitation depends on a number of variables, including the type of programme that you choose, the type of treatments and whether detoxification is required.
The detoxification usually lasts between 5-9 days, depending on the individual. In some cases, detoxification may not be required; for example, cannabis addiction can sometimes not require detoxification before taking part in treatments.
The treatment programme can last anywhere between 12 and 28 days, which the individual is able to choose how long they stay there and how much treatment they receive.
Alternatives to Drug Rehab
Despite drug rehab being the most successful cause of relapse prevention and recovery for drug addictions, it may not be for everyone. As well as costing money, rehab treatment programmes are intensive and may not be the best course of action for some people.
There are alternatives to attending drug rehab which are available to help individuals suffering with drug addiction to speak about their issues and prevent from drug use.
NHS Outpatient Treatment
The NHS do offer outpatient treatment to help people with drug addiction issues to withdraw from drug use and learn relapse prevention techniques for day-to-day life.
Visiting your GP is a good start to receiving help for your addiction, as they are able to analyse your behaviour and refer you to outpatient treatment within the National Health Service.
However, NHS waiting times are extensive and individuals can wait months or even years to receive the help that they need. This can be too long, in cases where individuals are suffering from long-term addiction symptoms.
Narcotics Anonymous
NA, or Narcotics Anonymous, meetings are locally funded meetings that are designed to provide a safe space for individuals to attend and speak about their feelings with likeminded people who have similar experiences.
NA meetings can be beneficial as they are cost-free and enables you to speak to people that make you feel less alone in your experiences. However, without seeking professional help as well then they are not as successful for preventing relapse.
How Can Addiction Advocates Help You
At Addiction Advocates, we are here to help you through the early stages of your recovery journey and help you get the right treatment to build for a brighter future.
We offer a 24/7 helpline with free advice and support to answer any questions you may have about drug addiction and drug rehab. With our referral service, we can help you or a loved one have access to some of the leading rehabilitation centres across the United Kingdom without any complicated admissions process.
We are connected to leading rehabilitation centres within your local area and region that can provide you with treatment that can change your life. All you must do is speak to us over the phone and we’ll make the admissions process as smooth as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please be aware that some insurance policies can be activated through rehab. This will however depend on your policy, along with your selected drug rehab facility.
It is important to remember that there are no quick fixes when considering addiction recovery. Great effort will be required, along with your determination to progress through rehab. With this mindset and a personalised treatment plan, rehab can be highly effective.
A drug addiction also affects the body and behaviour of the addict, so they will often not seem themselves when suffering from a drug addiction. This behaviour change normally leads to the neglect of personal and professional responsibilities in order to acquire/consume the said drug.
Often, knowing about the symptoms, mental state and behaviour will not only provide you with information on the illness, but the addict may also learn about their addiction themselves and may appreciate the extra attention and care you have made towards them. Once you have researched, it is advisable that you offer them emotional but practical support.
Offering to attend a GP consultation with them is a great way to support them emotionally whilst also offering practical help. You should also remain optimistic too, often an addict can be feeling really low and that the weight of the world is on their shoulders. Remaining optimistic will give them hope about overcoming their addiction.
Counselling can come in many forms but typically you can expect either group or individual therapy. Group therapy is normally led by a professional or a previous addict and is joined by other suffering addicts. Group therapy can offer a great opportunity to support other addicts and understand that you are not alone.
Individual therapy is coordinated by a therapist who will get to the root cause of your addiction and help you work through those problems. There is also intensive rehabilitation, which is visiting a specialist rehabilitation clinic or in some cases living there for a short period of time. You will often undergo the above treatments as well as a medically assisted detox during your time at rehab.
Seth is an author, addiction recovery expert and fully accredited member of the national counselling society. He has experience working with a wide range of addictions and mental illnesses using a number of evidence-based therapies and programmes such as the SMART models of addiction recovery.
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Finding the right treatment for your addiction can be difficult this is why we have created a service which takes the stress away which can be a massive relief when dealing with an addiction.
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Suffering with an addiction and being alone can be a horrific scenario for many. Whether you have a drug or alcohol addiction, we're here to help.
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Do you have concerns that a loved one may be affected by substance misuse? Have you spotted any signs and symptoms of a drug and alcohol…
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Are you worried that a friend’s alcohol or drug consumption has become out of control? For many individuals, substance abuse starts unintentionally…What We Offer
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This is done to assess what sort of help is needed so we can recommend an addiction treatment service that can provide the best help possible.
All calls are strictly confidential and are carried out by a trained healthcare professional.
No obligation recommendations are made after a full assessment of yourself or loved ones situation is fully made.
Recommendations include specialist addiction treatment programmes in CQC regulated facilities based throughout the UK.
If you are unable to afford private treatment then public healthcare and charities would also be recommended to you.
How We Support You
We have a large number of helpful services available to help give you the best possible support when it comes to dealing with addiction.
Just some of the services we can offer includes:
- Free confidential telephone assessment
- Recommending CQC regulated residential addiction treatment providers
- Arranging for an intervention, if needed
- Insights into how different therapies and evidence based treatments work
- How detoxification works and what is the most safest option
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Why Choose Us?
We can help take the stress out of finding an addiction treatment provider by recommending only the best options available that fully suits your criteria.
The help and advice we can provide includes making sure that your journey towards recovery is one that can definitely be achieved.
Taking the step towards recovery can be incredibly tough but we are here to put your concerns at ease by giving you insights into the safety of undertaking residential addiction treatment and how it can put you on the path towards long lasting recovery from addiction.
Our team of advisors have extensive experience and knowledge about the subject of addiction and the treatment provided so if you have any questions then they will be more than happy to help.
Get started today by calling our friendly team today on 0800 012 6088.
