If you have developed a dependency to a harmful substance there are options that you can pursue through the NHS, but sadly there are many problems with these options.

Public drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes are unfortunately crippled by underfunding and oversubscription. This means that places are limited and waiting times long.

These same issues also mean that the vast majority of public health options for sufferers of alcohol or drug addiction are outpatient in nature, which means that you will have to manage appointments rather than stay at a health facility.

This might suit some people better, and there is undeniable value in the addiction treatment services that the NHS offers, but if you have a severe case of addiction these waits and the outpatient nature of the service can be detrimental to recovery.

Residential addiction treatment, where patients have constant and easy access to professional medical support and care, has been proven to be the single most efficient method of curing dependency on alcohol and drugs.

Residential treatment means that you do not have to manage your own appointments, which can be incredibly difficult when in the worst throes of addiction, and you will have access to care whenever you need it.

Perhaps the main advantage is that you can receive the care you need as soon as you are ready to reach out, rather than having to wait potentially for months while the problem festers and grows worse.

 

How to find drug and alcohol facilities near me

If you think that private rehab is what you need, we at Addiction Advocates can help you find the facility that is right for you. There are many rehab places for drug and alcohol abuse across the country, all offering slightly different programmes of treatment.

Even if you are sure that residential treatment is what you want, it can be daunting and difficult to figure out which particular centre will work best for you. If you are unsure of what steps to take next then you should contact us using our 24 hour helpline.

Our teams of expert advisors will listen to you and point you in the right direction. Through us you will be referred to a rehabilitation centre perfectly suited to help you to a point of recovery.

 

What does rehab for drug and alcohol abuse entail?

Once you are at the rehab clinic, there are generally two phases to your addiction treatment. The first phase is drug and alcohol detoxification, and this is the time in which your body will process and remove the drugs or alcohol from your system.

Once your body is ‘clean’ you will be able to move on to the second phase of treatment, which is focussed more on the psychological aspects of addiction.

This is the time whereby you will undergo a series of different mental health treatments and support aimed at giving you the self-understanding and the tools necessary to avoid falling off the wagon and beginning to use or drink again once you have returned to your old life.

Addiction is an incredibly complicated issue, one that is comprised of both physical and psychological components. In order to facilitate a long term recovery that does not see you relapse, we need to utilise a holistic approach that addresses all the elements of dependency.

The first phase, detox, can be particularly hard. One of the worst things about giving up a substance you are addicted to is the withdrawal symptoms that can affect you once you no longer have the substance in your system.

These withdrawal symptoms can manifest as physical aches that can range from mildly uncomfortable to severe pain, or in the form of mental delusions including auditory and visual hallucinations. The withdrawal process can be very scary, and the difficulties that come along with stopping use represent the biggest roadblock preventing addicts from recovering on their own.

If you receive treatment at a specialised clinic, however, these problems become much easier to deal with.

Teams of medical professionals will be on hand at all times to protect and care you if anything goes wrong, you will be guided through the process so there won’t be many horrible surprises, and perhaps most importantly your access to drugs and alcohol will be severely restricted so the chances of you giving in to temptation and abandoning your recovery are essentially nil.

 

Addiction treatment therapies at Argyle rehab

The second phase is generally much easier for patients to get through. At this point the clinic will offer you a variety of different therapies aimed at drug and alcohol relapse prevention. The most common service provided during this phase is a king of talking therapy known as cognitive behavioural therapy.

CBT is primarily utilised in the treatment of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. It encourages patients to alter the way in which they approach overwhelming difficulties in their life, making it easier to deal with previously insurmountable problems by breaking them down into their composite parts.

By addressing big issues as multiple small problems instead, they become far easier to deal with. This approach can be applied to addiction with great success. But CBT will not be the only thing on offer.

Group counselling can be incredibly useful for helping you to develop a mutual support network with others going through the same struggle as you.

Knowing that you are not alone can make it much easier to deal with. If the thought of sharing your struggle with so many others is daunting, which is a perfectly valid thing to feel, you might instead undergo counselling one on one, and explore the initial causes and triggers of your addiction that way. By understanding why you abuse drugs or alcohol it becomes easier to avoid the pitfalls a second time.

There is no singular, definitive cure for addiction. It takes a combination of different methods and approaches.

By getting in touch with Addiction Advocates and talking to our team, you will ensure that you are referred to the clinic that offers the path that is right for you.