Where to Find Addiction Help in the UK?

The Benefits of Getting Addiction Help

In order to successfully overcome an addiction to drugs or alcohol, it is most often that a person will need professional help. Some people can quit using on their own, but there are countless others who may quit this way for some time, but find the temptation to use to be too overwhelming. Most people can’t overcome addiction alone. It’s simply too complex of a condition to expect to overcome without therapies designed to address it.

When a person seeks help for their addiction they are truly making one of the best decisions they can regarding their substance abuse issues. While the physical aspect of addiction undoubtedly keeps a person trapped in the vicious cycle of substance use, the mental and emotional components of an addiction can make it seem impossible to overcome. Getting addiction help ensures that they are receiving the therapy they need to address these often-painful psychological aspects of their addiction.

Therapy in addiction allows the individual to gain understanding of their condition. When a person knows why they keep using, it’s often easier to overcome the issues that keep them in their addicted state of mind. When a person gets help for addiction, they also receive the knowledge necessary to better understand what triggers their desire to use, and how work through these uncomfortable feelings.

How Do I Know It’s Time for Help?

Because addiction can quickly destroy a person’s life, if you think there might be a problem, getting help immediately is recommended. Even people who abuse substances but aren’t yet dependent on them can benefits from getting help. An addiction can happen before a person knows it’s happened. There is treatment for all levels of addiction. A person doesn’t need to hit “rock bottom” before getting the help they need. If you are considering help for addiction, it probably means that it is time to look into your various treatment options.

Different Types of Addiction Help

No two addictions are ever the same, and each person will respond to treatment differently. When you begin to look for a treatment centre, you’ll find that there are countless options for treatment all across the UK. When seeking out different options, it’s important to know the differences between different types of treatment. The first decision you will need to consider is if you will go away for addiction help, or get treatment while staying at home.

Inpatient Addiction Help

Many people facing addiction find that going away for help can be the most beneficial to their particular situation. When a person receives help at an inpatient addiction centre, they will stay at the centre the entire duration of their treatment programme. Detox, therapy, and all treatments they receive will take place at one centre. Inpatient treatment lasts an average of 28 days, but can be longer depending on a person’s individual needs.

Inpatient help can prove to be so beneficial because it removes a person from their immediate environment. Visits from friends and family are often prohibited unless it would prove beneficial for a person’s recovery. The ability to be away from a regular routine and in an atmosphere that focuses only on overcoming addiction can truly be unprecedented in avoiding relapse. When a person isn’t surrounded by the things that drive their drug or alcohol use, it’s often easier to overcome the urges to use when they arise.

Outpatient Addiction Help

Not everyone can go away to get help for their addiction. For the people that want to overcome their substance abuse issues, but still must attend to their everyday responsibilities, outpatient treatment can prove to be a viable option. For addicts with family responsibilities (taking care of their own children, looking after family members, etc.), outpatient rehab will allow them to do this while getting the help they need.

Getting outpatient addiction help is a much less intensive experience than an inpatient programme. It doesn’t remove a person from their everyday environment, and doesn’t allow them to “escape” the pressures of their normal life. Because of this, outpatient treatment is often best suited for those who are struggling with milder cases of addiction. And while outpatient treatment can work for some people with more critical cases of addiction, the likelihood of giving into the triggers that lead to relapse increase exponentially.

In an outpatient treatment programme, the person getting help will be responsible for making it to scheduled appointments on time. These will include therapy sessions, as well as different treatments to help sustain sobriety. 12-step programmes such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are often incorporated into outpatient treatment. Detox takes place at a separate detox facility or is done on one’s own.

What to Expect When Getting Help for Addiction?

Intake

Before a person can get the help they need, they will need to be admitted to the addiction centre. Intake is simply an “interview” conducted by staff at the addiction treatment centre that helps to gauge the entire nature of a person’s addiction. In this interview, a person will be asked various questions that have to do with their problem with drugs or alcohol. During intake, a person will be asked the following:

• What type of drugs they abuse
• How long they have been using
• How much they use
• If they use any other substances
• If there are any physical health problems
• Any mental problems such as anxiety or depression now or in the past

Detox

In most cases, detox will immediately follow the intake process. Someone attending inpatient rehab should expect to go to detox right after intake, while those going to an outpatient facility might get a scheduled appointment for a detox or be asked to detox on their own before they are scheduled for therapy. Detox helps to remove all traces of drugs or alcohol from a person’s system. The withdrawal process during detox can be excruciating depending on the type and severity of the addiction a person is dealing with. Factors that influence withdrawal include what kind of drug a person used, how long they’ve been using, how much they used on a regular basis, and their gender, body type, and metabolism. The length of detox will be dependent upon all these factors as well. Detox can last anywhere from 24 to 48 hours up to two weeks or longer depending on the complexity of the addiction a person is facing.

What Is a Medically-Supervised Detox?

Some cases of addiction are so critical that the withdrawal process can be life-threatening. In instances such as these, medication will sometimes be offered to the patient to stabilise them during withdrawal. A medically-supervised detox is often applied to late-stage alcoholics and people with acute addictions to heroin or prescription opiates.

Do I Need Treatment After a Successful Detox?

There is a common misconception that once a person has completed detox successfully that there is no further need for treatment. Detox however, is simply part of the whole. There are many components to a person’s addiction problem, which is why there are various treatments involved in getting addiction help. While detox is excellent for helping a person through the physical withdrawals of their addiction, there are many psychological aspects that must be addressed in order to deem treatment a success. Detox is simply the first step in many that a person will undergo when getting help for their addiction.

Therapy

One of the most important components of getting help for addiction includes the therapy a person will receive as part of their treatment. Therapy is a regular part of the process of getting help for addiction and is fundamental in a person’s recovery. Irrespective of whether receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment, therapy should be expected as one of the biggest aspects of a person’s experience. This is because talking to a professional about the nature of their addiction can better help the patient understand the reasons for their addiction in the first place. And once a person knows why they continue to turn to drugs or alcohol, they can begin to take the steps to overcome these reasons.

Therapy gives an addict the chance to talk about the feelings and emotions associated with their addiction as well. Therapy can be an excellent way for a person to work through the emotions they are accustomed to covering up with drugs or alcohol. These are the very feelings that keep a person in their destructive habits. Through regular therapy however, a person can realise these feelings no longer need to dictate the way they live their life.

Therapy also gives an addict the connection to others they often lose when caught in an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Not only will the private therapy a person receives offer this sense of connection, but the group therapy a person attends can be lifechanging when it comes to forging a connection to others. The ability to relate with others who share a similar experience can extremely beneficial during the recovery process. Not only can this make a person feel a bond with other people, but can offer insight into their own actions as an addict. Knowing they are not the only one who feels the way they do can also help in avoiding relapse. Just having the understanding that others are going through a similar experience can tremendously help when a person is trying to remain sober. No one should feel alone when getting help for addiction. Individual and group therapy can offer a sense of belonging in this very delicate time of a person’s life.

Treatments

While therapy is undoubtedly a vital aspect of receiving addiction help, there are various treatments a person will undergo while going through the recovery process. Addiction is complex, so much so that not one single type of treatment is going to benefit a person. There are many aspects of their addiction that must be addressed, which is why there are various forms of treatment they will experience while going to rehab.

Treatment is designed not only to help a person in achieving sobriety, it is there to help them sustain it. Relapse is a very unfortunate for many people who try to overcome addiction. Of those that do relapse, it’s often because they’re not equipped with the tools a person needs to stay sober. There are some treatments designed to help a person identify triggers and overcome the emotions associated with them.

Other treatments will help people integrate successfully back into society after treatment is over. Going to rehab can make a person feel safe. They have all the support they need as they work their way through recovery. After rehab is over however, a recovering addict is bound to feel some very scary emotions. Getting help truly helps a person maintain their sobriety once treatment is over. From teaching a person basic life skills to offering them information on how to get a job after rehab is over, treatment is designed with the benefit of the addict in mind.

The treatment a person gets when going to rehab will have a lot to do with their personal situation. Some treatment centres will integrate things such as yoga and meditation, while others will focus on other exercises that help a person rebuild their strength. Some programmes include art and music therapy as well.

What Is Aftercare?

When a person finishes an addiction treatment programme, they’ll often be given a detailed aftercare plan. Receiving help for addiction doesn’t always end when treatment is over. For many people, recovery is a lifelong process where staying sober will need to be attended to daily.

Aftercare is something designed to help people maintain their sobriety after finishing an inpatient or outpatient addiction programme. Aftercare most often includes continued therapy (both individual and group) and participation in 12-step programmes such as AA or NA. Sober living facilities are another way people can get the care they need to help them stay sober after treatment is complete.

Aftercare is often just as important as treatment itself. Addiction is so complex, it can often take months or years to truly overcome, even after getting help. Aftercare should be taken very seriously and attended to as long as a person feels they can benefit from the services it provides.

Finding the Best Addiction Help in the UK

We understand how important it is to receive quality addiction help when facing a problem with drugs or alcohol. We are connected to countless addiction treatment centres throughout Essex and London and can help you find the perfect situation to fit your needs. No one deserves to live tied to the chains of addiction. We’re here to answer any questions you have and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you find your freedom. Call us now to see how we can help you find the addiction help that best suits your needs.