16 people died due to drugs in Wandsworth in 2020.
In that same year, there were 683 people who entered treatment for the first time due to alcohol and drugs.
The most effective way a person can be supported to recover is through entering addiction treatment services.
Finding out what’s available locally is the first step to healing.
It’s really difficult loving someone who has an addiction.
Boundaries are crossed, distressing events take place, you have to watch your loved one make unhealthy choices and see them deteriorate.
Supporting your loved one towards entering a drug and alcohol rehab in Wandsworth is made easier when you adopt a helpful approach.
The CRAFT intervention has proved successful for many families throughout the world.
It’s an intervention that recognises where your loved one is in their addiction cycle and what you can do in each stage in order to:
The emphasis is on building positive conversation and behaviours to build a more positive future.
There are a series of questions you can ask yourself.
If you answer positively to any of them, it suggests that you have some problems around substance misuse.
If this is the case, it’s worth talking to a professional for more guidance.
Questions to ask yourself:
To enter a drug and alcohol rehab in Wandsworth costs money.
There are a huge range of treatments on offer from specialist staff who have years of experience working in this area.
There are, though, a variety of options from affordable to opulent clinics.
It’s useful to bear in mind that addiction doesn’t discriminate and people enter clinics from all walks of life.
As a general rule, a clinic can cost anywhere from £1000-£10,000 per week.
This covers your assessment, any medications, all the psychological and alternative therapies, specialist input, as well as a bedroom and food.
Some health insurance policies do indeed cover the cost of a stay at rehab.
It’s worth checking out your policy details to confirm.
It might come under the addiction bracket, or alternatively, mental health.
If your policy is private, bear in mind the premium will increase next time the policy is renewed.
If your policy is through your employer, then it’s very likely that you’ll be under obligation to tell them about your addiction if you claim through the health insurance.
There are some very limited opportunities for people to access a rehab residential funded through the government.
What has to be acknowledged is how difficult this funding is to obtain, for two reasons: the eligibility requirements and the amount of funding available.
To obtain a grant for rehab, you have to be in active contact with local drug and alcohol services.
It’s essential that you’re able to prove that you’re doing everything advised by workers and using your own initiative to heal.
The conflict here obviously comes from how challenging it is to stop using substances without specialist input in the first place.
If a person is able to demonstrate that they’re doing as well as possible then they would apply to the local council for funding.
At this point, the staff at the council would decide from many applications who is to receive funding.
Unfortunately, waiting lists in this area are very long.
NHS services, also what are known as government-funded services, are very different to private rehab.
There is usually a centre where anyone in the community is welcome to attend if they have a problem with substance abuse.
People tend to be at various points of addiction. Local services support people who are in active addiction.
There is usually a harm reduction advice service as well as needle exchange and sometimes counselling.
For those who have reduced use or who are abstinent, there is light support through 12 Step Groups and maybe through mentoring programmes.
Private clinics are for people who have addictions who are ready to quit the substances.
Residents go to the clinic and stay for 4 weeks in order to detox and receive an immersive programme of treatments.
Private clinics offer the most specialist psychological treatments available and a wide range of alternative therapies in order to address the different aspects of the problem.
Outpatient services are where people live at home but go to an organisational building in order to receive treatment.
This might be medication, therapy or particular activites.
Government-funded options are almost exclusively outpatient.
Private clinics might offer some outpatient treatments to previous residents who are now on their aftercare programme.
Inpatient service is where people go to a clinic and stay there overnight for however long it takes to receive appropriate treatments.
This is what is typically referred to as “going to rehab”.
If you’re thinking of going to a drug and alcohol rehab in Wandsworth to be treated for alcohol use, it’s likely you’ll have developed a dependency.
This is where your body has come to need the substance in order to work.
What this means is that withdrawal can be very dangerous.
Symptoms include:
These seizures can lead to death.
This is precisely why entering rehab is so important.
A rehab stay means you’re looked after by a doctor who can prescribe medication that will keep your brain and body functioning in a safe way.
The medication that is usually administered is Librium and the course takes around 7-10 days to complete.
At this point, it’s the end of detox and time to begin the second stage of rehab: psychological and holistic healing.
The next 3 weeks of rehab is aimed at creating deep inner change.
The focus is on understanding where your addiction came from, how to process difficult feelings and learning skills that will help you overcome cravings into the future.
Various therapies and treatments take place each day to support you with this.
For those who have an addiction to heroin, dependency and psychological addiction are both likely.
This means that, as with alcohol, when you enter rehab you’ll begin with a physical detox.
Withdrawal from heroin brings the following symptoms:
A doctor will prescribe medication such as Subutex in order to make the process as safe and comfortable as possible.
This will last just under a week for most.
After this, you’ll then begin the therapies and activities to tackle the mental aspect of addiction.
It’s essential that you gain support to change how your thought processes work.
It’s this act of being able to catch an unhealthy thought and redirecting it that creates long-term change.
Psychotherapists will train you on how to do this.
More and more people are entering rehab throughout the UK due to cocaine addiction.
It’s become increasingly common due to the worldwide epidemic that has unravelled in recent years.
Unfortunately, cocaine is glamorised in the media and many people don’t understand the grave impact it has on health.
Cocaine alone, mixed with alcohol and crack-cocaine, all lead to a seriously dangerous build-up of toxins in the body.
People often imagine that eroding nose cartilage is the “worst” that can happen.
Sadly, this is simply not true.
Long-term effects include an increased risk of illnesses of the heart and lungs, damage to the eyes and liver and an increased risk of cancer.
Mental health issues linked to anxiety and suicidal thoughts are high.
At a cocaine rehab, psychotherapists support people to think about life outside of the clinic, what is it that they can change to create a meaningful and healthy life free from the substance?
By the end of their stay, residents will be sober and prepared for the next stage of their recovery.
Despite the fact that cannabis is being increasingly used in the medical field, there are a lot of differences between legal and illegal strains and methods of ingestion.
THC strains are illegal in the UK. They are also very strong and psychoactive.
Regular cannabis use is linked to the following:
At rehab, you’ll start to learn how to develop deep self-compassion.
Through doing this you reach a point that acknowledges where the problem has come from and you can start to heal from a place of self-forgiveness.
There are counselling sessions that support you to talk and express your feelings in a safe way.
You’ll also start to open up to others in group sessions, giving you the chance to share and learn.
If you enter a drug and alcohol rehab in Wandsworth, you’ll receive a treatment programme.
Every day there will be a selection of therapies and activities on offer to support you in understanding your addiction and how to heal.
So what’s on offer?
A dual diagnosis is given to people who enter rehab to be treated for an addiction who also have a mental health condition.
The two are highly correlated.
People with addictions use substances that not only fill the body with toxins, they also alter the chemicals and hormones in the body.
All of this can contribute to a mental health problem developing.
Flip the coin and you have people suffering with depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
These illnesses are extremely difficult to live with so people often turn to substances to try and ease symptoms.
This is known as self-medication.
Unfortunately, where people come to rely on this, addictions develop.
Many of those in private services are being supported by professionals for both conditions.
When you enter a private clinic with a dual diagnosis, your treatments will be tweaked to accommodate this.
This is because you need to address both issues in order to overcome addiction.
When a person has become sober, they’ll need to remain so in order to truly be in control of the addiction.
This is prepared for when you’re at rehab through a relapse prevention plan.
Staff will introduce you to new ways of facing and controlling your reactions to cravings and stressful triggers.
There will be moments that you hit where in the past you will have immediately reached for the substance.
Work you do at rehab will show you how to stop in the moment and ask yourself what is driving the craving.
You’ll come to understand yourself on a deep level and begin to use new behaviours to work through your feelings so that you can control your reactions.
Your relapse prevention plan will outline what you can do in challenging moments.
It will also include interests and hobbies you can get involved with, as well as people and organisations you can call for support.
Finally, there will also be guidance on how to handle a relapse in a safe way and in order to redirect you back on the healing path.
Some people, on leaving rehab, will want a little additional support or to know that there are places they can go if they start to struggle.
There are a few options at this point:
For more information about attending a drug or alcohol rehab facility in Wandsworth or anywhere in London, please contact Rehab 4 Addiction today.
We can help you find all the help and support you will need in one of the most difficult times of your life.
We promise you will not regret making this initial call for help.