A recent report stated that in “2013/14 there were 1101 London Ambulance callouts in Harrow related to alcohol in adults, and 35 callouts related to young people.”
With the increased drinking throughout the pandemic, it’s likely that these figures further soared in recent years.
89 people died in Harrow in 2019 related to drug use.
Drug and alcohol abuse is always a serious concern, but these statistics are extremely concerning for the health and well-being of the general public.
These figures highlight the importance of drug and alcohol addiction services in the region and make it clear how important the provision of effective addiction rehab programmes is.
Many types of alcohol and drug addiction treatment services are offered throughout Harrow, including:
When you first realise that someone you love has a drug or alcohol addiction, it can feel very frightening.
There are many mixed feelings that arise within a family as people navigate their own perceptions of what it means to have an addiction and how someone they love has come to have one.
What becomes clear quickly is that you can’t control a person’s behaviour.
Where drug and alcohol addiction is concerned, this is even more apparent.
The person is ruled by the chemical imbalances and neural pathways in the brain that have resulted in this disease.
This can feel totally helpless for family members as they watch the person they love enter a self-destructive lifestyle driven by drug abuse or alcohol abuse.
When this happens, though, there are things you can do.
One of the most effective interventions methods for families to adopt is known as the CRAFT intervention.
It takes into account where your loved one is on their drug or alcohol journey and provides you with skills to use in each phase.
This helps you to feel empowered and supports your loved one to stay open.
Techniques tend to focus on those actions that are positive, meaning your loved one is reminded of the things they are doing well.
Eventually, moving through the techniques and stages supports your loved one towards being ready to begin an alcohol or drug addiction treatment plan.
If you’re contemplating attending a drug and alcohol rehab programme in Harrow, you’ll need to meet certain eligibility requirements.
The main one is, of course, that you have a drug or alcohol addiction.
Many people struggle to accept this is the case, and it can take years before they’re ready to do anything about their drug and alcohol misuse.
Here are four questions you can ask yourself which if you answer “yes” will reveal you most likely have an addiction:
Answering “yes” to any of these questions suggests that you would benefit from speaking with a professional about your substance use.
You can contact Rehab 4 Addiction if you’re unsure what to do next or curious about a local drug and alcohol rehab Harrow service.
As with anything in life, you have options when it comes to alcohol & drug rehabilitation clinics.
When it comes to choosing the right treatment options for you, there are many factors to consider.
There are those that offer a luxury experience and those which are much cheaper and affordable.
The length of time you stay and the treatments you require will also influence the overall cost, as will the available alcohol & drug rehab facilities.
There will also be other factors, such as whether you’re happy to share a bedroom, if you want to travel to another part of the country for a stay, or the severity of your drug and alcohol misuse and the associated treatment plan needs.
The cost of an addiction treatment programme will vary from £1000 to £10,000 for every week of active alcohol or drug addiction treatment.
It’s worth investigating a variety of drug rehab clinics and comparing what they offer.
Some health insurance policies do cover the cost of a stay at an alcohol & drug rehab centre.
To find out if yours does, you’ll need to have a look at your insurance documents.
It might be worth contacting the providers to confirm as well.
There are some issues you’ll want to factor in before taking this route.
Firstly, if your health insurance is through your place of employment then there’s likely to be a clause that states you need to admit that you have a drug or alcohol addiction to your employer.
Although in the addiction field we know that there is no shame in admitting an addiction and seeking help, there is still a lot of stigma around it in wider society.
It can be worth seeking advice in this area before contacting your employer.
If your health insurance is a private one that you’ve organised yourself, then claiming through it will likely increase your yearly premiums going forward.
Some people are fortunate enough to receive funding via the NHS to cover the cost of a drug and alcohol rehab programme in Harrow.
It needs to be pointed out, though, just how limited this option is.
A person has to meet many eligibility requirements to access this funding.
To gain NHS funding, people have to prove that they’re seriously committed to quitting drugs and alcohol permanently.
You would do this by offering evidence from professionals to the Harrow local authority or a nearby NHS Foundation Trust.
You’ll also need to be in regular contact with a local drug and alcohol service and be doing all the things recommended by the staff there.
Once you’re able to demonstrate these things, you’ll then be eligible to apply for funding from your local council.
At this point, you’ll go up against many other people who are hoping to access this very limited funding.
With so many applicants people end up on waiting lists for a very long time and may never receive the grant.
To find out more about the situation in your local area, get in touch with us today.
A residential rehab programme might last for around a week or a month, with the majority of people receiving a 28 day rehab stay.
The recommended length of time for a person to receive in-depth treatments to provide a solid foundation for their recovery journey is around one month.
This gives the space and time for real immersion into activities and new ways of thinking.
You might have heard that some people stay at a rehabilitation centre for just a week.
This might occur for someone who has entered only for the medical detox process, which can be essential in some cases to keep the person safely alive.
Physical dependencies on alcohol and heroin can be extremely dangerous during the withdrawal stage, which is why a professionally supervised medical detox phase is critical.
People are advised to stay in longer than this initial detoxification phase in order to receive ongoing psychological support.
There are basically two types of drug and alcohol services: those that are funded by the patient and those by the government.
Any addiction treatment plan funded by the patient is undergone at a private rehabilitation centre.
They support people through offering individualised support and through a range of psychological and alternative therapies, support groups and relaxing activities.
The holistic approach to healing is what offers the greatest likelihood of achieving sobriety for the addicted person.
Government-funded drug and alcohol rehabilitation services are available in the majority of local towns and all cities.
It’s usually based in a centre where people can find a needle exchange, harm reduction advice, and mutual support groups to support their healing journey.
The two most significant forms of treatment for addiction are inpatient and outpatient treatment.
If you enter a private rehab facility in Harrow, this will be an inpatient addiciton treatment service.
Effectively, this means that you stay at the alcohol and drug rehab clinic for a period of time to receive your full programme for the treatment of addiction.
On leaving your inpatient rehab programme, you might access some outpatient treatments from the rehabilitation clinic as part of an aftercare programme.
Outpatient services are where you live at home but will travel frequently to alcohol and drug detox clinics or addiction treatment centres to access your addiction treatment programs.
This might be counselling or a group treatment session.
Government-funded drug and alcohol rehabilitation services almost exclusively offer outpatient treatment programmes due to the high cost of inpatient rehabilitation centres.
If you have an alcohol problem, then you may be suffering from both a psychological and physical addiction.
The latter, also known as a substance dependency, can be very dangerous during withdrawal and is one of the key reasons why alcohol misuse is so hard to beat.
This is because of how it shuts down the body.
Symptoms include:
This type of withdrawal means that the safest way to undergo the alcohol detox process is under the care of a doctor.
This is what happens when you first enter your chosen rehab centre.
The first 7-10 days will focus on getting you sober in a safe way.
A detox medication such as Librium is likely to be prescribed during your alcohol detox phase to limit the impact of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
This medication eases distressing symptoms and will be tapered off so you are free from substances at the end of the detoxification programme.
At this point, you’ll begin your treatment programme for the mental and emotional side of the addiction.
This is crucial to ensure long-lasting recovery.
You’ll start to unpick what compels you to drink and how you can introduce new lifestyle patterns to conquer this.
Thousands of people throughout the UK smoke cannabis.
With its increased use in the medical field, users often assume it’s safe.
Unfortunately, cannabis use comes with a lot of unhealthy consequences that are damaging to both physical and mental health.
Effects of use include:
THC-heavy strains of cannabis are psychoactive, meaning they are mind-altering substances which can be the cause of addiction and the cause of the psychological issues listed above.
CBD strains are what are usually used in the medical field, but these prescriptions should be overseen by a doctor and, where used, doctors prescribe oils and sprays rather than a smokable substance.
This is similar to nicotine replacement treatment for conventional cigarette smokers, such as nicotine patches.
During rehabilitation, therapists will support a person in recovery to understand their own thought processes and how the substance interrupts and changes these.
You’ll gain an understanding of how to improve your mood and feelings in a natural way rather than turning to a substance, giving you the basis for a robust recovery programme.
Throughout the world, there has been an increase in cocaine use as supply has shot up.
As this situation has unravelled, addiction to it has soared.
Cocaine is often seen as a “party drug” despite its class A status.
Cocaine is highly addictive and has serious mental and physical health implications.
Many people combine it with alcohol use, with these two substances create a chemical called cocaethylene.
This is highly toxic and builds up in the body.
The varied side-effects of cocaine use can be observed in:
Therapists support patients to understand the thoughts they have that lead them to take cocaine.
You’ll learn how to adapt thoughts and develop strategies which you can use during cravings to stop you.
There will be a high emphasis placed on what you can do to change your life.
This will mean developing new interests, changing your social support network, and finding new meaning through healthy behaviours.
When people become addicted to heroin, they usually become physically dependent.
Where this happens, a heroin detox programme is required at the start of a rehabilitation stay.
The clinical team will ensure that you’re provided with a tapered Subutex prescription or other drug detox medication as appropriate.
This eases uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms such as:
A typical detoxification process will last up to 10 days.
You’ll also be supported to eat and drink as well as possible during this time period.
After your heroin detox process, you’ll then enter psychological and emotional therapies.
Often, where heroin use is concerned there is emotional pain that needs to be addressed.
Therapies focus on addressing these and providing you with the skills to manage your responses in a healthy way.
You’ll also be supported through group treatment sessions where you learn from others in similar situations.
This can be truly empowering to get advice from those who understand life in a way that connects to you.
There will also be activities that support you to achieve inner peace, such as:
An alcohol and drugs rehab in Harrow will offer a wide range of therapies.
The more you get involved and participate with your individualised timetable of events, the more you benefit, learn and secure yourself the chance of future of sobriety.
Therapies recieved during a rehabilitation treatment plan include both psychological therapies and holistic treatment (art therapy, music therapy, equine therapy, mindfulness, etc.)
All of these are important as they address what’s going on in your mind as well as how you manage your bodily reactions.
Every therapy you receive during your alcohol or drug addiction treatment plan will be based on scientifically proven treatment techniques with a long history of effectiveness in treating addiction.
Addiction therapies typically include:
Every person who enters rehabilitation at a qualified rehab centre will undergo a psychiatric assessment conducted by addiction specialists or qualified recovery nurses.
This will help to determine their precise treatment needs but can also reveal any co-occuring mental health problems.
Where this occurs, you’re very likely to hear the words “dual diagnosis”.
What this simply means is that you have both an addiction and another mental health condition at the same time.
Typically this includes conditions such as:
Due to the strong links between addiction and poor mental health, these conditions can be both caused by addiction problems or be the root causes of addiction themselves.
This diagnosis can be really helpful as it means that staff will support you to heal in both areas.
You might receive additional treatments in particular areas or be offered a longer stay at your treatment centre.
Many people who have addictions also have mental health issues.
This is because people tend to use substances if they’re experiencing depression, anxiety, confusion or hallucinations.
People might try to ease the symptoms through substances.
When they do this often, a substance issue can arise.
On the other hand, when people already suffer from addiction, they can go on to develop mental health problems.
This is because substances negatively impact the systems in the body which balance mental health.
In both these cases, a full treatment plan at qualified rehab centres will provide the best way to beat addiction and address their mental health concerns.
Tackling both conditions together will give the patient the best chance of improving overall.
With the exception of the most severe cases, treatment received at rehab centres will be just as professional and effective as that received at a dedicated mental health treatment hospital.
The vast majority of people who achieve sobriety will relapse at least once.
This does not signify failure. In fact, relapse offers a space for self-reflection and learning.
Of course, this isn’t to say you should hope to relapse because they can be dangerous and might return you to ongoing use.
The key here is to have a relapse prevention plan in place.
During rehabilitation, you’ll be supported to develop a tailored plan that will suit your needs specifically.
With the help of an addiction worker, you’ll begin to understand what to do in the moment where you first crave the substance.
You learn to stop and listen to your mind and body, giving you the best chance of sticking to your recovery goals.
Together, you will come up with various healthy steps to use in reaction to triggers.
When you’re willing and committed to following these steps, you’ll become stronger in your resolve to remain sober.
There will also be guidance on what to do in the event of relapse and how to redirect yourself back to healing as soon as possible.
It’s really important you force yourself to stick to your plan as this is the way you protect your health into the future.
When you leave your rehab centre, you might want to maintain contact with organisations that understand your situation.
There are a few post-rehab treatment options here:
Of course, as well as these options, it’s really beneficial to start participating in enjoyable activities.
Keeping yourself busy with healthy interests will also support your healing journey.
At Rehab 4 Addiction, we’re ready and waiting to help you gain access to alcohol & drug treatment centres in Harrow.
Call us on 0800 140 4690 to discuss your addiction treatment programme needs with an experienced counsellor and learn more about what rehab services can do for you.
We can inform you about the rehab locations near you, the different treatments available, the various rehab facilities and rehab premises on offer, guide you on payment plans and offer free, non-judgemental advice.
We’ve helped countless people beat their addictions, so why not let us help you too?
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