Drug & Alcohol Rehab in South Africa

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Drug & Alcohol Rehab in South Africa

If you are hoping to attend drug rehab or alcohol rehab in South Africa, then it is worth understanding the statistics surrounding alcohol and drug addiction throughout South Africa.

Commonly Abused Substances

When it comes to drug abuse, cannabis is the most highly abused illegal drug in South Africa.

The majority of people in South Africa mix their cannabis with a substance known as ‘nyaope.’

However, the most commonly abused injected drug throughout South Africa is heroin – 69% of heroin users in South Africa injected heroin on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, injecting drugs is one of the most dangerous ways to consume drugs and often leads to many health issues such as hepatitis and other diseases caught from injecting dirty needles into the body.

Approximately 19.4% of people who inject drugs also have HIV.

Addiction And Crime

When it comes to addiction and crime in South Africa, like in most countries there is a close link.

For example, a survey highlighted that 1,440 males in prison were addicted to cannabis and methaqualone.

When it comes to substance addiction in South Africa, alcohol is the most commonly abused substance.

Although only 27.9% of South Africans are reported to drink, those who do frequently drink to hazardous levels, causing great harm.

A study carried out by the National Library of Medicine found that of those questioned, 41.5% of men and 17.1% of women drank alcohol on a frequent basis.

Addiction Demographics

In South Africa, those living in urban areas were a lot more likely to abuse alcohol than those who live in more rural settings.

Of those studied, 9% admitted that their drinking was harmful.

When it came to men, the average age of those taking part in risky drinking was between 20 and 54 years old, and included men of a lower socioeconomic status.

Of the women in the study, those who took part in risky behaviour and drinking tended to live in more urban areas and although were of worse education, were classified as higher earners.

What Is Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol addiction is unfortunately responsible for 5% of all deaths and is the 4th leading cause of preventable death across the world.

Alcohol is an addictive substance that can easily create a physical and mental dependence if abused frequently.

Alcohol addiction happens when an individual consumes high levels of alcohol on a frequent basis, so much so that they crave the substance even after they can see the harm it is doing.

The NIAAA have confirmed that alcohol addiction is a disease, as it changes the way the brain works on both a long and short term basis.

There are some signs to watch out for that may indicate whether you or someone you know is addicted to alcohol:

• Increased tolerance to alcohol
• Spending a lot more money on alcohol than you or they used to
• Always running late for work or calling in sick
• Issues with coordination
• Issues with speech
• Issues with memory
• Issues with self-care and personal hygiene
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Frequently smelling of alcohol
• Issues with the cardiovascular system
• High blood pressure.
• Pancreatitis
• A poor immune system
• Liver disease

If you are addicted to alcohol in South Africa, then it is important that you contact your doctor, local drug and alcohol team or Rehab Recovery in order to gain access to the right drug and alcohol rehab for your needs.

What Is Rehab?

The word rehab is short for rehabilitation and is a term used to describe the restoration of an individual’s health.

People attend drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa when they are suffering from addiction or are struggling with a mental health issue.

The goal of any rehab centre and programme is to help an individual recover from their issues and turn their life around.

The aim of rehab is not to give people their old lives back, but rather to help them form a better life and future for themselves.

Those who suffer from an addiction or mental health issue are often in this situation due to their past and issues, which is why rehab works to help people create a new, better future.

The main benefit to attending rehab is that it provides individuals with a chance to get away from their old lives and create healthy, more productive habits in a calm and controlled environment whilst receiving addiction treatment.

During rehab, you might need to undergo a physical detox and withdrawal from the addictive substance, depending on what substance you are addicted to in the first place.

From there, you will be offered the chance to undergo therapy such as CBT, motivational interviewing and holistic therapy.

How To Hold A Successful Intervention

An intervention is a structured conversation those have with a loved one if they are worried about their behaviour

For example, lots of people hold an intervention when someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol.

The first thing to remember when you hold an intervention is that you must not come across as judgemental or criticising.

You are simply trying to show the individual how much you care, how worried you are and what you can do to help them gain access to addiction treatment.

Unfortunately, this can often be an emotional and heated conversation, which is why you should do your research into how to keep the conversation on track and productive.

Below are a few tips and tricks on how to hold a successful intervention in South Africa.

• Pick a quiet location where you can be heard and not interrupted.
• Try to use open and calming language.
• Do not criticise them or judge them in any way.
• Do your research beforehand.
• Plan what you want to say in advance.
• Only invite people the individual knows that they can trust.

You should also research alternative methods of intervention, such as CRAFT.

CRAFT stands for Community Reinforcement and Family Training and helps to teach people the power of their own thoughts and how to become more independent.

It helps friends and family members become more supportive and encourages them to begin treatment.

What Is The Cost Of Attending Drug And Alcohol Rehab In South Africa?

There are significantly fewer centres for drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa compared to the rest of the world.

Whilst many people who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction might already be struggling financially, the cost of attending rehab is so expensive that it becomes inaccessible to many.

For most people in South Africa, attending a private drug and alcohol rehab costs approximately R3500 to R32,500.

In pounds, this is approximately £175.55 to £1630.08.

As you can see, this differs vastly and depends on a number of factors including how long they need to stay in rehab, what they are addicted to and whether they’re addicted to just one or multiple substances.

How Long Does Rehab Last In South Africa?

Lots of people who live in South Africa might feel anxious about how long alcohol or drug rehab will last.

The truth is that every addiction and rehab journey is different, although there are a set lengths of time people tend to stay in rehab for.

For example, most people with a mild addiction stay in rehab for approximately 10 – 12 days in order to recover.

For those with a more severe addiction of the body and mind  might be required to stay in rehab for 28 days.

However, if you suffer from a severe addiction to multiple different substances, and also suffer from a dual diagnosis, then you might need to stay for as long as 90 days.

Inpatient Or Outpatient Treatment In South Africa

Inpatient treatment means living in a centre for drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa for a period of time.

You are required to admit yourself into a rehab facility so that doctors and therapists can look after you.

Whilst in inpatient drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa, you will be looked after 24/7 and will gain access to emotional, medical, physical and psychological help and support.

Your friends and family members will be allowed to visit on a limited basis, depending on what each rehab facility allows.

For those with a mild addiction, they might be more suited to outpatient drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa.

This is also more suitable for people who are still only in the early stages of their addiction.

Individuals who are undergoing outpatient treatment are able to access therapy and medication from doctors by visiting rehab centres before returning back home again.

They might need to spend just a few hours there every day, or might end up staying 8 – 10 hours there each day.

Some people will need to undergo outpatient treatment for a few months, and some for up to 12 months.

Alcohol Detox & Alcohol Rehab In South Africa

Unfortunately, millions of people across South Africa are addicted to alcohol.

If this is the case, then anyone who attends rehab with an addiction will need to undergo a detox.

Upon admission to drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa, those suffering from an addiction to alcohol will begin the withdrawal process.

This process will take place slowly, with individuals slowly withdrawing themselves form the addictive substance so as to not overwhelm the body.

Once this has been completed, individuals will then be assessed by therapists and will receive treatment for their mental addiction and any other mental health issues that may exist.

Most people who suffer from an addiction are aware that when they withdraw from the addictive substance that they will experience some rather unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

Some of these symptoms include being sick, feeling flu-like, feeling dizzy, issues with insomnia and the shakes.

These withdrawal symptoms are felt severely by some, and less severely by others.

In addition to this, some individuals experience these symptoms after just a few hours into the withdrawal process, whereas others experience them after a few days.

Each addiction and detox will be different and depends on a number of factors.

These withdrawal symptoms can become more serious if they are not managed properly.

This is why you should never attempt to detox on your own at home.

Rehab For Cocaine In South Africa

Millions of people across the world and South Africa are unfortunately addicted to cocaine.

If you or someone you know is addicted to cocaine, then it’s important to remember that they will need to attend rehab in order to recover.

If you are anxious about detoxing from cocaine, then it is important to remember that you will not need to undergo a physical withdrawal.

You will however need to undergo therapy to tackle the root causes of your addiction.

Rehab For Heroin In South Africa

Like cocaine, heroin is also highly addictive and millions of people suffer from an addiction to heroin across South Africa and the rest of the world.

However, unlike cocaine anyone who is addicted to heroin will unfortunately need to undergo a physical detox and withdrawal before they can recover.

Whilst this can be extremely challenging, it is the only way to recover from heroin.

Once the detox process has been completed, you will then receive therapy from doctors and psychologists within the rehab centre.

Rehab For Cannabis In South Africa

Cannabis is one of the most commonly used drugs across South Africa and the rest of the world.

Similarly to cocaine, cannabis is not physically addictive so individuals addicted to cannabis will not need to detox.

Instead, they will talk to a therapist on a daily basis to receive therapy, helping them to break their psychological addiction and avoid a future relapse.

Types Of Therapies On Offer In South Africa Rehab Centres

There are lots of different types of therapies throughout centres for drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa. Some of these are listed below.

Brief interventions

Brief interventions are a research-driven form of therapy that helps people to overcome their negative and risky behaviour and replace that behaviour with more productive and healthy habits and actions.

CBT

CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and is used to help people to talk through their own trauma in an attempt to help them change the way they think and act.

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing focuses on helping people overcome their ambivalence about their recovery and addiction.

Ambivalence in addiction and recovery is when an individual feels two different and competing ways about their treatment and recovery.

Motivational interviewing helps them to accept this and eventually overcome it.

DBT

DBT -Dialectical Behavioural Therapy – is another form of talking therapy that is very similar to CBT.

However, the main difference is that DBT is used when an individual suffers from very intense emotions.

DBT helps people to learn and overcome these intense emotions as part of their recovery.

Holistic Therapies

Holistic therapy does not aim to help fix specific problems but aims to help heal your overall physical and mental health.

Holistic therapy combines more traditional therapy techniques such as talking therapy with activities that create a sense of flow and happiness.

Individual Therapy

Individual Therapy is your opportunity to open up to your therapist in a private space.

This is where you will also receive other therapy techniques such as brief interventions, CBT and DBT.

Group Therapy

Group therapy is when a group of sufferers come together to help solve their problems as a group.

Family Therapy

Lots of people who suffer from an addiction to drugs or alcohol also suffer from issues within their families.

Family Therapy offers families the opportunity to overcome their issues by talking in a safe, calm environment.

Co-Dependency Treatment

Co-dependency and addiction go hand in hand.

Most people who suffer from an addiction are dependent on a lot of different things, including substances and people.

Co-dependency treatment aims to help people to overcome their dependency, become more happy within themselves and increase their confidence.

Twelve-Step Facilitation Therapy (TSF)

Despite their successful reputation, lots of people are anxious about attending self-help groups.

Twelve Step Facilitation Therapy aims to help people overcome this anxiety and become more confident with the idea of self-help groups.

The Importance Of Dual Diagnosis

A dual diagnosis is when an individual suffers from a mental health issue alongside an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

The most common mental health issues that people experience alongside addiction are:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Paranoia
• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar disorder

When an individual suffers from a dual diagnosis, it makes it harder to determine the causes and triggers of both your mental health and addiction.

Often, one makes the other worse and vice versa.

This is why it is extremely important that anyone who suffers from a dual diagnosis receives professional help in order to overcome the complexity of their diagnosis.

Relapse Prevention – How Rehab Can Help

Relapse prevention is a large part of anyone’s rehab and treatment journey.

If you attend drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa, then it is important to understand that you will spend time in rehab talking to therapists about when you leave.

Whilst at drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa, you will work with a doctor and therapist about your relapse prevention plan.

A relapse prevention plan is a fantastic way to make sure that you are supported when you leave rehab.

Your relapse prevention plan will contain a list of helpful tools and techniques on how to stay on top of your recovery and avoid triggers and relapses.

Aftercare and Support Services in South Africa After You Leave Rehab

Drug and alcohol rehab in South Africa is very expensive and takes a lot of time and effort in order to recover and leave rehab.

That is why it is extremely important that once you leave rehab you continue to utilise the aftercare and support services available to you in South Africa.

Family Group Meetings in South Africa

Family group meetings are a great way to help families overcome their issues so that the individual is best supported when they come home.

Often, having a strong and supportive family unit will make or break an individual’s recovery.

SMART Recovery Meetings in South Africa

SMART meetings are a form of self-help groups which can be accessed online or in person.

They aim to help people become more confident in their recovery and change any negative behaviour.

Outpatient Treatment in South Africa

Outpatient rehab is a great form of aftercare support which is available to most people throughout South Africa who need continued treatment or therapy after they leave rehab.

Home Detoxes in South Africa

Lots of people who do not need to attend rehab for detox are able to utilise home detoxes.

This is where doctors and therapists will ring you on a daily basis and provide any therapy you might need over the phone, and any medication you might need will be sent to you in the post.

The AA in South Africa

There are AA groups throughout most cities and towns in the world and in South Africa.

Using the famous 12 steps to recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous and its sister organisation Narcotics Anonymous are self-help groups which aim to help people to stay sober outside of rehab.

Getting Help Today

If you are worried about the substance use of yourself or someone you love, it is better to get help sooner rather than later.

Call a member of our team today on 44 330 333 6197 for advice on the next steps you can take to beat addiction for good.

When you make the choice to reach out and get help for your addiction, you’re choosing to pursue a happier, healthier and longer life.