How to Admit Yourself to Addiction Treatment
Deciding that you’re ready to start your addiction treatment is a huge step for anyone to take. By doing this, you’re prioritising your health and life.
Nevertheless, we know that it’s still an incredibly hard time for not only you but also for your friends and family too.
There are so many addiction treatment options out there, it might seem overwhelming at first.
How Do You Know When You Need Help with Your Addiction?
In order to admit that you need to seek addiction treatment, you need to understand that you need the help in the first place.
Here is a list of signs and signals that you need to seek help and treatment:
- Having to go to the A&E after a heavy session of abusing drugs or alcohol
- Having frequent gaps in your memory from drinking too much alcohol or taking too many drugs
- Frequently drinking or using drugs alone
- Drinking or taking drugs in order to increase your self-esteem or forget your issues
- Feeling shame, guilt or embarrassment by the number of substances you take
- Lying to others about your intake of drugs or alcohol
- Putting drinking alcohol or drugs before your own welfare
- Drinking or taking drugs whilst at work
- Issues and arguments with friends and family members over your drinking or drug taking
- Lacking motivation in day to day tasks
- Craving the need to drink or take drugs on a frequent basis
If you recognise any of the above signs and signals, then you should try speaking to a medical professional about your worries and concerns.
Things to Think about Prior to Admitting Yourself to Addiction Treatment
It’s a good idea to carry out a few quick tasks before you decide to admit yourself to treatment. For example, you should try to look for local centres and healthcare providers so that you have a list of places and a preference ready.
You should also make a quick list of the exact substances that you’re addicted to. It’s also a good idea to have a think about the type of treatment that you think you will respond the best to.
For example, you might know that you enjoy being outside in nature. Therefore, you should look for treatment centres that are based in the countryside. By picking a treatment centre that makes sense for you, you’re much more likely to respond better to it.
Additionally, try to think about who you might want to support you during this time. You should ask a friend or a family member to help you search and sort everything out.
It’s very important that you also make your close friends and family aware of your plant to seek treatment. This way, they’ll know where you are, that you’re seeking help and will be able to support you in the best way possible.
Making the Call
Once you have all the above sorted, you should call your local healthcare professional or the exact rehab centre if you know exactly where you want to go.
You should speak to their admissions team and explain your current situation. At this stage, you might not be able to make the call yourself. In this case, it’s a good idea to sit with a friend or family member whilst they make the call on your behalf.
Once the healthcare professionals understand your needs, they will work with you to find the treatment that’s right for you. You may have a few phone call meetings and consultations before they know for sure, but it’s important to be open and honest during these talks so that they come to the right conclusion.
It’s also important to understand before you get to this stage that rehab and other forms of addiction for treatment isn’t a quick process. It takes time and commitment to be treated successfully, so you shouldn’t expect an overnight cure.
Common Treatment Options
It’s important to remember that there are a number of different options available to you. Depending on your location, you might be able to choose from a number of them.
You should consider all available treatment options and think about which ones might be best suited to you and your personality type or past experiences.
Here’s a list of some popular and available treatment options:
1. Detoxing before Beginning any Treatment
It’s a great idea to try to detox yourself before you begin any form of treatment. This will make your mind and body clear of any substances and will prevent you from suffering from withdrawal symptoms from any further treatment.
Although you still crave the substance, your body will be clear of them.
2. Therapy
There are lots of different types of therapy from group, family or individual.
Therapy will involve a lot of thinking and talking, and you should be prepared to deal with a whole host of emotions when engaging in therapy.
3. Becoming an Inpatient
Becoming an inpatient at a clinic is probably one of the most drastic but effective actions you can take to become free from your addiction.
It works well by removing you from your current environment and the people you’re surrounded with. This often contributes massively to the success of someone’s treatment journey.
Staying at a residential or rehab centre could last a few weeks or even a few months.
Again, it’s important to remember that treatment is a slow process that can’t and shouldn’t be rushed.
4. Outpatient
People usually become outpatients when they leave rehab or an addiction centre. This can continue for a number of months after you leave your main treatment and you can continue to work and live your life whilst you’re an outpatient.
5. Medication
Medication is sometimes prescribed to help with sometimes nasty withdrawal symptoms.
It might also be used to help if you also struggle with other mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression which are likely to increase an individual’s chances of relapsing.
6. Holistic Therapies
As an alternative form of therapy, you could try holistic therapies such as exercise, yoga and meditation.
Although they’re unlikely to act as successfully as treatments such as rehab or therapy, they have been known to act as an additional treatment alongside these treatments.
Can I Get Addiction Treatment on the NHS?
In the UK, getting rehab or other forms of treatment through the NHS isn’t a straightforward process.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to get rehab ‘for free’ on the NHS. It will require you to obtain funding first.
It’s difficult to obtain funding and with tightening budgets due to the effects of COVID-19, it’s likely that we’ll start to see longer waiting lists and only the more severe cases gain access through the NHS.
Before admitting you to a treatment centre, the NHS will likely suggest that you try other forms of treatment first. Only if these methods fail to free you of your addiction will they consider you for inpatient treatment.
If this happens, then you will be put forward to apply for funding. Once that’s done, you will then be placed on the waiting list.
Depending on the current demand in your local area, the waiting list for addiction treatments such as rehab can take a number of months.
What are the Treatment Alternatives to the NHS?
Thankfully, there is a large list of charities and organisations that offer free support for treatment.
Although they’re not run by medical or healthcare professionals, their volunteers are trained to a high level.
Organisations such as the AA and Families Anonymous are well known and successful alternatives to the NHS that can be relied upon.
If you’re interested in seeking help from these charities, then you can contact them directly or ask your local GP for some more insight into them.
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