Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Ashford
If you go to drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford to recover from a substance abuse problem, it is likely that you will have to have a medical detox for the first week. The reason detoxing takes up to seven days is that you withdraw from the substance bit by bit, rather than all at once (which is called quitting cold turkey).
Withdrawing slowly is much safer than quitting cold turkey, but this does not mean that there will be no withdrawal symptoms. You may feel nauseous, shaky, anxious, and clammy either at the very beginning of the detoxor throughout.
If these symptoms escalate, doctors will give you medication. They may even give you medication before the start of the detox, to plan ahead in case you end up experiencing serious symptoms.
Benzodiazepines such as Valium are often used to reduce anxiety, and anti-convulsants, such as Oxcarbazepine, can prevent seizures (1).
Doctors can often predict how dangerous your detox is going to be, based on a range of different factors. Some factors that can potentially lead to more severe withdrawal symptoms are recent use of the drug; long-term addiction; co-occurring medical conditions; being a smoker; mixing substances, and using on a regular basis.
You will have privacy at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford when you detox, so you will not be expected to socialise with other patients and get involved with activities until the detox phase is over.
However, you will most certainly not be alone. Medical professionals will be checking on you regularly, and they will act immediately if your condition starts to deteriorate.
Is it More Dangerous to Detox From Drugs or Alcohol?
Alcohol detoxes are notoriously dangerous, so some people believe that detoxing from alcohol is always more dangerous than detoxing from drugs at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford.
Yet, each drug produces such different symptoms and has a different level of addictiveness, so we cannot put all drugs in the same category when it comes to detoxing at a residential rehab.
Generally, the most dangerous substances to detox from include crystal meth, benzodiazepines, opioids, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and stimulants.
All of these substance addictions are treated at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford, so you can safely detox under strict medical supervision, and with the appropriate medication.
All About Dual Diagnosis at Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Ashford
Dual diagnosis is the diagnosis of addiction and a mental health disorder. Patients are considered dual diagnosis when they have any kind of mental health condition, including OCD, ADHD, PTSD, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder.
Dual diagnosis is also applicable to people who experience both substance addiction and behavioural addiction. For example, someone who has alcoholism and also an eating disorder, someone with a heroin problem and a gambling addiction, or someone who is addicted to both cocaine and gaming.
It is usually more challenging for dual-diagnosis patients to recover from addiction. This is because they have to put effort into recovering from another addiction, or a mental health disorder, as well as a substance misuse problem.
On the other hand, drug and alcohol addiction treatment at rehab in Ashford is very beneficial for patients who are dual diagnosis. The therapy models that are used are not always specific to addiction, so people often find that their mental health condition is much more under control after private rehab treatment.
We do have to warn you that you will not be able to go to drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford if your mental health condition is severely preventing you from functioning, and is either not being treated at all, or is not responding to treatment.
This does not mean that drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford bans patients with specific illnesses, e.g., refusing to admit patients with schizophrenia, but always accepting patients with depression.
86% of people in treatment for alcohol addiction, and 70% of drug addiction patients, are dual diagnosis, so it would be extreme for rehabs to refuse these patients (2).
Instead, the mental state of each patient will be taken into consideration, regardless of which type of mental health condition they have.
Does Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Ashford Offer Individual, Group, or Family Therapy?
Drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford usually offers all three of the above therapies: individual, group, and family. If the rehab facility you go to ends up providing all three options, we encourage you to try each one.
Some people believe one-to-one therapy is enough to help them recover from drug or alcohol addiction. As essential as individual therapy is, it is lacking in some of the benefits that are specific to group therapy, or family therapy at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford.
It goes without saying that you are going to acquire different skills when you are being counselled in a group, as opposed to individually. You learn how to empathise with the struggles of other patients, how to open up to others, how to stop shaming yourself for your addiction, and how to learn from the journeys that other people have gone through.
In family therapy, the focus is on helping each family member to feel valued, and encouraging them to see life from the perspective of their family members.
This means your loved ones will learn how to empathise with your substance abuse issues, and you will learn to empathise with their experience of having a family member with an addiction.
When this empathy is a core value in the family, it can help to reduce conflict, as everyone is understanding of one another’s experience.
It can also speed up the healing process of past family disagreements that may have created distance between family members. This is because having empathy encourages each family member to discuss the specific issues with the people they had a problem with.
FAQs About Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Ashford
Below, we provide answers to common questions about the drug and alcohol rehab process in Ashford:
1. Where are the private rehabs located?
There is not one particular part of Ashford that contains all of the private rehab centres. You can probably find a drug or alcohol clinic in any part of Ashford.
This can make it tricky to choose just one rehab facility. However, we have some tips to help you choose the best rehab for you:
- Consider the size of the centre (do you want a well-known, large clinic with lots of patients or a small rehab with more of a tight-knit community?)
- Make a note of the facilities you would like to have
- Find out what types of therapy are offered by the treatment centre
- Ask whether they have dealt with your addiction before
- Think about whether you would prefer to share a room or have a private room
- Find out the cost of the clinic
2. Are all the drug and alcohol clinics in Ashford private?
Yes, drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford is always private, meaning it always comes at a cost. However, the cost of each clinic varies, and the facilities that they provide differ.
As they are private institutions, they can choose how they would like to treat patients – they do not have to follow a curriculum.
This makes it all the more important that you research the quality of a rehab facility before signing up. You need to make sure they can prove that they have good success rates, and effective treatments.
3. Will there be a gym at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford?
There is no guarantee that there will be a gym at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford, but if you have researched the rehab before attending, you will have a full list of facilities. Many private rehabs will have gyms, or at the least, some kind of exercise facility.
If you work out regularly and you want to keep this up at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford (which is advised), we can find a rehab for you that has a large gym with all of the equipment you need.
This may also be a great opportunity to bond with other patients who are passionate about their physical health and fitness.
4. How many patients will be at rehab at once?
Again, this differs depending on the rehab centre you go to. As there are so many drug and alcohol clinics in Ashford, you can afford to be selective when it comes to the size of rehab you are after.
It goes without saying that the number of patients in rehab at any given time differs, as people are coming and going all of the time. However, rehabs will have a maximum capacity due to the limited number of beds, so you will be able to ask what this figure is.
5. Do I have to share a room at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford?
Most inpatient rehabs in Ashford will provide private rooms, so you will have a choice between a single room or a shared room. Shared rooms are great for socialising, moral support, and saving money.
Private rooms are great for relaxation, reflection, and a bit of luxury as you face the challenges of detoxing and therapy.
6. Do I have to inform my employer about my rehab stay?
It is very important that you speak to your employer before you get a referral for drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford, whether it is on an inpatient or outpatient basis. Even if you decide to have a home detox instead of rehab, you need to make this clear at work.
Telling your colleagues is not essential, and it comes down to personal preference. Some people with addiction find that it is best to point out the elephant in the room, and to get moral support in their recovery. Others prefer to keep their privacy, and keep their work separate from their personal life.
7. Can I continue to work if I am an outpatient at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford?
No, you should still ask your employer for time off if you are an outpatient at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford. The treatment programme is identical minus staying over at rehab, and it is not compatible with working by any means.
Recovery demands your undivided attention, as it is a huge physical and mental challenge. We even discourage people from choosing outpatient programmes over inpatient for this reason; anything else you give your time to (i.e., going home and doing chores) can negatively impact your recovery.
It is true that patients dedicate time to socialising and exercising at rehab, so you may be wondering why work cannot be added to this. The reason is that socialising and exercising are great for your health, and they are integrated into the recovery programme so they do not take time away from the detoxification process or therapy.
However, many people find work stressful, so they may struggle to recover with this unnecessary pressure. Even if you enjoy your job, it will be too time-consuming to work while you are getting treatment for your addiction.
8. Is the therapy at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford holistic or evidence-based?
Most rehab clinics in Ashford provide both evidence-based and holistic therapies, and you will be asked to try out both types to see what works for you.
In case you are unsure of these terms, evidence-based therapies are therapy models that are based on scientific studies of addiction. Some examples are: cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), psychotherapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT).
On the other hand, holistic therapies are treatments that take into account the whole body. This is supposed to be a more universal approach than medication, which targets just the brain, and evidence-based therapy, which tends to prioritise the mind over the body.
Holistic therapy can be: equine therapy, nutrition, aromatherapy, acupuncture, and herbal remedies.
9. What is the difference between alcohol rehab and drug rehab in Ashford?
Alcoholism and drug addiction are both treated with detox, therapy and aftercare at drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford.
You do not usually go to a specialist rehab for your particular substance, such as alcohol rehab, cannabis rehab, or cocaine rehab.
Having said that, your treatment will look slightly different from a patient with a different addiction, even if it is just that the detox is handled differently (i.e., a different timeline, different medication, and different withdrawal symptoms).
Therapy at rehab is usually applicable to any addiction, including behavioural addictions, so this part of your treatment will not usually differ depending on the substance you are addicted to.
Get in Touch For a Referral to Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Ashford
We have discussed all the things you need to consider before choosing a drug and alcohol rehab in Ashford, such as facilities, number of patients, and treatment types.
At this point, you might be feeling as though you do not have the energy to sift through different rehab sites and decide on one, let alone visit different facilities to get a feel for them.
That’s where Rehab Recovery proves to be helpful. We can do all of the heavy lifting for you, including making suggestions for the type of rehab that may interest you, working through our list of high-quality rehabs in Ashford, and getting a referral for you.
Each one of our talented team members is in recovery, so they bring personal experience to the table, as well as professional qualifications.
To work with our team and get on the path to recovery, call us on 0800 088 66 86.
References
[1] Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: Benzodiazepines and Beyond https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4606320/
[2] The problem in dual diagnosis https://www.nhsapa.org/post/dual-diagnosis