Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Stevenage
Is your alcohol use out of control? Are you thinking about drugs every day and finding it impossible to go a day without them?
Addiction sweeps in and takes over the habits of many recreational users. This makes life incredibly difficult.
Stevenage, being in the region, was affected by the 50 drug and alcohol-related deaths that were recorded in Hertfordshire in 2020. [1] Sadly, substance misuse deaths continue to rise.
Brief interventions can help you or a loved one to screen for substance use and provide sobering information and guidance that can stop an addiction from forming.
In order to determine the extremity of a person’s drug use issue and whether it qualifies as an addiction, the DSM5 criteria are also employed.
Despite how difficult it is to live with, it’s possible to take control of addiction. It has to be accepted, however, that the only course of successful action is by achieving sobriety and maintaining abstinence.
At an alcohol rehab in Stevenage, you’re supported by staff to become sober. You learn the skills needed to manage your cravings and create a healthy life.
Rehabilitation centres can help you with a wide range of substance use disorders and behavioural addictions, from benzodiazepines to gambling addiction, ketamine, and opioid use disorder.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Stevenage, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86.
What Alcohol Addiction Means
People struggling with alcohol dependence can be either drinking regularly, or indulging in occasional binge drinking. The CAGE questionnaire is one way to measure alcohol addiction, and looks at your usage of and feelings about alcohol.
Living with alcohol addiction means that all parts of your life are affected.
Your mental health begins to deteriorate, you start to become ill more often, malnourished and increase your risk of cancer and dementia, your emotions are all over the place, and your close relationships become strained, or even destroyed.
Alcohol alters the balance of amino acids and chemicals in the brain as well as neural wiring, meaning that it becomes impossible to stop without professional addiction treatment. In fact, where dependency develops, it can fatal to go “cold turkey”.
If you have a moderate to severe addiction, then the best place to go for treatment and help is an alcohol rehab in Stevenage. There you get high-quality service and access to all the best treatment options used for addiction.
Left untreated, you could develop side effects like alcoholic hepatitis and Wernicke encephalopathy.
You will need to go through a alcohol detox if you have a strong dependency since alcohol is physiologically addicting and changes your brain and body.
You run the danger of developing Delirium Tremens and other alcohol withdrawal symptoms if you don’t seek medical care.
The The National Association for Children of Alcoholics offers free support to kids whose parents have alcohol use disorders.
Charities Al-Anon and Alateen can also provide you with free support and guidance.
What Happens at Rehab?
A private rehab clinic is a place you go to receive treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. In the UK, it’s viewed as the ultimate way to become sober and to develop skills that will help you to remain so into the future.
When you first enter the clinic, you’ll be assessed by staff. They’ll ask questions about your addiction, lifestyle, history, and mental health. The answers will provide them with the information required to develop a treatment programme suited to your needs.
During your assessment, the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s Patient Placement Criteria (ASAM Criteria), will be used.
Rehab facilities can help you recover in a secure environment, away from any enabling people or factors, such as friendships or relations where codependency could be unknowingly encouraging your addiction to continue.
Person-centered care can ensure all of your needs are met. Each day you’ll take part in psychological therapies, holistic activities, and group sessions that will build the foundation you need to recover.
The specialist staff are available 24 hours a day so that you get the optimum and necessary level of care.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Stevenage, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86.
Alcohol Rehab in Stevenage: The Costs
Private treatment means you have to pay for the service and treatments you receive. At a rehab clinic, you’ll be under the care of expert therapists, drug and alcohol workers, and medical staff.
You’ll have food and accommodation and each day is filled with treatments to help you heal.
A rehab clinic costs anywhere between £1,000 and £10,000 a week depending on where you go and the service you require.
The majority of residents go to a clinic that is an hour or two away from where they live.
Can You get NHS Funding for a Stay at Rehab in Stevenage?
There is some funding through the Stevenage Council for people in recovery to access private care.
In order to be eligible for this, you’ll need to be in regular contact with your local NHS drug and alcohol service taking part in all the advised group sessions. A member of staff there will support you in applying for the funding.
You’ll be from a low-income background and be able to provide evidence of everything you’re doing to try and heal.
The local council receives many applications for this funding so from a list of applicants they decide who is offered the funded place. Funding is limited and in high demand. It’s worth applying, though, if you’re from a low-income background and are committed to recovery.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Stevenage, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86.
The Length of Rehab Treatment
You’ll likely understand that for the average time for people to go through the withdrawal period is around a week depending on the substance and individual factors.
At rehab, you’ll be treated with psychological interventions as well as, when appropriate, medication to manage withdrawal symptoms.
After this detox period, you’ll stay a few additional weeks in order to fully immerse in treatments. This gives you the best foundation to learn skills and develop healthy new habits, which is key to healing.
The length of a rehab stay is usually 28 days. In some cases, it might be advisable to stay longer, but this would be discussed with you before entering.
NHS & Private Rehab Treatment in Stevenage
In the addiction treatment field throughout the UK, there are two main places you can for help.
Firstly, the NHS offers drug and alcohol services for people in Stevenage who self-refer. There are weekly support groups aimed at various levels of recovery as well as needle exchanges and some one-to-one sessions.
It’s a service that is useful for people who aren’t ready to quit substances immediately, or for those with mild substance use.
For people with severe addictions who want to quit the substance, then treatment at a drug and alcohol rehab in Stevenage is the most suitable option.
There, all activities are aimed at supporting the patient to be sober. Treatment is an immersive experience and is uniquely altered to individual needs.
Inpatient & Outpatient Clinics in Stevenage
When being treated for alcohol or drug addiction, you’ll come under the care of a clinic that will either be an inpatient facility or an outpatient.
An inpatient clinic is where you spend time on a “residential” where you stay for a period of time overnight.
This takes you away from your usual haunts and triggers while giving you a focus on healing the whole time you’re there. This is how private rehab clinics work.
An outpatient clinic is what NHS services are run through. It’s a place in central Stevenage where you go as and when you have appointments.
This way you’re still at home; useful if you need to keep up with familial or working responsibilities.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Stevenage, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86.
Where Else to Go for Addiction Support in Stevenage?
In Stevenage, there are other services that support addiction, but they’re a little different to the options covered above:
- Home detox is offered to people who have a dependency, want to detox in private at home, and are assessed by a doctor as being able to manage a prescription. The doctor will be in daily contact to ensure your safety.
- Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are 12 Step groups found throughout the UK in various towns and also online if you’re in a more remote location. It’s a helpful way to connect with others who are in a similar situation as you. Recovery is seen as a community space where you help others and discover a “higher power” to drive healing.
- SMART recovery groups are for people who prefer a practical framework to follow. This gives you tips to remain sober using practical tools.
- AdFam, Al-Anon, and Nar-Anon are organisations that support people who love you. This is because your addiction affects your loved ones too.
Alcohol Detox & Rehab in Stevenage
Whether you have an alcohol addiction or dependency, you’ll need professional treatments. This will include an alcohol detox as well as a wide range of therapies.
Alcoholism is a serious disease. The withdrawal process is particularly uncomfortable for people and is one of the reasons it’s so difficult to stop.
Symptoms include:
- Profuse sweating
- Hallucinations
- Anxiety and paranoia
- Sickness and diarrhoea
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Insomnia
The detox period lasts around seven to ten days. If you’re dependent, you’ll receive a tapered-off Librium prescription which weans you off alcohol carefully so that by the end of the period you’re substance-free.
After this, you’ll be supported by staff to develop an understanding of addiction, alcohol effects, and how to manage your cravings. Each day at an alcohol rehab in Stevenage focuses attention on useful ways to manage sobriety successfully.
Buprenorphine and Chlordiazepoxide can also medicate a wide range of addiction withdrawal symptoms to remove any unpleasant feelings while you eliminate the substance from your body.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Stevenage, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86.
Rehab for Cocaine in Stevenage
Throughout the UK, there has been an increase in cocaine and crack cocaine use which has coincided with the worldwide increasing availability of it.
Cocaine is associated with the rich and famous and as such people quite often experiment without worrying about the fact that it’s a class A drug.
It’s a class A drug for various reasons, two of which are its addictive potential and because of how much it damages your mental and physical health.
Left unchecked, this cocaine dependence can soon lead to cocaine addiction.
Using coke and crack can lead to:
- Increased colds and flus
- Impaired immune system
- Increased risk of heart disease and cancer
- Anxiety, paranoia, and psychosis
- Insomnia
- Weight fluctuation
At a drug rehab, you’ll develop a set of tools to manage triggers and cravings. This is imperative with any type of addiction.
You’ll practise these during your stay while learning about how long it takes for the brain to begin healing and for your behaviours to permanently change.
Rehab for Heroin in Stevenage
When you take heroin, contrary to popular opinion, it doesn’t lead to immediate addiction.
Actually, it takes a few times of using for this to happen, and actually, some people wouldn’t become addicted to heroin even if they had used it a few times.
This is because addiction is different according to individual makeup.
For those who quickly develop a heroin addiction, it’s likely that they had a genetic predisposition for addiction, possibly a history of trauma or mental health symptoms, and/or were experiencing various painful symptoms.
Over time however, heroin use develops into not only a behavioural addiction, but a physical dependence.
Heroin withdrawal symptoms of heroin include:
- Shaking
- Sweating
- Confusion, hallucinations, and paranoia
- Psychosis
- Cold-like symptoms
- Severe pain in the body
- Extreme feelings of overwhelm
- Flashbacks
It’s really important to access treatment through private drug rehab. Doing so provides you with the safest environment to detox. This includes seven to ten days under the care of a doctor who prescribes Subutex.
This is an opioid that will help wean you off heroin and will reduce in dosage each day so that you’re substance-free at the end of the heroin detox.
This medically-assisted detox will make your withdrawal as comfortable as it can be, and lessen the unpleasant symptoms.
At this point, you’ll then begin focusing your attention on developing a mindset conducive to a healthy life. It will include steps to take in the present and outline goals you’ll start heading to.
As well as this you’ll come to rely on coping mechanisms that will become your go-to way to look after yourself at challenging moments.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Stevenage, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86.
Rehab for Cannabis in Stevenage
It’s beneficial to recognise that cannabis causes severe drug addiction for some users, despite its image as being a relaxing substance mainly used recreationally.
Actually, cannabis leads to heavy use for many users, and for others, daily use.
While people often use it to “self-medicate”, actually when used without guidance, it can be dangerous, especially when people don’t understand the difference between THC and CBD strains and how they impact physiology.
Long-term effects of cannabis use include:
- Anxiety, paranoia, and panic attacks
- Appetite and weight fluctuation
- Sleep disturbances
- Memory loss
- Severe mood swings, especially when craving
- Psychosis
Cannabis use disorder also heightens your chances of developing a mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety disorders.
Rehab treatment will break down how cannabis has affected your thoughts, thinking patterns, behaviour, and how you interact and function in the world.
There are many realisations that come from conversations with peers, therapy, and artistic activities. You’ll quickly develop a new skill set that will become a guideline to manage recovery.
Psychological & Holistic Therapies at Rehab in Stevenage
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence creates guidelines to guarantee that all treatments provided by medical professionals meet quality requirements.
One of the most beneficial aspects of going to alcohol rehab in Stevenage is the standard and range of addiction treatment you get:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is one many talking therapies, and one of the main types of psychotherapy used in the treatment of addiction. It unpicks how addiction develops in and changes the brain. It reveals how you can use tools to create a new and healthy brain.
- Dialectical behaviour therapy is offered to residents who find it especially difficult to regulate their emotional reactions. This is, of course, important to learn how to do so that you find it easier to avoid substances when triggered emotionally.
- Motivational interviewing is a therapy that was created to treat alcohol addiction. It’s especially effective for people with drug and alcohol issues and helps you find what it is that will drive your recovery.
- Counselling is where one of the staff will use their training to facilitate a space where you grow in self-awareness, face difficult events, and make stark realisations.
- 12 Step and SMART recovery groups take place every day. This is because peer support sessions are shown to be really beneficial for people on the healing journey. Connection to others is essential in recovery.
- Holistic therapies are where many rehab residents relax and enjoy themselves as well as learn valuable skills. You’ll try some – if not all – of the following: yoga, reiki, ear acupuncture, art therapy, mindfulness, meditation, equine therapy, tai chi, drama therapy and music therapy.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a common type of treatment. Learn to stay in the present moment and accept your thoughts and feelings without judgement.
- Group therapy sessions provide a sense of fellowship and community with others who are going through the recovery process like you. Group psychotherapy is a key part of any addiction treatment programme.
- Individual therapy is a one-to-one treatment between just you and a counsellor or psychiatrist.
- Family therapy entails family members visiting the clinic to participate in treatment sessions with the patient, supervised by a therapy specialist.
- Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy is a hands-on approach to with the aim of better managing your emotions.
- Motivational therapy and Motivational Interviewing involves being asked a carefully selected sequence of meaningful questions to motivate you to improve your life.
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing is a highly-effective alternative to conventional treatment for issues.
What a Dual Diagnosis Means
Some people in treatment for addiction have a dual diagnosis meaning that alongside addiction, they also have a mental health condition. It’s very common.
This is because drug and alcohol use can lead to mental health symptoms such as low mood, anxiety, and psychosis.
It’s also because mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, eating disorders, borderline personality disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder can lead people to use substances to try and ease their symptoms.
A careful examination will allow your treatment centre to the diagnose and treat any additional mental health issues. This is called a psychiatric assessment.
At a private clinic, you’ll be treated mainly for addiction, but there will be therapies that support your mental health symptoms as well. Staff are very accustomed to treating both.
Trained professionals can treat you with research-led psychiatry, to offer up-to-date psychiatric treatment.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Stevenage, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86.
Aftercare & Relapse Prevention
After you’ve left rehab, your aftercare service will keep you on the right track. You’ll get frequent check-ups to see how you’re adjusting, to make sure you’re managing any relapse triggers as you transition into a life in recovery.
Contingency management and coping mechanisms will provide a safety net of tools you can use when you encounter a trigger, helping you stay strong.
A relapse prevention plan is essential to anyone who goes to alcohol rehab in Stevenage. You’ll create it with staff and use it regularly when you get home.
The plan includes the following:
- How to handle a relapse and get back on track
- What to do if you’re struggling with cravings
- A reminder of coping mechanisms
- People and organisations to contact for ongoing, casual support
- Your lifestyle plans and steps to take to achieve them
A great stepping-stone between rehab and the outside world is sober living houses. This accommodation guarantees you and others in recovery a risk-free home, free from any drugs, alcohol or relapse triggers.
Statutory-Funded Charities & Organisations in Stevenage
1. The Living Room
Address: 8-10, the glebe, Chells Way, Stevenage SG2 0DJ
Telephone: 03003650304
Website: http://www.livingroomherts.org/
2. Spectrum Drug and Alcohol Recovery Services
Address: Armstrong House, Norton Road, Stevenage, SG1 2LX
Telephone: 0800 652 3169
Website: https://www.changegrowlive.org/spectrum-hertfordshire-drug-alcohol-services/stevenage
3. Mid Herts Mind
Address: 11 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 3RR
Telephone: 03303 208100
Website: https://www.mindinmidherts.org.uk/
The NHS provides free and reliable information about drug and alcohol addictions and dependencies. The NHS Foundation Trust services are also free-of-charge.
Attending nearby 12-Step programmes like Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) can be a great way to connect with other people in recovery.
SMART Recovery can help you to manage relapse triggers, control your thoughts and feelings, and stay sober, and Change Grow Live can offer alcohol and drug support in a range of areas across the UK.
Al-Anon are another useful tool that will make addiction easier to navigate for you and your loved ones.
More mental health support is available through Rethink Mental Illness, Young Minds, Samaritans and Papyrus.
Support Through Rehab Recovery
Rehab Recovery offers advice and rehabilitation throughout St Albans, Hatfield, Harpenden, Borehamwood, Royston, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Hertford, Hitchin, Bishop’s Stortford, Watford, Letchworth Garden City, Berkhamsted, Baldock, Hemel Hempstead, Abbots Langley, Ashwell, Baldock, Barnet, Hitchin, Hoddesdon, Kimpton, King’s Langley, Knebworth, Berkhamsted, Bishop’s Stortford, Borehamwood, Broxbourne, Buntingford, Stevenage, and more cities and towns across Hertfordshire.
All of the rehabs we work in partnership with are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (England and Wales) or the Care Inspectorate (Scotland).
If you or someone000 that you know is addicted to drugs and alcohol and needs help, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
We simply want to provide you with the relevant information, so that you can make an informed decision.
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more information about rehab in Stevenage, reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
References
[1] https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/19336928.drug-alcohol-death-figures-hertfordshire/