Drug & Alcohol Rehab Cardiff & Near Cardiff

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Drug & Alcohol Rehab Cardiff & Near Cardiff

Quick Links for help with addiction in Cardiff and near Cardiff

• What Happens at a Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Cardiff?
• What is a Medicated Detox and Will I Need One in Cardiff?
• What Are the Benefits of Residential Private Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Cardiff?
• What Types of Addictions Are Treated At Rehab in Cardiff?
• How Much Does Drug And Alcohol Rehab In Cardiff Cost?
• How Do I Choose the Right Rehab in Cardiff?

It can be extremely difficult for someone to come to the realisation that going to rehab in Cardiff could be beneficial for their life. Admitting to a drug or alcohol problem is one of the hardest things a person will ever have to do in their life but is also the first step towards a lifetime of recovery.

Going to drug and alcohol rehab Cardiff can truly turn a person’s life around.

No one deserves to suffer at the hand of addiction. Unfortunately, when left untreated it is something that can have devastating repercussions.

With most addictions, it is not a question of when someone’s behaviour and actions will ruin their life…it is a matter of when.

Addiction is something that destroys relationships and can completely destroy any resemblance of a “normal” life. Many people who have fallen victim to addiction have realised they’ve lost everything only after it is too late.

Losing one’s job, educational pursuits, and support of family and friends isn’t unheard of when it comes to serious cases of addiction. No one should lose everything because of their addiction to drugs or alcohol.

There is a way out. Rehab in Cardiff or near Cardiff can help.

While the UK battles with drug and alcohol problems, Wales is no exception. From 2018 to 2019, there were almost 25,000 referrals into treatment in Wales. 18,000 of these referrals had substance abuse problems.

Out of this figure, 52.4% were battling alcohol addiction whereas 47.4% were battling drug addiction. It is important to remember that these are only the official figures and that many who are addicted to drugs or alcohol remain undiagnosed.

While England’s capital London is rife with drug and alcohol problems, Cardiff is no different. Studies discovered that around 2280 males per 100,000 are admitted to hospital due to alcohol-related accidents and illnesses, whereas 1051 females per 100,000 are admitted.

From 2017 to 2018, there were almost 55,000 alcohol-related hospital admissions in Wales. On average, adults in Wales purchase 9.1 litres of pure alcohol per week, and over 18% of the population consume over 14 units on a weekly basis.

244 out of 100,000 suffer from alcohol abuse, whereas 323 in every 100,000 suffer from drug abuse in Cardiff. As previously stated, many drugs and alcohol-related crimes and incidents remain unreported.

During your admissions to rehab, the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s Patient Placement Criteria (ASAM Criteria), will be used to assess whether you have an addiction and how severe it is.

Rehab can organise a care plan that focuses on person-centered care, for varying substance use disorders and behavioural addictions, from benzodiazepines to gambling addiction,  ketamine, and opioid use disorder.

Begin your journey towards sobriety at a drug and alcohol rehab Cardiff by calling our team today on 0800 088 66 86

What Are The Addiction Statistics Like in Cardiff?

To understand the importance of drug and alcohol rehab, it’s first integral to consult statistics about substance misuse in Cardiff. Some key figures to consider are:

• In 2021, over 2,000 drug offences were committed in Cardiff [1].
• Between 2020 and 2021, Cardiff recorded an alcohol misuse rate of 167 per 100,000 people and a drug misuse rate of 140 per 100,000 people [2].

Below, we provide some statistics about alcohol and drug use in Cardiff:

Drug and Alcohol Statistics in Cardiff	Data
Number of drug offences committed in Cardiff (2021)	Over 2000
Alcohol misuse rate in Cardiff per 100,000 (2020-21)	167
Drug misuse rate in Cardiff per 100,000 (2020-21)	140
Referrals into treatment in Wales (2018-19)	Almost 25,000

Is Addiction a Disease?

Unfortunately, addiction is something that is often misinterpreted and misunderstood. While many believe addiction to be something related to poor lifestyle choices or weak discipline, it is actually classified as a chronic brain disease.

It is a disease of brain reward and chronic relapsing. When a subject is suffering from an addiction, their brain pathways have been drastically altered to depend on a particular substance, making their cravings insatiable until they consume the substance.

When subjects do not consume this addictive substance, they will experience significant withdrawal symptoms.

These withdrawal symptoms can be so severe that it is incredibly difficult to function without consuming the addictive substance.

However, the more they consume the drug or alcoholic substance, the higher their tolerance becomes.

This means that they will need to consume more to match their increasing tolerance levels, and this could mean dangerous levels of consumption and even overdose.

You can read more about the disease of addiction here.

Overcome the disease of addiction at a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff or near Cardiff by giving our team a call today on 0800 088 66 86

What is Drug & Alcohol Rehab Cardiff for Alcohol Addiction Like?

Whether you drink frequently or are binge drinking every so often, it’s possible that you have an alcohol addiction.

Heavy drinking is classed by the NHS as more than 14 units per week.

Your life may suffer as a result of your alcohol dependence, and damage to your health and life will only get worse if left unchecked.

Having an alcohol addiction is unfortunately common, with a study by Robin Room, Thomas Babor and Jürgen Rehm revealing that ‘4% of the global burden of disease is attributable to alcohol’, accounting for almost as much death and disability as tobacco and high blood pressure (hypertension) globally.

One tool used to evaluate and identify alcoholism is CAGE questionnaire. This survey probes your attitudes regarding alcohol and patterns of use.

There is another addiction screening tool, known as the 4 Ps – standing for Parents, Partner, Past, and Present. To conduct this test, you need to ask:

• Parents: Did any of your parents have problems with alcohol or other drug use?
• Partner: Does your partner have a problem with alcohol or drug use?
• Past: In the past, have you had difficulties in your life because of alcohol or other drugs,
  including prescription medications?
• Present: In the past month, have you drunk any alcohol or used other drugs?

If untreated, you may experience negative health repercussions including  Wernicke encephalopathy and alcoholic hepatitis.

Since alcohol is physically addictive and alters your brain and body, if you have a serious reliance you will need to go through an alcohol detox.

To determine if you need a medication-assisted detox, a medical practitioner will need to evaluate your severity.

If you are dependent, you will get a Librium dose that is progressively reduced.

Other medications you might be prescribed include Acamprosate (Campral®), an antidepressant like nefazodone, desipramine, or imipramine, or the opioid antagonist Naltrexone.

You face the risk of getting Delirium Tremens and other alcohol withdrawal symptoms without a medical detox.

For people impacted by alcohol misuse, organisations like Al-Anon and Alateen seek to provide free assistance and advice.

Another non-profit that assists kids whose parents have alcohol use problems is The National Association for Children of Alcoholics.

It is reported that about 14% of alcoholics develop liver cirrhosis if they continue their drinking habits for over a period of 8 years. It is best to stop drinking today so that you can have the best chance at a full recovery in Cardiff or near Cardiff.

What If I Suffer From Multiple Conditions?

If you are suffering from an additional condition, whether physical or mental, you shouldn’t worry about whether this can be accommodated at your drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff. In fact, co-occurring disorders are common among people fighting addiction.

According to a gov.uk study, around 60% of patients who were admitted into a drug and alcohol rehab in the UK are also suffering from another mental health condition. It is important to declare these needs during the admissions process.

This could include any of the following conditions, all of which can exacerbate an addiction or substance abuse problem:

• Depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Personality disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Eating disorders
• Borderline personality disorder

Once you have declared these additional needs and requirements to treat the other condition, a dual diagnosis will be made. Then, Rehab Recovery in Cardiff will ensure that you find a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff that can accommodate all of your needs.

Your rehab can address any further mental health problems after a careful evaluation. This is called a psychiatric assessment.

Sometimes, addiction is caused by other underlying health problems. In other cases, addiction can exacerbate or create new problems.

It is imperative that these concerns are dealt with using evidence-based treatments and professional medical support.

The ASAM Criteria is a tool that can be utilised to determine what kind of drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff the subject should enter. The admissions team will gather the personal details and requirements of the subject to determine which facility is optimal for recovery in Cardiff.

This allows trained professionals to treat you with leading psychiatry, and offer well-researched psychiatric treatment.

Each addiction is unique and complex in its own way.

Because of this, it is imperative that the subject goes to the right drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff, and not just any rehab facility.

With the ASAM Criteria, each facet of the patient will be considered to assist their recovery.

Discover how a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff will work to support your mental health by calling our team today on 0800 088 66 86

Can a Young Person Get Help For Addiction from a Drug & Alcohol Rehab Cardiff?

Young people are susceptible to developing a number of mental health conditions, and all across Cardiff there are teens and young adults who are developing substance use disorders.

Addiction rehab is a clear choice for adults who develop addictions, but can the same be said for young people? Is treatment as viable for those who are still in school or college, or who still live at home with parents?

Despite these concerns, addiction rehab can help young people target and treat their addictive behaviours. It’s imperative that those who develop addictions seek the help they need, and teenagers are even more in need considering how impactful their development years are.

Addiction rehab for teens and young people is the same process as that used to treat adults, however there are shifts in emphasis which cater treatment to be as effective as possible for young people. These include:

• Increased parental participation. Because young people can struggle to provide accurate information about their health or reliable accounts of their behaviour, parents can be brought in the help facilitate more effective treatment.
• Greater focus on relapse prevention techniques. Getting young people into healthy habits can shape how they live for the rest of their lives, and with teenage years being so influential, rehab can take great interest in thoroughly preparing patients for life.
• Consideration of the role puberty in addiction. Hormones can affect behaviour in different ways, and teens going through rehab will need support in identifying and managing the thoughts and feelings they experience during this period of their lives.

What Are the Symptoms of Addiction?

There is a range of symptoms of addiction, and they can be categorised into physical and psychological addictions. Both present many different symptoms and will need to be addressed uniquely to help the subject recover in Cardiff.

If a subject is psychologically dependent on a substance, they may suffer from psychological symptoms.

Physically dependent subjects will suffer from physical symptoms such as lethargy, fatigue, nausea, or even seizures.

Alcohol is an example of a substance that can create both a psychological and a physical dependence. Because of this, the withdrawal symptoms can become severe or potentially fatal. It is paramount that patients undergo a medicated detox to recover from alcoholism.

Just like alcohol, heroin is another substance that is physically addictive. This means that the withdrawal symptoms can be severe, and a medicated detox will be required to ensure that the patient recovers safely and comfortably.

Substances such as cocaine, cannabis, and other amphetamines aren’t physically addictive, but they are psychologically addictive. However, psychologically addictive substances do not require a medicated detox in the same sense as physically addictive substances do.

To learn more about how a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff will support your recovery from addiction, call our team today on 0800 088 66 86

How Can I Be Sure That I Am Addicted?

It is imperative that subjects seek the advice of professionals regarding the subject of their potential addiction. However, there are convenient and swift ways of determining whether someone is suffering from an addiction or not.

One example of this is the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, or AUDITs. AUDITs is a list of 10 questions concerned with alcohol consumption and consequences. The subject will answer these questions to find out their ‘score’ on the test.

If the subject answers with complete sincerity, they will get an accurate assessment of the severity of their addiction. Should subjects score 13 points or higher, it indicates that subjects suffer from substance dependence.

However, the boundaries aren’t crystal clear. Should subjects score fewer than 13 points, but higher than 8 points, they should still address their intake as it indicates that they have a substance use problem.

Another way to determine the severity of a subject’s addiction is the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

The DSM-5 criteria associate 11 signs and symptoms with addiction, and if the subject suffers from these, then they could be suffering from addiction.

These include but aren’t limited to impaired control, sustained use despite consequences, social problems, and more.

Social problems can be defined by a range of things such as social isolation, disinterest in hobbies or neglecting familial or occupational responsibilities.

Clinicians use this framework to determine the severity of a patient’s addiction. By identifying the patient’s symptoms, they can understand the severity of their addiction, how long their recovery should last and what sort of treatment is necessary.

A patient might be suffering from a mild form of substance use disorder if they experience two or three of the symptoms of the criteria. If a patient in Cardiff suffers four or five symptoms, this indicates a moderate addiction whereas more indicates a severe addiction.

Not sure whether or not you need the help of drug or alcohol rehabilitation in Cardiff? Talk it over with our expert team on 0800 088 66 86

How Do I Hold an Intervention in Cardiff or Near Cardiff?

Often, the people who seek support from a drug and alcohol rehab aren’t the ones suffering from addiction directly. They are often family members and friends who are suffering indirectly by witnessing addiction overwhelm their loved ones.

Sometimes, professional intervention is necessary to encourage someone who is in denial about their addiction or is reluctant to enter a drug and alcohol rehab. When this is the case, subjects can contact a professional interventionist to assist them.

A professional interventionist can assist the family and friends in organising an intervention for the subject who might be suffering from addiction. Community Reinforcement and Family Training, or CRAFT, is an effective and non-confrontational way to facilitate an intervention.

To make sure that your loved one gets the treatment they need from one of the rehab clinics in Cardiff, give our team a call on 0800 088 66 86

What Happens at a Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Cardiff or Near Cardiff?

Addiction is not considered a ‘choice’ or ‘moral failing’ on behalf of the addiction sufferer – so the focus of rehab is always on returning agency to the patient.

At a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff, patients will undergo a personalised recovery programme to optimise their responsiveness to recovery methods. Personalised programmes are far more effective at achieving recovery than those that aren’t tailored.

This is because personalised programmes identify each variable of someone’s addiction and treat it in a unique way. Each addiction is different in its severity, cause, and substance, therefore each addiction requires a different method of treatment.

At the drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff, patients will be taught to focus on abstinence. This is because abstinence if done correctly, eliminates the possibility of a relapse.

Experts have agreed that abstinence is far more effective than harm reduction or moderation management – as a result, that’s what rehabs focus on.

Then, the patient can focus on relapse prevention skills along with their abstinence.

This is more effective than other methods of recovery such as harm reduction or moderation management. Moderation isn’t a possibility when recovering from an addiction.

Any amount of their addictive substance, no matter how small, would be considered relapsing.

To learn more about what addiction treatment services in Cardiff will involve, call us today on 0800 088 66 86

What is a Medicated Detox and Will I Need One in Cardiff?

A medicated detox is an essential part of any addiction recovery plan. It is the first stage when the patient arrives at the drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff, and it is essential in overcoming addiction.

Typically, patients recovering from alcoholism will spend around 7 days undergoing a medicated drug or alcohol detox. Patients recovering from drug addiction may spend around 10 to 14 days undergoing the medicated detox stage, depending on the severity of their addiction.

Here, they will allow the addictive substance to withdraw from their body, but this will be done in a safe and regulated environment. Withdrawal symptoms may arise, however patients will be given prescription drugs to ensure that their alcohol or drug detox is completed comfortably.

Pharmacological intervention is incredibly important in this stage, and prescription drugs such as  Benzodiazepines, Naltrexone, Subutex, and more are used to decrease the severity of withdrawal symptoms.

Librium is another commonly used prescription drug, particularly effective in preventing delirium tremens and other alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Because of the difference in effects between physically and psychologically dependent substances, the length of time that subjects spend at a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff will vary.

For example, if a subject is suffering from alcoholism or heroin addiction, both of which are physically addictive, they may need to spend longer than 28 days at their selected rehab. This is because they will need to undergo a medicated detox to ease drug or alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To learn more about detoxing at a drug and alcohol rehab clinic in Cardiff, give our team a call on 0800 088 66 86

What Can I Bring To a Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Cardiff?

To give yourself the best chance of succeeding in rehab in Cardiff, it’s essential that you take appropriate items.

Comfy clothes and day-to-day sanitary products are a must, but what else are you allowed to bring that might benefit you on your recovery journey at a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff?

1. Important information/documents for rehab in Cardiff

When beginning rehab, there can be a lot of information that you need to know, and remembering it all can be very difficult. As a result, it can help to bring what you need with you.

An important thing individuals may want to bring is a list of those they wish to be involved in treatment. Some may not have any particular preferences or desires to involve certain people, but some may want particular relatives, healthcare professionals, or doctors to participate.

Certain documents of interest may also be important like a driving license or passport. A means of paying for rehab – credit card, debit card, or cash – may also fall under this umbrella.

2. Personal items at rehab in Cardiff or near Cardiff

While it isn’t recommended that individuals take valuable items into rehab, it can sometimes help if they bring with them certain things which make them feel safe and motivated.

These items can be anything, from sentimental pieces of jewellery to pictures of loved ones. An individual can draw strength from items that remind them of home or what they are fighting to get sober for.

Individuals must be conscious, however, that they cannot bring in any items that can be used to endanger themselves or others.

3. Prescription medications at alcohol rehab in Cardiff

It’s common for substance abusers to struggle with another mental or physical health condition and, as a result, require prescription medication. Addiction can often develop as a means of dealing with these health problems, but becoming sober takes away this crutch.

Many will need to begin or resume taking prescription medications within rehab, but there are certain procedures that must be followed when taking these medicines into treatment.

All bottles, boxes, and packets of medication must retain their original labelling and must be new/sealed. A prescription note may also be necessary. These precautions enable rehab staff to ensure no one is taking anything they shouldn’t be as a way to cope with rehab.

4. Entertainment at a rehab in Cardiff or near Cardiff

As there is likely to be downtime between treatment sessions, individuals will find that they want some entertainment during rehab. Rules will be quite stringent as to what can and can’t be consumed, but speaking to a rehab centre can help give a good idea as to what is accepted.

Books are usually a safe bet, and individuals can often find the act of reading to be a calming and informative activity when they are trying to attain composure and independence throughout treatment.

What Are the Benefits of Residential Private Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Cardiff?

As an inpatient at a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff, patients will spend around 28 days in recovery.

This might vary according to the severity of the addiction.

This time will be spent detoxifying, undergoing therapy, and strategising relapse prevention.

Patients will also receive swift admission if they opt for private drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff. Public services are often overworked and underfunded, and this can result in a lengthy waiting list as a subject’s addiction continues to worsen.

Additionally, inpatients will be provided accommodation at a private rehab facility in Cardiff.

This is beneficial because it allows them to focus solely on their recovery, and it removes them from any toxic environmental and social factors which enabled their addiction.

The cons of a private drug and alcohol rehab are of course its cost. To stay at a rehab for around 28 days might cost between £6,000-£12,000. This will grant you swift admission, accommodation, evidence-based treatment, and constant medical supervision.

To gain all the benefits of a residential private drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff, give our expert team a call today on 0800 088 66 86

What Are The Benefits Of Outpatient Treatment At A Rehab In Cardiff?

Those looking for addiction support in Cardiff can easily find themselves tempted by outpatient rehab. This treatment at first might seem like an obviously superior route to recovery, and there are no doubt several benefits to its style and format.

1. Retaining control and freedom in Cardiff

The single most important advantage of outpatient treatment in Cardiff is that it allows individuals to remain at home and maintain a degree of agency in their wider life. They can attend treatment sessions while sleeping in their own bed, seeing family, and potentially continuing to work.

This is invaluable for many people as the thought of leaving work and the family home can be daunting, making the idea of treating addiction infinitely more difficult. Outpatient treatment, however, resolves this.

Feeling as though one has control and agency over their lives is a key component to fighting addiction. Individuals who believe they have the capacity to positively change their lives are those who will be most likely to succeed, and outpatient treatment directly supports this.

2. Treatment variation at a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff

As well as offering a flexible format of attending treatment around a weekly schedule, outpatient treatment offers individuals variety in how they choose to go about their treatment.

In one sense, individuals can attend meetings where they access advice from an addiction specialist or undergo therapy sessions to face the triggers underpinning their unhealthy behaviours. These sessions can provide much needed support and techniques that individuals can employ immediately.

On the other hand, outpatient treatment can look like short intensive bouts of treatments [3]. These are characterised by individuals entering treatment for short periods of time, benefiting from the care and supervision of inpatient rehab without having to pause their life for such a long time.

These two sides of the outpatient treatment coin offer variety to those who pursue treatment in Cardiff, and individuals can access what helps them most and minimises the impact on their lives.

3. Keeping connected while in rehab in Cardiff

Feeling socially connected to others is a necessity for effective rehab. Addiction thrives off individuals feeling detached and isolated from those they care about, and recovery is most likely to succeed when family and friends are a part of the process.

Outpatient rehab is therefore beneficial because it keeps individuals close to those that care about them. As treatment progresses, they are able to discuss their progress and fears with family and friends, and this close connection can work wonders for motivation.

4. A word of caution for rehab in Cardiff

While outpatient treatment may seem emphatically effective, it’s important to remember that it’s only sufficient for treating addictions that are new, underdeveloped, or entirely psychological. Those with physical dependencies or who are a danger to themselves cannot be treated this way.

Detox is an essential component to treating severe addiction, and outpatient services cannot provide thorough and safe detox. As a result, individuals must be certain that they are not in need of residential rehab when considering the benefits of outpatient. Recovery will depend on this.

What Types of Addictions Are Treated At Rehab in Cardiff?

Addiction rehab in Cardiff can treat a variety of dependencies. This includes those which involves substances (which are the conditions which come to mind for many when they think of addictions) but also those that concern unhealthy behaviours.

1. Substance-based addictions in Cardiff

An individual who develops a physical dependence on a substance can have their condition treated in rehab via detox which targets the bodily reliance on the drug, followed by therapy which capitalises on sobriety to help them identify and fight triggers.

Many substance-based addictions can be treated within rehab in Cardiff. These include the following:

• Alcohol

• Tobacco
• Opioids (such as heroin)
• Sedatives
• Sleeping pills
• Cocaine
• Cannabis
• Hallucinogens
• Amphetamines

2. Behaviour-based disorders

An individual who comes to rely on compulsive and irresponsible behaviours can also benefit from rehab treatment in Cardiff. These conditions are fuelled by the emotional highs which result from behaviours that provide immediate gratification, and they can be detrimental in many ways.

Although they don’t directly involve the body, behaviour-based addiction can still ruin mental health, social life, and financial security.

Rehab in Cardiff treats these conditions via therapy; identifying which triggers fuel addictive cycles of behaviour and helping individuals tackle them. Addictive behaviours can include all of the following:

• Eating
• Sex
• Gambling
• Stealing
• Playing video games
• Self-harming
• Working
• Shopping

3. How Do I Know If I Need Rehab in Cardiff?

Identifying when rehab is needed is the first step on the road to recovery, but it can be a really difficult thing to do. Individuals can struggle to objectively assess their own behaviour and health, and the prevalence of denial in those who develop addiction [4] doesn’t help.

However, there are signs that individuals can look out for which can indicate when treatment for an addiction is necessary. Some of the most obvious that an individual can look out for include:

• Consuming a substance daily or multiple times a day
• Consuming a substance first thing in the morning
• Consuming a substance despite a lack of recreational incentive
• Declining performance at school or work due to substance use
• Discussing substance use on a regular basis
• Behaving secretively about substance use
• Prioritising substance use over other hobbies and relationships
• Prioritising substance use over hygiene and appearance upkeep

Withdrawal symptoms are also a key indicator that an individual needs to seek rehab in Cardiff, however these can be difficult to identify. It’s important that an individual tries to keep track of when symptoms arise and whether their prevalence is related to reductions in substance use.

Residential Alcohol Rehab Vs. Outpatient in Cardiff. Which is Better?

Individuals in Cardiff can develop addiction in different ways with varying triggers, withdrawal symptoms, and effective relapse prevention techniques. To accommodate this variety, rehab in Cardiff can adopt more than one format.

There is the conventional style of rehab, residential, which sees an individual enter a facility and engage with treatment until they are able to return home; but there is also outpatient rehab, which allows individuals to attend treatment regularly as part of their as-normal lifestyle.

Both of these styles of treatment have their benefits, however it is worth analysing them in more depth to determine whether one is better than the other.

1. Residential Cardiff rehab: safety and security

With residential, or inpatient, rehab, an individual is cared for and supervised around the clock. Treatment is overseen by medical professionals, but meals are also provided alongside a safe space to relax and work through addiction.

Not only does this form of treatment ensure detox, therapy and relapse prevention are all conducted and completed as safely as possible – protecting physical health as well as supporting mental health throughout – but it also provides separation from the temptations of everyday life.

It’s this isolation and 24/7 support which makes residential rehab in Cardiff so effective, and it’s this absorbing approach to addiction recovery which helps individuals adopt the principles of healthy, substance-free living.

Such treatment comes with a cost, and this is the negative side of residential treatment. Individuals will need to pay to enter a facility for the 28 days required to complete residential rehab. Additionally, many may resent the need to pause everyday life in order to enter rehab.

2. Outpatient rehab in Cardiff: flexibility and comfort

With outpatient rehab, individuals engage with addiction treatment without entering a facility, instead remaining at home and continuing with their lives while attending regular sessions. Such sessions primarily involve therapy, but they can also be bouts of short intensive treatments [5].

What draws individuals to this form of treatment in Cardiff is that it grants them an independence and freedom throughout recovery. They can attend therapy, engage with their triggers, and maintain a degree of normality in their day-to-day life, potentially still working.

This approach is easier for individuals to accept into their lives, improving engagement with treatment, and it also comes with less of a financial burden. 

What cannot be ignored, however, is that outpatient rehab lacks the effectiveness of residential rehab, and there is simply no way for it to treatment serious substance use disorders. Individuals with physical dependencies require medical detox, and outpatient rehab in Cardiff cannot provide this.

Outpatient rehab has its uses, and it can be effective with treating newly developed or solely psychological addictions. However, residential rehab is that which is recommended in most cases to ensure individuals receive the life-changing treatment they need.

How Much Does Drug And Alcohol Rehab In Cardiff Cost?

Every individual who begins the process of seeking out drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff will need to consider the financial details of paying for treatment. The first step of making these arrangements is finding out how much this treatment costs.

There is variation in the price of rehab, depending on the structure of the specific treatment.

In the UK, the average price of rehab is £14,000. Costs per week, however, can range from £1,000 to £10,000, and luxury rehab centres can charge anything up to and beyond £70,000.

When working out the affordability of rehab, it always helps to research financial support options. Many local councils, for example, allocate funds to those who need rehab, however accessing this can be a competitive process.  

Can I Use Insurance to Pay for Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Cardiff?

The details of paying for drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff are unfortunately what prevent many individuals from getting the help they need. They may acknowledge the need to get help, but their financial situation might not allow for an expenditure as large as rehab.

Insurance plays a pivotal role in helping many people access to healthcare they need when it comes to physical ailments, and so it may be of interest to learn that the same can sometimes apply for addiction treatments.

It’s more common than ever for insurance providers to include mental health treatments in their policies, so many individuals may find that their contracts include clauses specifying what relevant treatments in a Cardiff rehab are accessible with their coverage.

It is definitely worth checking whether addiction rehab is covered by your health insurance. And even if you’re not sure, get in touch with your insurance provider and ask the question.

Will Rehab in Cardiff Cure Me of My Addiction?

Unfortunately, rehab does not ‘cure’ addiction in the sense that it eradicates it as a medication or operation can get rid of a physical illness. However, that is not to say that rehab in Cardiff isn’t capable of effectively treating the condition.

Rather than ‘curing’ addiction, rehab in Cardiff provides individuals with the knowledge, skills, and routines to manage it and live healthily in spite of the ways it influences behaviour. With alcohol rehab, detox and therapy enables individuals to live above their desire to drink.

For those who may read this as a clever way of saying that rehab in Cardiff doesn’t work, research is unanimous in its results which show that rehab is the most cost-effective means of tackling addiction [6].

What Are the Benefits of Alcohol Rehab in Cardiff?

‘Beating addiction’ can be quite an abstract idea for individuals who are considering whether to begin alcohol treatment in Cardiff. Therefore, it can be really useful to identify real, observable benefits that rehab can provide.

First, it can be helpful to specifically outline what the goals of alcohol rehab are. While ‘getting better’ is the overarching simplification, individuals can better envisage the benefits of getting help when they understand what rehab is aiming to achieve.

These goals are threefold [7]:

1. Reducing an individual’s substance intake and, with time, establishing a substance-free lifestyle
2. Maximising an individual’s ability to function in day-to-day life without a substance
3. Reducing the risk of relapse

These goals align with the three stages of alcohol rehab in Cardiff, with detox aiming to reduce substance use, therapy helping individuals live without their substance, and relapse prevention providing long-term stability.

So what benefits will undergoing alcohol rehab provide, and what does rehab do for you in terms of pursuing these three goals? The ways rehab can change an individual’s life for the better are numerous, but some of the main benefits can include:

• Improved physical and mental health
• Longer life expectancy
• Improved social and family life
• Greater financial security
• Improved relations with dependent children
• Greater job security

Are There Alternatives to Rehab in Cardiff?

If subjects are seeking alternatives to recovering as an inpatient at a private drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff, there are many options to consider. Subjects may opt for these methods because they have other obligations or financial limitations.

Home detox and recovery is an option, however, it may not be an option for everyone. Home detox and recovery offer affordability and flexibility for those who may have commitments outside of recovery, whether concerning family or occupation, or something else.

While it does offer affordability and convenience, it isn’t entirely safe, especially for those who suffer from severe forms of addiction. If patients have tried to overcome addiction in the past, but failed, they should opt for a private drug and alcohol rehab as an inpatient.

Patients who are consuming high levels of their addictive substance should not opt for a home detox, and neither should patients suffering from co-occurring disorders. This is because it will take professional intervention and supervision to ensure that they recover.

If a patient has a history of becoming violent, they should also be cared for in the safe and comfortable environment of a rehab facility. This is because medical professionals can offer 24/7 support and care for those who undergo recovery in their facility.

Subjects can also gain access to nonprofit fellowship groups to assist them in their recovery. Some of the prominent examples of nonprofit fellowship groups are Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, SMART Recovery, and much more.

Alcoholics Anonymous Cardiff is widely recognised and is one of the most popular organisations when it comes to recovering from addiction. It offers a support system for those recovering from addiction, providing them with a larger and stronger support network.

Narcotics Anonymous Cardiff is synonymous with Alcoholics Anonymous, only it places emphasis on those recovering from drugs. It is important to note that both organisations are apolitical and nonprofit, meaning that the subject’s recovery is the ultimate goal.

SMART, or Self-Management And Recovery Training, is a self-help community for those recovering from both drug and alcohol addiction. It encourages positive behaviour and provides subjects the platform to inspire and to be inspired during their recovery process.

However, when fellowship groups are combined with therapy and relapse prevention planning at a drug and alcohol rehab, the subject’s chances of recovery are increased significantly. They won’t emulate the effects of a personalised recovery programme.

Whatever help you need – whether from a conventional drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff or one of these excellent alternative services – let our expert team help by calling us today on 0800 088 66 86

How Do I Choose the Right Rehab in Cardiff?

Because there are a plethora of options to choose from when concerned with drug and alcohol rehabs in your area, the process can become overwhelming. Subjects should consider what is most important for them before opting for a particular facility in Cardiff.

Not all drug and alcohol rehabs will be operated the same. They will have different costs, different facilities, and they might have different beliefs and methods when it comes to treatment. Subjects should be mindful when they are selecting their rehab facility.

While each subject’s list will be different, reputation should be among the list. It is important that subjects choose a rehab facility that is high in reputation with positive reviews and experience of at least 20 years.

This suggests that the rehab facility in Cardiff is reliable.

The drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff also needs to be affordable for the patient. While it is an investment into a better future of sustained sobriety, patients need to be willing to spend the amount of money on their treatment.

Make sure that you choose the perfect rehab centre in Cardiff for your unique needs by calling our expert team on 0800 088 66 86

What Therapies Are Available at Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Cardiff?

Image above: Group therapy at a rehab in Cardiff

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has created strict guidelines to regulate all medical practitioners’ treatments.

This allows rehabs to treat you with research-led psychiatry, and offer leading psychiatric treatment.

At drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff, there is a myriad of therapies available for patients to undergo. These evidence-based treatments vary from communication-based therapies, to holistic therapies, relapse prevention planning techniques, and more.

Talking therapies include but aren’t limited to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Group Therapy, Individual Therapy, Family Therapy, and Motivational Enhancement Therapy.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy can also act as a form of relapse prevention planning. Both are implemented to help the patient reconfigure any negative behavioural traits that they may have which can exacerbate addiction.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy aims to change the ways that a patient behaves and thinks, introducing and enforcing more positive behavioural patterns and habits. Dialectical Behavioural Therapy focuses on emotional management when dealing with addiction.

Support sessions, similar to those in the fellowship groups, are an effective tool because it allows patients to inspire and to be inspired by others. By providing them with the platform, they can share their unique experience dealing with addiction.

It also allows them to resonate with others who have dealt with similar but unique experiences. By resonating with others, patients can build a larger and stronger support network to help sustain their recovery.

A psychiatrist can support you with any underlying mental health conditions you may need to address.

Family support sessions are also effective because they can educate and inform the family about the complexities of addiction. This can help prepare them to identify and prevent relapse triggers, and it breaks down stigmas associated with addiction.

Motivational Interviewing is a goal-oriented style of therapy that encourages behavioural changes. It is based on the ‘language of change’. For example, exploring why a patient wants to recover will help them consolidate their goals and intrinsic motivation.

Holistic therapy is unique because rather than identifying and targeting specific symptoms, it addresses patients as a whole entity. Its goal is to optimise the mind, body, and spirit of patients recovering from addiction.

Group psychotherapy is a form of group therapy that allows you to recover while supporting other peers.

There is a form of holistic therapy for everyone. It appeals to a range of patients who have distinct interests and backgrounds.

Examples vary from yoga and meditation to mindfulness, acupuncture, art therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, equine therapy, and much more.

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy helps you recognise destructive thought patterns and actions that might cause behavioural or emotional problems.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing uses eye movements and guided instructions to access trauma in order to reprocess what you remember and repair the damage from that memory.

Motivational therapy and motivational interviewing develops your desire and willpower to quit substance use and become more determined to achieve and maintain sobriety.

In rehab, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a popular form of therapy. Develop the skill of mindfulness, and discover how to comprehend and notice your thoughts and feelings without passing judgement on them.

12 Step Facilitation Therapy  improves your awareness of your relapse triggers and helps you stay in control of them with the help of a higher power. It promotes abstinence and healthy habits, and is a often used in fellowship groups.

Brief interventions are quick discussions concerning a person’s drug misuse, generally with the intention of directing them to another type of support.

The Cenaps Relapse Prevention Model is another example of a relapse prevention planning method. The method includes 9 steps such as integration, self-regulation, awareness, and maintenance in order to overcome potential relapse triggers.

To experience any and all of these treatments at a rehab in Cardiff, call our team today on 0800 088 66 86

How Do I Attend Alcohol or Drug Rehab in Cardiff?

Image above: Group hug at a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff

One problem that a lot of people facing addiction find is that even though they realise they have a problem, they think their issues with drugs or alcohol aren’t severe enough to warrant a trip to rehab. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth.

Anyone with a drinking or drug problem could benefit from going to rehab.

The idea that someone needs to “hit rock bottom” before getting help is preposterous. But because of this belief, a lot of people with addiction problems refuse to get help. Many of them try to quit on their own, and though some may find success with this method of quitting, the reality is most people cannot quit using drugs or alcohol without help.

Drug and alcohol addiction is a serious problem that most often requires the help of a trained professional. Attending an alcohol or drug rehab in Cardiff offers the help someone needs, allowing them to take all the necessary measures to ensure they never use drugs or alcohol again.

When someone suffering from addiction chooses to go to rehab in Cardiff, they choose to allow themselves the freedom they deserve.

Going to rehab is something that offers addicts a chance to better understand their addiction, while in turn better understanding themselves.

Because therapy is such an integral part of alcohol or drug rehab in Cardiff (and afar), a person attending rehab has the potential to heal from the emotional and mental damage that has led to their current addicted state.

And this is truly something vital if a person wants to seriously abstain from ever using drugs or alcohol again.

To make sure that you attend the right drug or alcohol rehab in Cardiff, call our expert team today on 0800 088 66 86

What Should I Expect When Going to Rehab in Cardiff?

All rehab programmes will begin with a detox that helps someone overcome the physical part of their addiction. Depending on the severity of a person’s physical addiction, detox can last anywhere from 24 hours up to a week.

It is only after the drugs or alcohol in one’s system have run their course that the other components of rehab can begin.

Rehab in Cardiff consists of quite a bit of therapy. A person attending rehab in Cardiff should expect to go to therapy at least once a day. Most often, they will meet with a private therapist as well as attend group counselling meetings.

Private treatment allows a person to talk about their innermost problems and issues, while group counselling offers a connection to others who are going through the same thing. Therapy and group meetings are a daily part of the entire rehab experience.

The treatment involved in rehab is something else to expect when getting help to overcome addiction.

There are various types of addiction treatments that different rehab centres will use. From fitness activity and art therapy to addiction education and various ways to integrate back into society, rehab in Cardiff will be made up of different ways to help a person successfully overcome their addiction for good.

Make sure that you’re ready for alcohol and drug rehab in Cardiff by calling our team today on 0800 088 66 86

What is Alcohol Addiction?

When an individual develops an alcohol addiction, their consumption of alcohol is excessive and frequent to the point where drinking behaviours can no longer be controlled. Someone who is said to be addicted to alcohol experiences serious physical and emotional health impacts.

The primary difference between a casual drinker and an addict is that those who are addicted to alcohol cannot exercise control over their habit. Their behaviour patterns become cyclical, with the consumption of alcohol becoming the centre to all thoughts and behaviours.

Alcohol addiction is clearly defined by the way it develops, and the key stages of the condition can be both impactful and difficult to spot [8]:

1. Intoxication

Alcohol addiction begins with the consumption of the substance. It may seem obvious, but it is essential to acknowledge that alcohol addiction begins with the initial pleasure that drinking provides. Feeling drunk is the main motivation for drinking in almost all cases.

Happiness, confidence, better sense of humour – individuals drink and enjoy the short-term benefits. For those with mental health conditions, alcohol may become an attractive means of temporarily relieving difficult thoughts or feelings.

If drinking becomes a regular habit, an individual’s brain will begin to develop an association between alcohol and the positive feelings it brings about. Its reward system – influenced greatly by the basal ganglia – is stimulated during this process, forging the association over time.

With more frequent consumption, this association becomes harder and harder for the brain to resist. Alcohol becomes the way to feel better, and nothing else is able to compare against it.

2. Withdrawal

When drinking develops this status in an individual’s mind, they will drink on such a frequent basis that their ingestion of alcohol will begin to take a physical and mental toll. Not only will the body begin to chemically rely on alcohol, but the brain’s positive experience of drinking will dampen.

Specifically, the reward system will weaken, resulting in the brain craving higher levels of alcohol in order to compensate. When sober, these impacts will also lead to an individual feeling worse than they did before drinking in the first place.

This state is known as withdrawal, and individuals can face a lot of negative symptoms when they find themselves unable to function normally without alcohol. These symptoms can vary a lot from individual to individual, and might include [9]:

• Tremors
• Sweating
• Irritation and aggression
• Migraines and headaches
• Heightened stress and anxiety
• Disorientation
• Vomiting
• Inability to concentrate
• Hallucinations
• Delirium Tremens

3. Preoccupation

Withdrawal’s negative impacts on physical and mental health motivate individuals to desire alcohol more than ever, compelling them to drink more often and in higher quantities.

The increased risks of not drinking alcohol go beyond not wanting to feel sad or stressed, but become a matter of being able to live life normally, go to work and perform, or sleep at night.

In correspondence with this increased need for alcohol, acquiring and consuming the substance becomes the main focus of an individual’s life. They become obsessive, with other priorities slipping to the back of their minds as nothing compares to the need to drink and feel better.

This stage of alcohol addiction compromises the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain responsible for organisation. Alcohol becomes the centre of an individual’s world, and they behave and think accordingly, no matter the consequences.

What Are the Signs That An Alcohol Addiction is Present?

Spotting an alcohol addiction can be difficult. Individuals may struggle to notice when their consumption has become unhealthy. Knowing the signs of addiction are essential if an individual is to get help in Cardiff, so what do they need to look for?

Identifying an addiction is about opening up an awareness to patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Below are some of the most common patterns which signify alcohol addiction [10]:

• Drinking to treat emotional turmoil or stress
• Drinking to perform at work or school
• Drinking without consideration of the physical consequences, i.e, a debilitating hangover
• Drinking in spite of the social and emotional consequences, i.e, relationship breakdown
• Lying about drinking
• Consistently becoming depressed or aggressive when under the influence of alcohol
• Drinking more alcohol with each session
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when sober
• Drinking in inappropriate settings such as at work or in public

How Do I Know When My Addiction is Something to Worry About?

Consuming a substance on a regular basis is a fundamental aspect of addiction, however individuals can drink on a weekly basis without necessarily being dependent on the substance. The same goes for those who play video games or gamble, so what constitutes concerning substance use?

An addiction warrants action when it begins to impact physical and mental health in the form of dependency. Those in Cardiff who rely on a substance to function require treatment, but how does this reliance manifest in terms of observable behaviour or symptoms?

There are signs to look out for which signify this unhealthy development of substance use. Some are easier to spot than others, however in combination they must be identified and acted upon to prevent the condition becoming worse:

• Having no motivation to perform at work or school
• Being late or absent from work or school with increasing frequency
• Exhibiting poor hygiene and sense of presentation
• Becoming isolated from others and refusing to socialise
• Allowing personal relationships to deteriorate
• Failing to maintain routines or complete chores
• Using other people’s money to buy a substance, either borrowed or stolen
• Failing to pay bills or pay for food
• Eating irregularly, manifesting in weight fluctuations
• Trying but failing to reduce substance use [11]

It’s imperative that individuals react to these signs because they affect much more than health. Ignoring behaviours which are detrimental to work or finances may result in unemployment, homelessness, or poverty.

How Do I Know If I’m Suffering From Alcoholism?

Alcoholism is an extremely dangerous condition, and one of the most life-altering forms of addiction. Identifying whether an individual is suffering from the condition comes down to noticing the subtle and impactful ways it can influence health and behaviour.

1. Behavioural signs

An individual who drinks compulsively and excessively will exhibit key behaviours. These can be both immediately noticeable and difficult to spot, with focused, long-term observation sometimes being needed in order to identify whether an individual is struggling.

Such behavioural indicators can be as simple as behaving deceptively around others with respect to their alcohol consumption, or quite complex signs of nihilism which manifest in a general disregard for the consequences of alcohol intake, social isolation, or degrading health.

2. Health signs

With alcohol becoming such a staple of an individual’s day-to-day life, it’s only natural that the impacts of their drinking will soon manifest as health defects. Spotting alcoholism can therefore be a matter of identifying compromised health or the increased frequency of illness.

Health problems synonymous with alcoholism include compromised organ functionality (particularly regarding the liver), digestive complications, increased risk of stroke, and declined cognitive faculties (potentially resulting in long-term memory conditions such as dementia).

The most obvious health problem associated with alcoholism is withdrawal. After becoming dependent on alcohol, its absence will cause symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, and nausea. This withdrawal signposts when alcohol intake has started to seriously impact the body.

3. Social signs

The more an individual drinks, the more detached they will become from acceptable social norms. Alcoholism can be identified, therefore, from the unusual ways in which individuals interact with others.

Primarily, the condition will result in an individual isolating themselves from others, prioritising alcohol acquisition over the maintenance of familial and social connections. Addicted individuals need a drink before socialising, and those without alcohol will sacrifice their bonds as a result.

Alcoholism also triggers unacceptable behaviours relating to the act of drinking. Those suffering are likely to drink in inappropriate times and settings, such as in the mornings or at work or school.

How Do I Access Cocaine Rehab in Cardiff?

Cocaine use disorders are among the most harmful illicit drug addictions and are woefully prevalent in The UK. Fortunately, many sufferers wishing to overcome their cocaine dependence and restore balance in their life can do so via inpatient rehab.

Over time, this can ultimately result in cocaine addiction.

At a drug & alcohol rehab in Cardiff, an addiction specialist will often recommend a 30-day residency for stimulant use disorders.

This is because cocaine and crack cocaine addictions are psychological in nature – requiring a combination of intensive addiction counselling and behavioural therapy.

Cocaine detox is not required, as cocaine is not physically addictive, however one should expect a range of physical and mental withdrawal symptoms as the substance leaves their body.

Your chosen rehab for cocaine will have your safety and comfort in mind throughout this process, and there’s always the option to receive medication. As stimulant withdrawal usually exhibits mental symptoms, prescription drugs such as Benzodiazepines are used to treat anxiety, low mood, or restlessness.

Once any traces of cocaine have been safely removed, subjects are offered a comprehensive programme of addiction therapies. Particularly, methods such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy have proven successful in treating both a patient’s cocaine addiction and any co-occuring psychiatric disorders.

CBT aims to alter an individual’s cognitive pathways by reforming the negative behaviours leading to cocaine use. Continuous sessions help to change a patient’s attitude towards drug use, and themselves through deeper self-evaluation.

Overcome your cocaine addiction with the help of a rehab in Cardiff today by calling us on 0800 088 66 86

How Do I Access Heroin Rehab in Cardiff?

Heroin addictions are notoriously difficult addictions to overcome, leading many suffering to believe recovery is impossible. However, recovery has been achieved by many via inpatient care and a comprehensive treatment programme at a specialised clinic.

In order for patients to reap the benefits of a residential programme and personalised therapies, a longer stay is encouraged. So that the physical and psychological elements of heroin addiction can be addressed, patients should consider spending at least 60 days at a drug & alcohol rehab in Cardiff.

While standardized treatment is avoided, each recovery plan for heroin includes similar elements. These are a combination of pharmacological support and behavioural management with subsequent outpatient treatment.

Additionally, programmes include a medicated heroin detox tailored to suit the severity of opioid addictions.

As the likelihood of heroin withdrawal is high, patients are assessed by a medical professional to decide which prescription drugs they’re eligible for.

Oftentimes, Suboxone is utilized to minimise withdrawal pain and inhibit the effects of heroin. A fusion of Buprenorphine and Naloxone, this opiate agonist prevents cravings by blocking opiate-derived euphoria.

Chlordiazepoxide is another drug commonly used for a medically-assisted detox.

Following a successful detox, patients will undergo forms of a behavioural intervention to encourage long-term abstinence. Of these, Contingency Management is an optimal treatment for heroin use disorders and is used by many leading rehabs.

Patients are given rewards to reinforce positive behaviour in alignment with the requirements of their treatment programme. Usually, they’ll receive a voucher for each drug-free urine sample that’s provided, which can be exchanged for movie passes, food items, and other activities.

Overcome your heroin addiction with the help of a rehab in Cardiff today by calling us on 0800 088 66 86

How Do I Access Cannabis Rehab in Cardiff?

Owing to its growing popularity, many people are led to believe that cannabis is completely non-addictive. While some strains of cannabis can have certain benefits in moderate doses, the number of people developing harmful cannabis addictions continues to rise.

Fortunately, a plethora of support is available at a drug & alcohol rehab in Cardiff. If you’ve previously tried to stay sober without success or noticed cravings and other ill effects, it might be time to consider treatment. 

Many long-term cannabis users will experience psychological symptoms in the first few days of abstaining, however a cannabis detox is never necessary as cannabis is not physically addictive.

The next phase of treatment often revolves around psychotherapy, whereby the root cause of someone’s cannabis addiction is uncovered. Similarly to detox, therapy sessions can be completed as part of a 28-day inpatient residency, or an outpatient programme for those with mild addictions. 

Regardless of whether patients are undergoing therapy on-site or off-site, behavioural interventions are often utilised. Those suffering from cannabis addictions respond particularly well to a combination of CBT and Motivational Interviewing.

While CBT enables patients to explore and mediate the thoughts behind their cannabis use, it can be hard to keep motivation levels high in the early days of treatment. To combat this, Motivational Interviewing is implemented to resolve ambivalence through one-to-one addiction counselling.

Overcome your cannabis addiction with the help of a rehab in Cardiff by calling our team on 0800 088 66 86

What Impacts Can Drug and Alcohol Addictions Have on a Person?

Developing a drug or alcohol addiction can have serious impacts on an individual’s quality of life. The ways in which an individual can suffer will range, with subtler impacts developing into more life-altering effects with the worsening of a condition.

Although the specifics can vary, some of the most common health impacts addiction can have on a person include:

• Alcohol poisoning
• An increased chance of developing a physical health condition due to both a compromised immune system and constant alcohol intake
• An increased chance of a physical health condition becoming worse
• The development or worsening if another mental health condition (dual diagnosis, or the development of addiction in tandem with another mental health problem, is very common [12].

But addiction can affect much more than an individual’s mind or body. The negative effects listed above can have knock-on impacts for employment, housing, and financial security, with alcohol being the obsession of an individual’s life resulting in a lack of care for anything else.

These kinds of issues can lead to further problems pertaining to social and family life. Financial and housing issues can result in divorce or family breakdown, and the spiralling severity in which individual’s pursue alcohol can lead to them becoming detached from everyone they love.

What Impact Can Drug and Alcohol Addictions Have on Families?

When an individual develops an addiction, it is not just them who suffer the consequences. It is a sad reality that those around an addicted person experience a great deal of the negative impacts of the addictive behaviour, and many of these can have long-term, life-altering effects.

The decision of whether to seek out addiction treatment in Cardiff may feel like an independent one that only affects you, however it’s important to recognise the ways addiction impacts those closest to you and, as a result, how rehab can help the people you love.

Studies conducted into this subject have identified multiple ways in which drug and alcohol addiction impacts families [13]:

• Attachment issues – Those with addictions can struggle to bond with their young, dependent children. As a result, these children can be restricted to developing insecure attachments, and as a result experience relationship limitations throughout their lives.
• Family breakdown – The social, psychological, and financial pressures imposed by addiction can weigh heavy on family members. Emotional health can be tested, and potentially catastrophic consequences can arise such as domestic violence, depression and divorce.
• Compromised education – The lack of interest an addicted parent will show in their children’s education will likely result in them struggling to engage with school. This can impact their development and future further education/employment opportunities.
• Mental health problems – The presence of an addiction in a household can result in others developing mental health conditions, whether that be a substance use disorder or something caused by it such as depression, anxiety, or insomnia.
• Domestic abuse – Research indicates that a substance abusing parent is 3 times more likely to abuse their child. The impacts of this are both physically and mentally dangerous in the short-term, but can also be lifelong.

Crime risk – Research indicates that the children of addicted parents have a 50% increased likelihood of being arrested and a 40% increased chance of committing a violent crime.

Does Drug and Alcohol Rehab for Teens Work?

When young people become addicted to a substance, it may be tempting to think they can be helped within the home without the support of external treatment in Cardiff. However, it’s important to recognise that, just like adults, teenagers need professional support to get better.

Studies into this area have to contend with the natural obstacles of studying young people, but conclusions have been drawn that point to rehab’s resources and support being effective for treating teen addiction in combination with wider family engagement [14].

What Percentage of Alcoholics Recover?

Committing to alcohol rehab is a big decision, and individuals in Cardiff have a right to know what their chances are of coming out the other end having recovered. 

Getting exact odds for an individual’s chances of recovery are impossible since there are so many factors that can influence them, such as the nature of a substance, the motivation to get better, the ease of detox, etc. However, national statistics can provide a good base idea.

Of the 117,678 individuals who left drug and alcohol treatment across the UK between 2019 and 2020, 47% were discharged with their ‘treatment completed’. For alcoholics specifically, this percentage rose to 59% [15].

This is a promising statistic, and individuals need not be discouraged by the percentage not being above 80% or 90%. Individuals who do not succeed in completing rehab can continue their treatment or return to it at another time. Recovery is always possible, and setbacks never mean failure.

What Happens If I Don’t Get Help?

Addiction rehab can often be seen as a costly and time-consuming treatment that demands too much commitment to complete. Individuals may be unwilling to invest what’s necessary to combat their addiction and so be willing to take the risk of enduring with addiction.

This is not advised.

If individuals don’t get help at a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff, they are subjecting themselves to a variety of potential consequences and dangers.

1. Health issues

Most obviously, an individual will experience increasingly severe health problems the longer they are consuming excessive quantities of a drug. Large quantities of alcohol, for example, will weaken the immune system over time, increasing the prevalence and duration of illnesses.

Not only this, but certain substances can have direct consequences for the functioning of major organs such as the liver, kidneys, heart, and brain.

When considering physical health, it’s also important to acknowledge mental health. Anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder are among many conditions that can develop or worsen due to addiction, and individuals can experience long-term issues if they don’t seek treatment.

2. Relationship breakdown

If addiction goes unchecked, the ways in which an individual behaves with their family, friends, and partner can become increasingly toxic, aggressive, or subdued. Over time, this can lead to the breaking down of these relationships, triggering a host of knock-on effects.

Between partners, divorce can result from an addiction becoming too large a burden to bear. This can impact housing situations and the well-being of dependent children. With social groups, an addiction can push an individual into isolation, segregating them from others.

While immediately impactful on an individual’s well-being, these breakdowns can be catastrophic for years to come. For example, the breakdown of a family can impact children for years, influencing the way they develop and behave as adults themselves.

3. Legal trouble in Cardiff

Addiction is known for making an individual behave more erratically. While harmless in the short term, untreated substance abuse can result in behaviours that eventually lead an individual into legally tricky situations that they may not have the funds or cognitive clarity to navigate.

Legal problems can, for example, result from an individual causing criminal damage while under the influence of a substance, or hitting someone with their car. Divorce proceedings can also become a difficult matter to solve while living with an addiction. 

4. Financial complications in Cardiff

If an individual is spending money on a substance to an obsessive extent and without limitation, it’s natural to assume that they will eventually fall into financial hardship as a result. Without treatment, individuals can spend until they have no money left, and even then steal or borrow funds to get by.

If addictive behaviours compromise an individual’s ability to perform at work, they may even face the prospect of unemployment. This can further increase their vulnerability to bankruptcy, but the problem of not getting treatment means they have no choice but to continue buying a substance.

For many who face addiction, rehab in Cardiff can seem inaccessible due to the price attached to the treatment. However, it’s important to note that research has found that untreated addiction can often exceed the price of addiction treatment per year [16].

Why Should You Avoid Recovering on Your Own?

Acknowledging an addiction is an incredibly difficult thing to do, as too is making the decision to spend effort to get better. However, not everyone who accepts that they need help will be willing at first to undergo rehab in Cardiff.

For many, the objectives of rehab may make sense, but the means may seem unnecessary or overly restrictive. Can an individual not treat themselves with self-managed detox and outpatient therapy sessions, allowing them to live life as normal while getting better?

It must be stated that recovery on your own is not impossible. Individuals may, in very rare instances, be able to handle detox and coordinate their own therapy. However, this is not the norm, and those who attempt to treat themselves for addiction are putting themselves at an incredible risk.

Research is resolute in its conclusions that the necessary principles for effective addiction treatment are medically supervised detox and therapeutic intervention [17]. These pillars of recovery ensure short-term safety and long-term results, and it’s no coincidence that rehab provides them both.

When an individual detoxes alone, they subject themselves to withdrawal without the support or medications offered in rehab. If they are lucky enough to succeed without relapsing or seriously injuring themselves, the resulting cravings will prove an almost unbearable obstacle.

In rehab, it’s therapy which supports individuals in these vulnerable days following detox. It helps them identify triggers and temptations, and the techniques learned are what guarantee long-term recovery. Without this, individuals are bound to lose their progress.

Can I Recover From Addiction Without Professional Help?

Yes, it is possible to recover from addiction without professional help. Individuals who do so must exert incredible self-control and discipline, however that is not to say that these things alone are guaranteed to ensure effective self-treatment.

The reality of treating addiction without professional help is that individuals will struggle to fight and stave off the impulse to continue substance use. This is for several reasons:

1. A lack of medical detox means quitting substance use will be difficult, and there will be no protection provided against withdrawal symptoms.
2. A lack of addiction therapy will prevent effective identification and treatment of addictive triggers, leaving individuals susceptible to relapse.
3. An absence of the clinical recovery environment subjects individuals to the temptations and triggers responsible for their addiction, compounding the negative impact of not having access to the treatments noted above.

An individual can be committed to beating their addiction, however the severity of their condition, as well as a range of other factors, can deem it nearly impossible to achieve this. As a result, individuals are encouraged to seek rehab treatment in Cardiff.

How Do I Prepare for Addiction Rehab in Cardiff?

Before entering a rehab facility in Cardiff, it’s important that individuals take the necessary pre-rehab steps. These steps encompass both literal and emotional steps and should take place prior to entering a treatment programme to optimise the smoothness and efficiency of their experience.

1. Confirm what you are taking with you to rehab in Cardiff

In most rehab programmes, you are permitted to take certain items with you. These tend to be essential items, but individuals can often take things that are sentimentally important to them or will motivate them during treatment.

Essential items include clothing, toiletries, and prescription medications. With all of these categories, it is integral that individuals make clear exactly what they are bringing and do not take anything that could be used to harm themselves or others. Medications must also be sealed and clearly labelled.

2. Prepare your family/household for your absence

When you leave home to enter rehab, it isn’t just your own life that is being affected. Those you live with – family, friends, and roommates – will feel your absence in their routine, and very often there can be financial responsibilities that will fall upon them while you are away, like groceries and bills.

Before leaving for treatment, take the necessary steps to equip those you are leaving so that they are not subjected to stress or anxiety while you are away. It can help to speak with them about finances and devise a plan for how outgoings can be split.

An emotional element will also be present here if an individual is leaving a partner and children behind. Speak with them and clarify why you are going and when you expect to return. Also, listen to their fears and anxieties; having an open conversation with them can help them feel at ease.

3. Clarify to yourself what you are doing and why you are doing it

Addressing your own doubts and fears is also a really important stage of pre-rehab. You will naturally feel nervous, uncertain, confused, conflicted, and a range of other emotions about what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Going into rehab with a tumultuous mindset reduces the chances of an individual effectively engaging with treatment, so it can be helpful to speak to yourself and address your thoughts and feelings. 

State the benefits of rehab, bullet point who you are helping by doing it, and clarify for yourself how your life will improve by undergoing the treatment.

How Do I Tell My Family I’m Going to a Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Cardiff?

If an individual lives with their family or partner, it’s important that they tell them that they are leaving to go to rehab in Cardiff. Doing this may seem simple or obvious, but it can be a difficult thing to do, and individuals may need support in knowing how to tell their loved ones about rehab.

1. Explain why you’re going to rehab in Cardiff

Before doing anything else, it’s essential that your loved ones know why you are going to rehab. This may necessitate your telling them for the first time about your substance abuse, but this is essential as it will help them accept your absence.

2. Describe what you will be doing

Once your family understand your reason for going, they may want to know why rehab is necessary. To answer this, you should outline the treatments available in rehab – detox, therapy, relapse prevention – and how they are going to change your life.

3. Outline the ways in which you will be able to communicate with them

It’s natural for those who care about you to want to establish a reliable means of communicating with you. To ease their concerns, it can help to check in with your rehab facility and find out whether phone calls or visits can be arranged.

4. Anticipate a range of responses

Families can have a range of reactions to learning their loved one is going into rehab. Anger, confusion, judgement, pessimism – they’re all possible. As a result, it is absolutely essential than an individual adheres to the following:

1. Do not become dejected by this response. If going to rehab in Cardiff has been deemed necessary, an individual must not second guess their decision based on the knee-jerk responses of others. Their words may be impactful, but in the long run they will understand.
2. Prepare responses for some of the questions and doubts that arise from this conversation. It can help calm the adverse responses of family members to have facts or figures that explain to them how rehab works and why it is effective.

Do I Have to Tell My Boss About Alcohol Rehab?

Almost a quarter of people (24%) who begin alcohol addiction treatment are in employment [18]. This means that many who are in the position of considering drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff will need to navigate the process of telling their employer about their treatment.

A lot of worries can come to mind prior to this process. Individuals may fear judgement, resentment, or even anger from their employer, and the potential for being fired may loom over their thinking. Some may even consider not telling their boss at all.

What individuals must remember is that approaching an employer about addiction treatment need not be so bad. In many cases, a boss will have picked up on addictive behaviours, and so informing them about rehab is a process of being open and honest about what help is being accessed.

With that being said, there are several principles which individuals would do well to remember when engaging in this discussion:

• Honesty is key. You don’t need to unveil every detail of your condition, but being open and fair with your boss about where you are going and why is the best way to help them understand your absence.
• Resist the fear of judgement. By being honest, your boss will understand that you are behaving bravely and in your best interest, and they will be in a better position to accommodate your needs.
• Support them too! Your leaving to undergo rehab will likely cause complications for your team or colleagues, so reduce the impact of your absence – and in turn the problems caused for your boss – by helping make the transition as easy as possible.

Can I Lose My Job If I Leave to Go to Rehab?

It’s not realistic for an employer to dismiss you on the grounds of your needing to attend addiction rehab in Cardiff. To do so would be unethical discrimination, and workplaces are becoming increasingly aware of the role they are expected to play in supporting health and wellbeing.

With this being said, it is important that if you do need to temporarily leave your job in order to access treatment, you go about it in an honest and earnest way.

As a result, it’s imperative that you are honest with your employer and explain to them in as best a way you can why you need support and how you are going to access it. Your employer is likely to understand this honesty, whereas deception is likely to confuse or irritate.

Will Your Insurance Cover Rehab?

Needing to pay for treatment gets in the way of many people accessing the healthcare they need. Luckily in the UK, the NHS provides thousands of people with free healthcare, however the same can’t be said for addiction treatment.

The NHS offers drop-in sessions which offer free guidance to those with substance use issues, however rehab does not come under this free support. Those who require this treatment will need to pay a private provider for it, but how can individuals afford this?

Many may think of their health insurance provider. It’s becoming increasingly common for health insurance providers to include mental health cover in their contracts, with therapies and treatments being included.

Consult your insurance contract and see if addiction support services are accessible under your coverage. If you are unsure, get in touch with your provider.

Is Addiction Treatment Accessible Through the NHS?

The NHS is an invaluable asset to people all over the UK who struggle with health conditions. When it comes to addiction, individuals in Cardiff can receive support, but not in the robust forms of residential rehab.

This may seem frightening, but it’s important to acknowledge that residential rehab is a very costly treatment to provide, and the NHS wouldn’t be able to treat everyone equally if they provided this kind of care. However, there are other ways in which they can support substance abusers:

• GP support – Going to see your GP can provide you with a more accurate diagnosis as well as information about what you are experiencing and where you can access help. A GP may also be able to provide short-term coping mechanisms before treatment begins.
• Offering drop-in sessions – Those combatting their addiction can turn to the NHS for ongoing guidance and support. Similar to a GP, NHS professionals can offer personalised advice and techniques for optimising the effectiveness of recovery.
• Making a referral – An NHS GP or doctor can play a pivotal role in the recovery process by referring you to a private treatment programme. Not only can this help point you in the direction of a trusted facility, but it can also help you get a place on in-demand programmes.

I Can’t Afford Drug and Alcohol Rehab – I Don’t Have Insurance. What Can I Do?

If an individual can’t afford rehab in Cardiff and they have no insurance policy in place to help them, it can be a really distressing situation. However, there are still options out there, and learning about these can play a key role in helping someone get the help they need instead of giving up.

An obvious suggestion is to seek out NHS support. Even though rehab is not available from the NHS, speaking with a GP or doctor can be really beneficial in several ways. Firstly, it can help clarify what treatment is needed, for some individuals may not need rehab at all.

Secondly, a referral from an NHS professional can help individuals in accessing funding. Local councils can support individuals in accessing unaffordable treatment, and having a note from a doctor stating the necessity of treatment can help individuals compete for these in-demand funds.

How Long Does Alcohol Rehab Last?

Prior to attending alcohol rehab in Cardiff, an individual is likely to be curious about how long they are expected to attend treatment for. This information is important, too, when it comes to arranging time away from work and the family home.

On average, an individual will spend 28 days in rehab. This is an estimate, and individuals may spend shorter or longer in treatment depending on factors like the severity of their condition, the substance they are addicted to, and what triggers they suffer with.

These 28 days is split roughly into two stages. The first, lasting 7-10 days, sees an individual undergo medical detox. This tends to be the amount of time it takes to safely wean the body from a dependence.

The second stage, 18-21 days, is spent undergoing addiction therapy and relapse prevention. This side of rehab in Cardiff requires a bit more time to thoroughly help an individual develop the skills and techniques for managing their addictive cravings.

Can I Force My Loved One to Go to Rehab?

Facing one’s own addiction is really challenging, but it can be equally distressing to realise that someone you care about is struggling with substance abuse. Whether they are a partner, sibling, or friend, you will naturally want to help them get the support they need.

This is much easier said than done, and for many it can be frustrating to find that a loved one doesn’t seem to have the will or desire to get better. Naturally, you can wonder whether it’s possible to force them into rehab in Cardiff: it isn’t.

Not only is it ethically shaky to force an individual into treatment against their will, but it is also undeniably better for their odds of recovery if they begin rehab with an understanding of what they are wanting to achieve and why they are taking the time to engage with their condition.

In the same way you might encourage a loved one to treat their depression or insomnia, engaging with them about an addiction is best done with several key principles in mind [19]:

1. Be present for what they have to say

Speaking with an individual about their condition – it’s symptoms, wider impacts, and future consequences – is important, but equally so is listening to what an individual has to say in response to your concerns.

It’s likely that a loved one will reply to your worries with explanations, and these may include serious admissions regarding mental and emotional health. They may admit that they drink because they’re anxious, depressed, or struggling to perform at work or school.

Throughout this discussion, it’s imperative that you listen to what they’re saying. Making them see that you understand will increase the chances of them taking what you’re suggesting seriously, and dismissing or speaking over them will only push them away from you and treatment.

2. Make them a part of things

Regardless of whether you have succeeded in getting your loved one to open up, it’s important to follow up your initial discussion with action. If you’re to make them feel supported enough to consider rehab, or make them open up, they need to see you as a consistent presence.

By involving them in social plans or making them a priority in your day-to-day routine, you show your loved one that your concerns and care are not temporary flashes. You communicate to them that you really do want them to get better, and with this support, they can feel brave enough to seek help.

By socialising more, they are also likely to see the benefits of tackling their addiction. Being out and about and having fun might show them the long-term benefits of beating their dependency, opening the door in their mind for rehab in Cardiff.

3. Guide them to greater knowledge

The barebone facts of addiction may be plain to see, however, the more complex medical information about addiction will likely be beyond your understanding. When an individual opens up, they will likely want to learn more, so it’s essential that you know where they can get it.

A GP or addiction support service will be able to provide an individual with the information they need. It also wouldn’t hurt for you to speak with them yourself to learn more about how you can support your loved one.

Telling a loved one that they need to seek treatment but failing to provide them with the facts as to why or how rehab will help them will only leave them sceptical and unconvinced. Be prepared, and be aware of where they can get the information and guidance they need.

Should I Do Alcohol Rehab or AA?

Someone struggling with alcohol addiction may consider seeking out the support of Alcoholics Anonymous. This programme involves individuals attending meetings in which they speak with others also experiencing alcohol dependency, share experiences, and offer support.

AA meetings are really useful for helping individuals open up about their condition, learn valuable skills for managing their drinking, and realise that they aren’t alone. In fact, AA is 60% more effective than other interventions or no interventions at all [20].

Upon discovering AA, individuals may consider attending meetings as an alternative to alcohol rehab in Cardiff, however this ignores several key facts about rehab.

Alcohol rehab provides medical detox for those experiencing alcohol addiction. It weans their body from alcohol and allows them to think and behave freely from its constant demand for drinking. AA doesn’t provide this, and so is not an effective alternative.

Where AA does come in handy, however, is post-rehab. AA is an incredibly effective way of building upon the sobriety earned through detox and helping individuals live without alcohol. AA shines a light on the ways in which life after alcohol is valuable and worth living.

It’s also worth noting that AA can be an effective form of treatment when an alcohol addiction is yet to fully develop. If rehab is not yet necessary, AA can be an effective way to cut out addictive behaviours before they have taken over the body and behaviours.

Why Is Aftercare After Residential Rehab in Cardiff So Important?

Professionally supported drug and alcohol rehab is one of the best ways to recover from addiction, but it isn’t for everyone.

During these sessions that you attend after rehab in Cardiff,  you will not only be sharing and listening to the recovery experiences of like-minded people but also be building a support network to keep you motivated.

Meeting others who share similar experiences affords you a specific connection that can become a lifelong friendship.

You’ll be offered a sponsor to keep you on track with time and become a sponsor for others like yourself at earlier stages of recovery.

Make sure that your stay at a drug and alcohol rehab in Cardiff is 0800 088 66 86

How Do I Avoid Relapse After Rehab in Cardiff?

Once an individual in Cardiff has conquered their addiction and completed rehab, it can be a moment of significant jubilation to leave treatment and return to everyday life.

Achieving this milestone in recovery, however, can be tainted by a fear of relapse. After putting so much work into beating cravings, an individual will naturally feel frightened about allowing them to return and prompt addiction relapse.

But fear mustn’t discourage those who want to hold onto the sobriety they have fought so hard to achieve. Instead, individuals should put their energies into adopting the following habits and techniques that research poses as effective for fighting off relapse [21]:

1. Not focusing on willpower

It’s a common misconception that an individual’s chances of remaining sober are dependent on their motivation alone. This myth suggests only those that truly want to stay sober will do so, but this simply isn’t true.

A key aspect of cognitive addiction treatment, and something individuals would do well to remember, is that the chances of avoiding relapse are actually affected by the implementation of coping mechanisms.

Those who want to fight off relapse don’t need to assess their strength of character, but instead equip themselves with coping mechanisms – such as exercising, speaking to friends, or accessing addiction support – which can assist them in staving off cravings.

2. Detaching addiction from ‘fun’

When an individual moves on from their substance use, it’s easy for them to be lured into thinking of their pre-rehab days as being a better, happier time. While they wouldn’t want to become addicted again, they may miss the innocent joy of getting drunk or taking drugs.

This is a dangerous way of thinking. As long as an individual thinks of their addiction in a positive light, the capacity for cravings to influence behaviour remains dangerously high.

It’s integral that an individual not only remind themselves of the damage that substance use has done to their health and life, but also recalibrate what they see as fun. So many other hobbies provide fun and health benefits, and these activities should be pursued.

3. Embracing setbacks

It’s the most natural thing in the world for an individual to feel disheartened by a setback after rehab. If they are tempted by substance use, it’s easier for them to berate themselves and question whether they even have what it takes to get better.

This kind of thinking is bound to reverse progress. Instead, it’s beneficial to view setbacks as necessary steps on the overarching journey to a healthy, substance-free life.

Individuals will improve their chances of avoiding relapse if they discuss setbacks with trusted people and use them as motivation for the future. Learning from setbacks, rather than punishing oneself for them, is vital.

4. Getting comfortable in tough situations

Identifying triggers is an essential dimension of effective drug or alcohol rehab. Once rehab ends, it’s more pivotal than ever that an individual remains aware of these triggers and where they exist in day-to-day life.

Being subjected to uncomfortable situations – being around alcohol or those who still drink it, for example – is bound to be a huge challenge, but individuals can take steps to reduce the chances of these situations prompting relapse.

By carefully, and perhaps with supervision, exposing themselves to uncomfortable situations, individuals can practice their coping mechanisms and bolster their defences against temptations. This way, when unexpected pressure comes at them, they have the experience to remain committed.

How Can We Help You Find the Perfect Rehab in Cardiff?

Choosing the right rehab is very important. Because our staff all has experience in addiction, we know what it’s like to be in your situation. We are here to evaluate your situation and help you find the perfect rehab to fit your individual needs.

Please call us today, and we can discuss the various options for rehab in Cardiff. We’re here to give you all the advice we can so you can make a sound decision and move towards a future that isn’t governed by addiction.

Start your recovery journey in Cardiff today by calling our expert team on 0800 088 66 86

How Can I Refer Myself Into Rehab?

An individual who admits that they are in need of addiction rehab in Cardiff may not necessarily want to discuss it with anyone. Stigmas surrounding addiction can have really negative impacts on those who want to get help [22], and so the option of self-referral can be a good one to explore.

An individual wanting to get themselves into rehab can get in touch with a facility directly. This will require them to speak about what they are experiencing, but a facility will be happy to help once the nature of the condition has been explored.

Even though self-referral offers a greater degree of agency, it is always recommended that individuals speak with a GP or doctor prior to treatment to ensure they access suitable treatment. Individuals may enrol onto a treatment that is either too strict or too lenient, so getting expert advice helps.

Should I Stay in Cardiff to Get Treatment or Go Elsewhere?

It can be an appealing idea for some to leave home in order to access rehab. Getting away from the triggers of everyday life might feel like a good plan, however, others may think it terrifying to leave Cardiff, instead wanting to rely on the comfort of being close to home to get through treatment.

The facts are that there is no universal rule as to what individuals should do. There are sufficient rehab facilities in Cardiff to attain long-term recovery, but there are plenty of facilities across the UK that may tempt individuals to travel.

Luxury rehabs across the country can vary in terms of what services and treatments they can offer. Different treatment centres can offer a variety of recreational activities, wellness facilities, and extra perks, and individuals are free to enrol upon any facility they deem as suitable.

However, if individuals want to abide by the route of recovery that is statistically most likely to succeed, it’s worth noting that rehab is most effective when individuals spend longer in rehab and have more prolonged post-rehab support [23].

Naturally, individuals will be able to dedicate more time to rehab and post-rehab if they are living nearby to the facility they have attended. Also, incorporating recovery techniques can be easier when the environment in which they were learned is the same as that in which an individual lives.

What Are Some Charities & Alternatives to Rehab in Cardiff?

1. Recovery Cymru

Address: 218 Cowbridge Rd E, Cardiff CF5 1GX

Telephone: 02920227019

Website: http://www.recoverycymru.org.uk/

2. Kaleidoscope Project – Drug and Alcohol Charity

Address: Resolven House, Saint Mellons Business Park, Fortran Rd, St. Mellons, Cardiff CF3 0EY

Telephone: 01633811950

Website: https://kaleidoscope68.org/

3. Ara Recovery For All

Telephone: 03301340286

Website: https://www.recovery4all.co.uk/contact/gambling-help-cardiff/

Reaching out to 12-Step programmes such as Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous (NA)  and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) can help you to meet others in recovery.

The NHS and NHS Foundation Trust provide free, simple and reliable information about drugs and alcohol.

SMART Recovery can help you to control any relapse triggers you may face, and gain a better understanding of your emotions.

Al-Anon are another essential valuable service open to you and your loved ones.

You can also reach out to a number of charities, including Mind UK, Young Minds, Rethink Mental Illness, Change Grow Live, Turning Point, We Are With You, Samaritans and Papyrus, SMART Recovery or find an Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or Cocaine Anonymous near you.

What Is Life After Rehab Like?

Your aftercare programme will give check-ins after you leave rehab to make sure you feel secure in your sobriety away from the safety of your treatment centre.

Contingency management and coping mechanisms will provide you with a safety net of tools and prepared procedures you can utilise when you come across a trigger, preventing relapse.

A great alternative for transitional accommodation between recovery and the outer world is sober living houses. This house guarantees you and other people in recovery a risk-free environment free from codependency, drugs, or alcohol.

Frequently Asked Questions

What If I Suffer From Multiple Conditions Alongside Addiction?

It’s very common for individuals to develop addiction in tandem with another mental health condition. Addiction can arise when an individual is also suffering with depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, but it’s important to recognise that this isn’t unusual or restrictive for treatment.

The co-existence of addiction and another mental health condition is known as dual diagnosis. It’s been a common theme across addiction research for years, and studies have concluded that addiction rehab requires treatment of both conditions to be effective [24].

Addiction rehab in Cardiff is able to treat individuals with multiple conditions via therapy. Often, addictive triggers are the symptoms of mental health conditions – excessive stress, overthinking, detachment from reality – and so treating the co-occurring condition holds the key for recovery.

It may also be the case that addiction and another mental health condition are caused by the same triggers. For examples, alcohol abuse and anxiety may both be the results of loneliness, social isolation, and an unhealthy work-life balance. In treating the trigger, an individual heals twofold.

What Rehab Options Are There in Cardiff?

If an individual wants to tackle their addiction, the most effective means of doing so is attending a rehab facility in Cardiff. However, this doesn’t mean that rehab is the only option available. There are other routes to recovery out there, but precautions need to be taken to ensure treatment is suitable.

The primary alternatives to rehab are outpatient support services. These help individuals address their addictive triggers and make progress without having to enter a programme. These services involve regular therapy sessions, however they are unable to provide comprehensive detox.

Other options for support include programmes that provide support for specific addictions and experiences. The most famous of these is probably Alcoholics Anonymous, a programme in which alcohol users meet to share experiences with one another and offer support.

Alcoholics Anonymous has been found to be an incredibly effective source of support [25], but an individual looking for an alternative to rehab needs to be thorough in determining whether these different programmes will help them. In most cases, addiction rehab will be necessary.

What Happens When I Arrive At Rehab in Cardiff?

Individuals arriving at rehab in Cardiff can expect a simple but standard process before treatment begins. This is to ensure enrolment is comprehensive and safe.

Usually, quite simple administrative tasks are taken care of, such as document signings, then an individual’s wellbeing is focused on. A drugs test may be conducted, followed by a brief assessment to determine general health, any symptoms being experienced, and mental state.

With these matters taken care of, an individual’s comfort becomes paramount. They are shown to their room, given time to settle in, and then a conversation will usually be had to explain what will happen during the rehab process and what goals an individual might have.

Variations are to be expected when it comes to this process, and individuals should anticipate that each facility may have a different process when it comes to settling people into rehab. Getting in touch with a specific facility about their process is the best way to get accurate information.

Will I Be Able to See My Family During Rehab in Cardiff?

The hardest part about entering addiction rehab in Cardiff is often the need to leave home. In order to effectively engage with the physical and mental dimensions of substance abuse, an individual will need to enter a facility and temporarily detach themselves from everyday life and its troubles.

Many may therefore wonder if family members can visit or call during rehab, and the answer is usually yes. In fact, research has found that family participation in the addiction recovery process can improve an individual’s chances of making a full recovery [26].

Most rehab facilities in Cardiff will take steps in order to facilitate family visits and communication throughout treatment. However, some individuals may find their family contact limited if they are a danger to themselves or others, or if family relationships are identified as a potential trigger.

Can I Leave Rehab At Any Time in Cardiff?

A large source of anxiety when it comes to entering rehab relates to the idea of not being able to leave rehab once treatment has begun. While professionals at a rehab facility cannot keep you within rehab against your will, they will strongly recommend that you stay.

If an individual is physically weak, staff at a rehab facility will do everything in their power to keep them within a facility where they can be kept safe. You can still walk away, but it’s important to remember that the priority of these experts is to keep you well and healthy.

Before leaving rehab, those considering doing so have to understand that they will be resetting the progress they have made. Until rehab is fully complete, an individual will likely slip immediately back into their unhealthy habits. Completing rehab to its fullest is the only way to make progress.

Will Friends and Family Be Allowed to Visit?

Family and friends can play a pivotal role in addiction recovery, both as a source of support and a resource for identifying and understanding an individual’s behaviours. But can these loved ones visit you in rehab?

Most facilities in Cardiff will facilitate in-person visits and phone calls with family and friends. These arrangements can keep an individual strong and motivated, and addiction professionals will be aware of the benefits of ensuring comforting connections are retained throughout treatment.

Limitations can be put on family and friend access, however. For example, if an individual is experiencing dangerous withdrawal, visits may be put on hold for a while until they are in a better state.

Will My Rehab Programme Be Confidential in Cardiff?

Addiction treatment is a very personal journey. Engaging with triggers forces individuals to face and discuss deep emotions and potentially traumatic memories, and detox can also test their mental and physical limits.

As a result, it’s perfectly understandable that many will want to be sure that their rehab experiences will be confidential, and that nothing they speak about or experience during the low points of treatment will be told to others without their consent.

Individuals can rest assured that rehab in Cardiff is completely confidential, providing that it isn’t in their medical interest for a family member to know. Even if this is the case, an individual will be spoken to and consulted regarding why it may be necessary for this information to be shared.

The objective of rehab is not to cast shame or judgement on behaviours or feelings. Individuals must understand that rehab exists to help them, and that anything they share during the process will be treated with understanding, compassion, and respect.

Do Rehabs Centres Provide Gender-Specific Treatment?

Men and women experience many things differently, and the same can be said for addiction. It’s common for men and women to develop different triggers and experience different symptoms, and it’s therefore reasonable to expect there to be benefits to gender-specific addiction treatment.

This area is still under-researched, and there are so many studies left to be conducted into the specifics of gender variation in addiction. However, early results do suggest that there are benefits to gender-specific rehab, with women-only rehab reducing relapse rates after 12 months [27].

Although research into this area is still being investigated, it’s thought that the benefits of gender-specific addiction treatments are a result of several key factors:

• Consideration of gender-specific physiology and psychology
• Mutual trust and camaraderie between patients
• Enhanced focus/lack of distraction
• Attention paid to societal and cultural gender issues as triggers

What is the Admissions Process For Rehab Like?

The process of inquiring about and enrolling upon a rehab programme in Cardiff can cause anxiety when individuals aren’t entirely sure what to do. This stress may even put them off entirely, but understanding the admissions process needn’t be complicated or distressing.

There are a number of simple steps involved in an individual’s admission onto a rehab programme, and they are neither scary nor overwhelming:

1. Enquiry – Getting in touch is always the first stage of admission, and it can easily be the most daunting. By calling or visiting a rehab facility, an individual can explain their situation and ask about availability on a suitable treatment programme.
2. Pre-admission – Prior to treatment commencing, a rehab facility will discuss your situation with you in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of what support you need. A variety of factors will be taken into consideration to identify the best way to help.
3. Deposit – At the stage of confirming enrolment onto a treatment plan, a facility may request a deposit as a guarantee that an individual can afford the treatment they are due to receive.
4. Admission day – The final stage of admission is an individual’s arrival at a centre. While scary, this day is characterised by a friendly and supportive welcome. Documents will be signed, then a member of staff will escort an individual to their room so that they can settle.

How Long Does a Detox Last?

Medical detox is one of the most important stages of rehab in Cardiff. It can also be one of the most difficult to go through, and therefore one of the most feared. Individuals need not dread the treatment, but it’s normal for them to wonder how long it needs to take.

The estimated duration of addiction detox is 7-10 days, however research suggests that it can anywhere between 3 to 14 days. The process will vary from one individual to the next, and the reason for this could be the result of a combination of any of the following factors:

• Severe physical dependency
• Dangerous or complicated withdrawal symptoms
• Pre-existing physical or mental health conditions
• A lack of motivation to detox
• Delay in finding a suitable benzodiazepine
• An inability to find a suitable benzodiazepine
• Relapse

What Medications May Be Prescribed During Rehab?

The role of medications cannot be ignored when it comes to addiction rehab in Cardiff. While taking substances is the reason an individual is getting treatment in the first place, in many cases the monitored consumption of other drugs can facilitate safe and effective recovery.

The primary way in which medications are used is as a means of combatting withdrawal and allowing individuals to get sober without compromising their health or well-being. In this way, medications can play a fundamental role in the detox process, throughout therapy, and beyond.

There are a variety of medications that can be used in rehab, and the most suitable options for each individual will depend on factors such as the substance they have been dependent on and the severity of the addiction in question.

Some of the common medications used in addiction rehab are as follows:

For treating opioid dependency

• Methadone
• Buprenorphine
• Naltrexone
• Lofexidine

For treating nicotine dependency

• Bupropion
• Varenicline

For treating alcohol dependency

• Naltrexone
• Disulfiram
• Acamprosate

Is Detox With No Rehab Possible?

Detox is one of the most important stages of addiction recovery, but can it be achieved without attending a rehab facility in Cardiff?

In some very rare occasions, individuals will be able to stop their substance use without the support of rehab. This is only possible, however, when individuals have a very newly developed condition and, as a result, experience only mild symptoms when going sober.

In most cases, however, detox will need to be conducted within rehab. Not only is it more likely to succeed under the supervision of medical professionals, but it is much safer to take a substance away from the body when there are experts and medications on hand to protect wellbeing.

In particular, those who have a history of withdrawal seizures, frequent suicidal ideations, reoccurring psychological issues, and a lack of support systems at home should seek the support of rehab in Cardiff before attempting detox.

What Happens After Initial Detoxification?

After an individual has undergone addiction detox, the next essential step is addiction therapy. 

An equally integral part of getting them back into a healthy way of living, therapy’s goal is twofold. While it performs the obvious function of helping an individual reduce their long-term substance use by addressing triggers, it also improves physical, interpersonal, and psychological functioning.

In addition to helping an individual recognise how they have been led into substance abuse, therapy helps them get back in touch with who they were before the condition took hold. This ensures that, upon leaving rehab, an individual is better equipped for day-to-day life and interactions.

What Happens in Alcohol Rehab?

Alcohol rehab is a multi-layered treatment process that helps individuals address the physical, psychological, emotional, and behavioural components of their dependency on alcohol. It may appear to be a complicated and daunting process at first, but it can be divided into three stages.

1. Alcohol detox

Upon entering an alcohol rehab facility in Cardiff, individuals will begin with alcohol detox. This initial treatment helps them wean their body from the substance by gradually reducing consumption with the aid of medication.

Alcohol detox is incredibly important because it ensures individuals have the physical independence to address their underlying triggers without alcohol withdrawal causing harm. Alcohol withdrawal can be one of the most dangerous, so care and medical expertise is essential.

2. Alcohol therapy

After gaining physical independence from alcohol via detox, the next stage of alcohol rehab sees an individual face the reasons they have become addicted to it in the first place. This stage of treatment requires alcohol therapy.

Every individual will have unique triggers that encourage them to behave unhealthily. As a result, alcohol therapy can adopt a variety of different forms in order to provide sufficient coping mechanisms. Therapy can adopt any of the following forms to achieve successful results:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – In therapy, attention is paid to the thought processes that encourage alcohol use. Sessions look at the situations that trigger such thoughts and help individuals develop new patterns of thinking to alter behaviour.
• Motivational Enhancement Therapy – By examining the objective pros and cons of alcohol use, this therapy boosts individuals’ awareness of its associated dangers. Plans are then made to keep these ideas firmly in mind and bolster motivation.
• Marital/Family Counselling – In order to help an individual engage with their addiction, relatives and partners are brought into therapy. Not only does this external support improve recovery, but it also means triggers in the home can be addressed and resolved.

Alcohol relapse prevention

With physical and emotional independence from alcohol established, individuals enter the final stage of treatment which looks to protect their progress: relapse prevention.

After identifying triggers in alcohol therapy, this ultimate stage of treatment helps individuals develop routines and skills for managing them in day-to-day life. 

What Happens in the 28-Day Rehabilitation Treatment Programme?

Across 28 days of rehab in Cardiff, an individual will benefit from a range of tried and tested treatments. Once they have been admitted and settled, a carefully prepared treatment programme will begin, designed to transport substance abusers to a healthier and more stable way of living.

1. Days 1-10: Medical detox in or near Cardiff

The first objective of rehab in Cardiff is to help an individual stop taking the substance they have become dependent on. For non-physical addictions, this can be a simple process, but for those dependent on alcohol or heroin, a structured and supervised process must be employed.

Detox sees an individual gradually reduce their substance use while being monitored by doctors. This ensures they can become sober safely and without triggering dangerous withdrawal. This process is often supported by the prescription of benzodiazepines.

2. Days 11-20: Addiction therapy in or near Cardiff

Following detox, a period of time is dedicated to identifying and challenging the triggers that encourage addictive behaviours. These can be thoughts, feelings, situations, fears, or anything that negatively impacts behaviour.

Therapy adopts a variety of different forms in order to address the spectrum of forms that triggers can take. No matter why an individual struggles, therapy finds a way to help them, either by specifically targeting triggers or treating them holistically.

The objective of therapy is to supply coping techniques so that they can resist the urge to resume substance use.

3. Days 21-28: Relapse prevention

In the final days of rehab, relapse prevention commences. This ultimate phase of treatment helps individuals sustain the progress they have made through the adoption of routines, skills, and techniques for healthy, sober living.

Relapse prevention focuses on the future and uses the progress of therapy to equip individuals for the days when they encounter triggers or obstacles that knock them back. By the time this stage is over, individuals leave rehab with a plan of action for remaining sober.

How Long Does Aftercare Last?

The duration of aftercare support services can vary depending on a variety of factors. The severity of addiction, the smoothness of rehab, and the support structures around an individual can all have an impact.

For most people, aftercare can support individuals for weeks or months. 12-week programmes are common, but many will find themselves accessing resources and attending support sessions for several months or even years after rehab in Cardiff has concluded.

It’s important to remember that there is no stopwatch when it comes to addiction recovery. Individuals can engage with support services for as long as they like, and there is no time target or standard when it comes to achieving a state of independence from support services.

How Will I Sustain My Sobriety Once I Leave Rehab?

Sustaining sobriety after engaging with rehab in Cardiff can feel like an impossible task. Without the support of doctors and therapists, the idea of resisting relapse and protecting the progress made during treatment can be daunting, but there are ways sobriety can be maintained.

In addition to engaging with aftercare, there are a range of techniques individuals can adopt into their everyday lives to reinforce the principles of effective rehab. These include:

• Surrounding yourself with loved ones who understand your journey and can nudge you in the right direction during tough times
• Removing triggers and temptations in your environment and replacing them with positive, educational, and happy influences
• Keeping up the routine of talking about your experiences, whether that be with organised treatment or a social group
• Establishing healthy habits outside of addiction recovery, such as engaging in exercise, attending wellness classes, or picking up an artistic hobby

How Do I Get Advice & Referrals from Rehab Recovery?

The rehabs we can refer you to are available in Dinas Powys, Ewenny, Colwinston, Penllyn, Flemingston, East Aberthaw, Lavernock, Bonvilston, Walterston, Llancadle, Marcross, Corntown, Gileston, Rhoose, Llandon, Dyffryn, Llancarfan, Wenvoe, Saint Athan, Llanmaes, Llandough, Peterston-super-Ely, Pendoylan, Saint Brides Majo, Ogmore-by-Sea, Welsh Saint Donats, Llangan, St Donats, Eglwys-Brewis, Llanblethian, Drope, Gwern-y-Steeple, Aberthin, Cowbridge, Llantwit Major, Porthkerry, Llampha, Saint Hilary, Penmark, Cogan, Sigingstone, Llanbethery, Saint Lythans, Saint Mary Hill, Llysworney, Michaelston-le-Pit, Fonmon, Llansannor, Llantrithyd, Clawdd-côch, and many more towns in and around Wales.

All of the rehabs we recommend are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (England and Wales) or the Care Inspectorate (Scotland).

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 Cardiff, reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.

How Can I Get Help Today?

Getting help for an addiction doesn’t necessarily mean enrolling yourself immediately into rehab in Cardiff. There are smaller, more manageable steps that you can take towards getting help today, and these can quickly lead to accessing the right treatment.

If you want to get help for your addiction, try one or several of the following:

• Telling a friend or family member – By admitting your situation to a loved one, you can get the ball rolling in terms of finding suitable treatment.
• Speaking to a GP or doctor – Attending a medical appointment and telling a professional about your situation can provide you with both information about your condition and what facilities are available to treat you.
• Reaching out to an addiction support charity – Alcohol Anonymous, FRANK, Turning Point, We Are With You: there is no shortage of organisations that can help you understand your situation and what you can do to help yourself.

References

[1] Treatment Data – Substance Misuse in Wales 2018 – 2019 https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2019-10/treatment-data-substance-misuse-in-wales-2018-19.pdf

[2] Alcohol Statistics | Alcohol Change UK https://alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/fact-sheets/alcohol-statistics

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4152944/

[4] http://pure-oai.bham.ac.uk/ws/files/25519189/DENIAL_PICKARD_M_L_FINAL_PRE_PROOF.pdf 

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4152944/ 

[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK424859/ 

[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64815/ 

[8] https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/cycle-alcohol-addiction 

[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6761817/

[10] https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/mental-illnesses-and-mental-health-problems/alcohol-and-depression 

[11] https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29051/1/6552__Pontes.pdf 

[12] http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/documents/raise/publications/2017-2022/2021/health/1921.pdf 

[13] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3725219/ 

[14] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Prudence-Mafa/publication/348350895_SOCIAL_SCIENCES_HUMANITIES_Teenage_Substance_Abuse_Impact_on_The_Family_System_and_Parents’_Coping_Strategies/links/5ff96151a6fdccdcb83ef1e9/SOCIAL-SCIENCES-HUMANITIES-Teenage-Substance-Abuse-Impact-on-The-Family-System-and-Parents-Coping-Strategies.pdf 

[15] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/substance-misuse-treatment-for-adults-statistics-2019-to-2020/adult-substance-misuse-treatment-statistics-2019-to-2020-report#:~:text=Almost%20half%20the%20people%20who,the%20highest%20rate%20(59%25). 

[16] https://hpi.georgetown.edu/abuse/ 

[17] https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/treatment-recovery 

[18] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/573891/employment-outcomes-of-drug-or-alcohol-addiction-and-obesity.pdf 

[19] https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/student/your-wellbeing/mental-health/worried-about-a-friend.aspx

[20] https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/03/alcoholics-anonymous-most-effective-path-to-alcohol-abstinence.html 

[21] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4553654/ 

[22] https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/stigma-discrimination#stigma 

[23] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1852519/ 

[24] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6876494/ 

[25] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3140338/ 

[26] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4158844/ 

[27] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3081899/