We realise we need help
There comes a time when those of us with a problem realise that we need help with our alcohol consumption, drug taking or gambling. With everyone there is a different timeline that exists between that initial realisation that there is a problem and taking the step of being admitted to a residential addiction rehab centre for help.
We have tried to deal with the problem ourselves and it has not worked
There are lots of reasons why we try and put off seeking help and we will also try all sorts of ways of reducing or cutting back our addictive behaviour. For example, someone with an alcohol problem will try different ways of drinking. They will start to drink at a different time of the day, will not drink spirits, have less available alcohol in the house, not go to the pub or wine bar after work but go straight home, only buy alcohol for that day. Ultimately, though, the level of consumption will increase again and inevitably it will end up being more than when we tried to restrict our drinking.
Our addiction is getting worse
Whatever is causing our problem, be it alcohol, drugs or gambling, there will continue to be a worsening and detrimental effect on our life. There will be a slow downward spiral. Generally, our family and friends will notice a change within us and will challenge our behaviour. This may be the first time that others reinforce that there is a problem that we have now recognised and acknowledged to ourselves. It is at this stage that we will find an excuse for our behaviour that is not in any way related to alcohol, drugs, or gambling. It will be this excuse that our family or friends or work colleagues will believe is the real reason for our change in behaviour.
We have run out of excuses
Finding a reason, other than stating we have an addiction, will give us time to try and do something about it ourselves. However, we find that in the end there is nowhere else to turn and we know we have to stop our drinking or drug addiction / gambling addiction.
We need medical help to stop drinking / using.
However, one of the most dangerous things we can do is to suddenly stop drinking. Our body has got used to a drug every day, alcohol, and over a period of time the amount that we consume has increased as our body becomes more tolerant and we need more to try and get some sort of effect. To suddenly stop can send the body in to shock and we may suffer alcoholic seizures. This can also happen when we try and reduce the daily amount we drink and again the body is not getting enough of the drug that it needs and we can have a seizure. Ironically, this does not happen with Cannabis, Cocaine, or Heroin, if we suddenly stop using them we experience different degrees of withdrawal symptoms with the most severe being from Heroin.
The NHS cannot offer the help we need when we need it
We can seek help from our GP, but even before Covid, they were unable to give a prescription for a home detox. This is because they are not legally able to prescribe a high enough dose for the home environment and people end up drinking on top of the medication, this being due to withdrawal symptoms and simply craving alcohol. It is quite staggering the amount of people that are admitted to The Haynes Clinic for a residential alcohol detox who have seen their GP and been prescribed anti-depressants as they have said they are drinking a bit more than normal as they are depressed. Anti-depressants just don’t work with alcohol and people can become more depressed as they think their medication should be making them feel better and happy. In addition, alcohol is itself a depressant.
We have known people go to their local hospital and try and get admitted through the A and E department as an emergency. It is extremely rare for a hospital to admit you for a detox. Generally, they will hydrate you (if you are lucky) and discharge you from their care within the first 24 hours.
The local Drug and Alcohol Services cannot offer the help we need when we need it
If we ask our GP for help, they should be giving out the local Drug and Alcohol Services telephone number. As it states, this is help which is provided by the NHS to anyone that has an alcohol or drug addiction. If we don’t want to let our GP know we have an addiction problem, then we can find our local service from using the internet and Google. However, although their funding is different from County to County, it is generally very low and insufficient to be providing an immediate residential detox. And you would be required to go through their lengthy selection process before even being considered. They certainly would not be able to offer an alcohol detox or heroin residential detox for quite some time, and possibly, in many cases, not at all.
Detox can be provided in a private rehab clinic
A medically assisted alcohol detox will usually take 7 – 10 days and a medically assisted heroin detox or any opiate based drug will take up to 14 days. Residential rehab clinics that offer a detox should be Care Quality Commission regulated and are now often the only way to get a medically prescribed detox.
Immediate help is usually available
The foremost reason as to “Why go to rehab” is very simply that if you have an addiction and you have moved from the denial and excuse stage, there is “a window of opportunity” to seek help. A private residential rehab clinic offers the chance of getting that help immediately, or if they are full, normally within a short period of time.
Even though a residential detox is 7 to 14 days, the general and recommended rehab treatment period is 28 days (to deal more fully with the psychological side of addiction and get the tools to help in the future). However, due to the costs involved, a 28 day period could be outside of some people’s budget so a 14 day treatment period could be a consideration. It is important to remember that going into treatment is not just to simply have a residential detox but to be away from your old addictive environment, for a period of time, and to have intensive rehab therapy to assist with changing our thinking and behaviour and start to work a programme of Recovery. Just to have a residential detox will resort to us reverting to old behaviour and relapsing very quickly.
Detox and therapy is provided in a safe environment
This combination of detox and therapy in the safe environment of a residential addiction rehab centre with qualified staff is critical in enabling us to make changes. These changes are essential if we are to remain clean and sober, feel happier and be able to live our lives to the full.