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Drug & Alcohol Rehab Brighton

Many struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, or those who know loved ones who are struggling, come to Help4addiction when they need advice on how best to approach recovery. Admitting the problem and asking for help is the first and most important step, but it’s only natural you want to know what kind of help you may receive.

Here, we’re going to look at the most common approaches to alcohol & drug rehab in Brighton. These techniques are widely mixed together, whether you seek inpatient care at a residential facility or outpatient care while living as close to your normal routine as you can.

Detox

Largely depending on the severity of your addiction, detox may be recommended as a first step towards your recovery. It involves the process of getting clean, flushing out the alcohol or drugs that may already be in your system often with the help of medication. For instance, during a medically assisted alcohol detox, your medical professionals may give you Diazepam, Chlordiazepoxide, Lorazepam or Oxazepam to aid the detoxification process.

Medication may also be used to treat the withdrawal symptoms you might experience as a result of the process. Which symptoms you experience may depend on what the addicting substance is, the severity of your dependence, the length of detox (which also depends on severity) and more.

Using alcohol detox as an example again, the symptoms may include the following:

  •         Fatigue
  •         Drowsiness
  •         Poor muscle coordination
  •         Headaches
  •         Dizziness
  •         Low blood pressure
  •         Nausea
  •         Rashes
  •         Incontinence

These are only examples, but before the detox, your doctor can help you better understand what to expect in your case. Detox is not a pleasant process, but it can be important to get fully clean for the best chances of recovery after.

Treatment with medication

There may be other medications which play a large factor as part of programs for alcohol & drug rehab programs in Brighton. For instance, those who are dependent on opioids like heroin may be prescribed with scheduled use of methadone or other replacements. These medications are used both to control intake and help you wean off the dependency but can also prevent more dangerous withdrawals and can stop you from worrying about having to turn to street drugs if your cravings grow too much to cope with on your own. This way, you can focus on your recovery more completely.

Types of therapy

Therapy and counselling play a huge role in almost all kinds of addiction treatment programs whether you’re seeking outpatient care, inpatient treatment at a hospital or long-term residential treatment. Often, the therapy on offer tackles not just the addiction and techniques you use to manage it but also addresses contributing factors like stress and depression or the ways your addiction has affected your life and relationships. Here are a few of the kinds of therapy and counselling you can expect:

  •         Cognitive behavioural therapy: CBT is widely used because it addresses the real-time mental factors that play a large role in addiction and the risk of relapse. It often involves becoming aware of environmental factors, friends, and situations that serve as “triggers” for your addiction. By growing healthier habits and becoming mindful of triggers to avoid, you can make it easier to reduce that risk over time.
  •         Psychotherapy: Addiction is often widely linked to a complexity of other issues in our life. Depression, stress, anxiety, abuse, neglect and other factors layer on top of one another, creating conditions for drug and alcohol dependencies to develop. Psychotherapy aims to analyse these layers, to better discover the issues that contribute to your addiction and help you resolve or manage what circumstances you can.
  •         Contingency management therapy: Many programs use this method, which is all about providing incentives to help you stay clean. In residential settings, it may mean access to extra goods, services, and privileges. Programs following the 12 steps method often provide tokens marking how much time you have stayed clean.
  •         Addiction counselling: Counselling may also involve helping to create and stick to healthy living routines, such as structuring an approach to education, job searches, family time, exercise and other habits that can help you stay away from addiction.
  •         Family/couples therapy: Drug and alcohol addictions impact families and loved ones, not just individuals. This type of therapy can both help loved ones get educated on addiction and better learn how to provide support while also helping to recover and heal the bonds that may have been damaged by the behaviour of someone with a drug or alcohol addiction.
  •         Group therapy: Many of the techniques used above may also be applied in a group setting. The extra support, accountability, and empathy from those who have been in similar situations can help provide perspective that can aid recovery.
  •         Holistic therapy: From musical therapy to yoga or reiki to art therapy, there are a lot of other treatments more broadly used to help strengthen the mind, body and soul in methods that aren’t strictly medical. Many patients find plenty of success with medical treatment supplemented by a holistic approach.

Which type of treatment you benefit from depends in which drug & alcohol rehab options in Brighton you take advantage of as well as the length of your treatment. However, most provide a mix of one or more type of therapy or counselling.

Self-help and support

Following the detox, therapy, and counselling treatment available at the outpatient or inpatient facility you turn to, there are also means of continuing the program in the long-run. Self-help and support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, community groups following the 12 Steps program, and halfway houses are all examples of ways you can continue to work on the techniques, habits, and routines you have developed over the long-term.

If you want to start looking at the different options for drug & alcohol rehab in Brighton near you, getting in touch with Help4Addiction on 0203 955 7700 may be the first step you need. Benefit from our free, impartial advice and links to many treatment facilities, counsellors, and medical professionals and get the best start to your recovery.

 

Other Related Areas To Consider For Rehab

Plymouth, Wrexham, Cardiff, Bristol, Hampshire, Somerset

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Detoxification (detox) is the medical intervention required for someone who is physically dependent to drugs or alcohol. If required, medical detoxification would be the first step taken in residential rehab. Detox is used to prevent uncomfortable and dangerous (even fatal) withdrawals symptoms resulting in suddenly becoming abstinent from alcohol/certain drugs.

The goal of a medical detox is to aid in the physical healing required following long term addiction and rid the body of all together of substance whilst providing a cushion for unpleasant symptoms of withdrawals. Detox is not considered the whole treatment for drug/alcohol addiction and it is always recommended that a comprehensive rehabilitation program is used along side to help maintain long term abstinence.

Medication is often required for alcohol detox. If you are dependent on alcohol and experiencing withdrawal symptoms it is vitally important to seek medical advice prior to stopping. There is a long list of medications used when treating alcohol addiction and the exact medication given to an individual will depend on their needs/medical history. Some of these include;

  • Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
  • Lorazepam (Ativan)
  • Diazapam (vailium)


Librium and Valium are the most commonly used detox medication in the UK. All medication used to help with alcohol detox have been proven to help reduce the effects of withdrawal symptoms.

There are also a number of drugs recombined by the NHS to help treat alcohol misuse. Some of these include:

  • Naltrexone
  • Disulfiram (Antabuse)
  • Nalmefene
  • Acamprosate (campral)

Medication is always required for heroin detox. For someone suffering from heroin addiction, the thought of detoxification (detox) can be exceptionally daunting. Withdrawal symptoms from opiates, such as heroin, can be severe and include pain, vomiting, nausea and shaking.

There are different ways that heroin detox can be carried out, most usually either ‘maintenance therapy’ or ‘full medical detox’.

Attempting to switch from heroin to a heroin substitute, usually on a controlled prescription, is known as Maintenance therapy. Subsites used are most often methadone or buprenorphine.

A full medical detox from heroin will always be carried out in a residential rehab setting and will allow the individual to switch form heroin to a substitute and slowly withdraw completing treatment free of all substances. Someone using a heroin substitute can choose to have a full medical detox at any time, however detoxing substances such a methadone can often add to the length of detox required. Drugs most commonly used to fully detox from heroin are, Subutex, Suboxone and Methadone. Much like alcohol, the exact drugs used will be dependent on the individuals needs/medical history.

Once detoxed from heroin the risk of overdose is much higher following relapse due to tolerance following withdrawal.

The length of treatment in a residential rehab depends on a number of elements. Some substances require longer periods of detox than others.

Private paying patients will also often choose a length of stay that suites their therapeutic and financial needs. As a rule, a full treatment program in a rehab is considered to be 28 days (often referred to as a month), however, treatment is offered in several different ways and lengths starting at 7 days.

Treating alcohol addiction will always require a minimum of 7-10 days, this would be considered the detoxification (detox) faze. The length required for treating drug addiction can vary drastically depending on the substance being used. Detox for Heroin addiction is generally around 14 days minimum, with more time required if substances such a methadone are being used. Treating prescription drug addiction can often take the longest. The time required for treating gambling addiction, eating disorders and sex addiction will be based on the individuals needs.

Rehab programs can be as long as an individual requires but primary treatment is normally caped at 12 weeks, with the offering for further secondary and tertiary treatment thereafter.

*based on average rehab stays, everyone will vary dependant on needs and medical requirement/history.

There is no need for your employer to know that you are seeking help for trauma and addiction unless you choose to involve them with the process. All employers should have a policy that explains what you do if you cannot come to work due to illness – illness to include treating alcohol addiction/treating drug addiction.

If your work absence extends over 7 days your employer is likely to require an official statement of fitness to work which would be obtained from your GP. This would need to supply evidence of your illness as well as any adjustments required for returning to work, fazed return or reduced hours, but does not need to specify in detail the reason why you have been absent.

If you are absent from work for 7 days of less, for example entering rehab for a detoxification (detox) on a Saturday for 7-10 days taking a full week away from work, you can self-certify your illness by letting your employer work you will not be attending work for that period of time. Exactly how an individual would do this would be dependent on a specific companies’ policies on taking sick leave.

Any time longer than 7 days it is likely an employer will require a note from the individuals GP certifying their sickness and a fit note on return. Most companies have a clearly outlined policy on sickness and receiving sick pay so the exact requirement can vary. A rehab will always be willing to advise on time off work.

How much does rehab cost is a very frequently asked question. The cost of treatment can range from £1,000 per week upwards depending on the place, with luxury rehab being the most expensive.

There are free options available on the NHS but the waitlist of those looking for free treatment is longer than that for privately paying patients. Some private health insurance policies will cover treatment in some rehabs around the country.

Choosing the right rehab centre will often be based on priced but it is important to follow guidance on the most suitable treatment centre for an individual’s needs which our expert team of advisers are on hand to offer.

There are certainly pro’s for both treatment near by and traveling for treatment with one of the most asked question being should I get rehab near me? There are rehabs all over the UK and around the world that all offer expert programs, let’s look at how to choose a rehab.

Local treatment

Being close to home gives certainly has benefits. Visitors are normally permitted in rehab following the first 7 days stay, therefore if an individual is in treatment for a length of time longer than that being local will make it easier for loved ones to visit.

Most rehab centres will also provide a full aftercare plan for someone following treatment, this will include ongoing aftercare in the specific treatment centre. Living close by can make it easy to take full advantage of ongoing aftercare. There can also often be the option for ongoing care with an individual therapist, again being close by will allow that treatment to be carried out face to face.

Some individuals wish to be local but are willing to look broader, for instance the greater city of residence (London, Manchester, Liverpool, etc)

Treatment Away

Getting treatment away from home can be very appealing to some. Being out of the local area makes it a lot harder to just walk out of treatment as resources locally are unknown. Some also take comfort in knowing that they are not near home and focus more on treatment.

As the price for treatment can vary so much from one residential treatment centre to another, private paying patients often would rather travel to keep the cost down. Those using private health insurance may also have to travel to find a treatment centre covered in their policy.

When opting for treatment away from home this can be anywhere in the UK and also abroad. Aftercare can still be carried out and very successful using tools such as The Online Rehab.

There is no right or wrong when choosing where to go to residential rehab, but our expert advisors are always on hand to help provide information on all possible options.

Whilst millions of people in the UK have taken recreational drugs (amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine, crack, crystal meth, GHB, heron, ketamine, methadone, and prescription drugs) and drank alcohol not all become ‘addicted’. Most recent reports show that 279,793 individuals were in contact with drug and alcohol misuse services in the last year with over half of that being from opiate addiction and a quarter for alcohol.

There are several risk factors invoiced in addiction and those using drugs and alcohol socially, simply take the risk. These risks are as follows;

Tolerance – basically, if a substance is used repeatedly an individual’s tolerance to it will build. This will result in more of the same substance being required to get the same effect. In the long run this can easily lead to addiction and physical dependencies.

Environmental risks – these can include influences such a peer pressure and stress as well as physical or mental abuse of an individual (particularly as a child). Overall, those who live with frequent pressures and stress are more likely to reach for a substance to cope and are therefore at higher risk of becoming addicted.

Drug type – it is very well known that certain drugs are simply more addictive than others. Using substances such as heroin increases the risk of becoming addicted for need to ‘chase’ a high as well as physical dependency.

Drug administration – how a drug is administered can affect its addictive qualities. A drug injected rather than smoked or snorted will release a quicker and more intense high thus making it psychologically (and in many cases physically) more addictive.

Biological factors – it is now widely reported that being an addict is not only psychological but also biological. This includes your genetic makeup, mental health, sex and age. It is also reported to be 8 times more likely for the child of an addict to become an addict themselves.

Its believed that addiction is approximately half genetics and therefore some are 50% more likely to become addicted than others.

How do you help a loved one trapped in addiction?

The first step is to help and encourage the individual to become willing to accept help. They do not need to be shouting this off the rooftops, but they do need to be willing to go into treatment. There are ways to help someone become willing to get treatment for alcohol or treatment for drugs.

Set boundaries – set boundaries and stick to them. Once you have laid them out follow through with whatever consequences you have set however hard it is.

Stop finances – if you are financially supporting someone stopping these finances can be the quickest way for the addict needing to ask for help. With no money to acquire a substance an addict’s options become very limited.

Intervention – getting together with other family members/friends/colleagues and staging an intervention is often very successful in the fist stage of acceptance and gaining an admission to residential rehab.

You can’t make them quit, this can lead to dangerous withdrawal. Boundaries are very important in helping someone become willing to get help. Unfortunately you cannot do someone’s recovery for them and without self-motivation it is very hard to make it work.

The next step is to call our highly trained advisers 0203 955 7700.

There is a huge range of rehab options available and where to start can be completely over whelming so let us help.