Home Detox Vs Residential Rehab: Which is Right for You?

Getting a Detox at Home may be an option for you. It can be an essential element of recovery.

Realising you need help and reaching out to start your recovery from addiction is a major leap towards a lifetime of recovery and abstinence. For many, considering home alcohol detox becomes part of this journey. It can take years, in some cases, before someone has the courage to ask for help. Therefore, it is essential that they access the right care in the right location.

If you need to arrange Home Detox Services UK, want 24 Hour Rehab Advice or just want Clinician Addiction Advice without charge, please call. You will be speaking with an experienced addictions clinician.

As with all types of healthcare, some people can be treated at home whereas others need the support and expertise that can only be provided in a fully staffed 24 hour residential treatment centre. There are certain advantages to having treatment at home. However, there are some considerations.

Residential treatment

Clients who go into residential rehab enjoy a structured programme which provides intense and immersive therapy as well as a fully medically supervised detox. Many centres employ a consultant psychiatrist addiction specialist and/or a GP with the same addictions treatment qualifications. There are suitably trained and experienced nurses and support workers on site, 24/7. They can deal with all the expected (and unexpected!) issues that can arise during detox.

High risk clients

There are very clear national clinical guidelines as to where a home detox is appropriate:

• Less than 30 units of alcohol a day
• Not undergone a detox within the last six months
• No history of seizures (a history of alcohol related ones may be excluded, depending on the history)
• Absence of some excluded medications
• No co-dependency on other substances

Where someone can not have treatment at home or would rather not do so, there are low cost, as well as high end, rehab centres available all over the UK. Some can be accessed at very short notice. Many are put off because they think they won’t be able to afford treatment, but it really does not need to be expensive.

In a rehab centre, clients are fully immersed into an environment of unconditional support where there is no judgement just expert care. Staff are on hand, 24/7. Detox can, at times, be a little rough, so having trained and experienced staff around (some who are in recovery themselves) will make the process far easier.

In a rehab centre the days are geared towards recovery. There are morning and evening group meetings where the whole community come together. There are also group and individual therapy sessions. In addition, there will be additional treatments such as art and music therapy, group walks, and educational groups on topics such as dealing with triggers and relapse prevention.

In a residential treatment centre the temptation to drink is reduced. Firstly, there is no alcohol available. The staff (many in recovery themselves) understand what you are going through and know how to support you. You will be in a safe environment. Your loved ones, friends and family can rest assured you are in safe hands.

Co-addictions

Where someone has more than one addiction challenge, a residential treatment centre can provide treatment. It could be a heroin addiction, benzodiazepines, Pregabalin: It really doesn’t matter. If you have additional challenges such as depression, anxiety and/or unresolved trauma there are centres that can help you.

Relapse prevention

Having treatment at home means you are in familiar surroundings with those you know around you. There is no requirement to travel and the cost is about the same as a week in a residential treatment centre. One of the challenges, however, of having treatment at home is the lack of professional support should cravings take hold. In addition, should you encounter significant symptoms of withdrawal, you will not have immediate access to medical help

Regulatory concerns

When you have treatment in a registered rehab centre you know you are in safe hands. All are under the auspices of the regulator for the country they are in. For example, in England: The Care Quality Commission (CQC). The staff will all have been vetted through enhanced DBS checks and their qualifications confirmed. As such they are responsible, not only to the centre management, but also to their regulatory body. In the incredibly rare instances where there are issues, clients have a route to follow.

The vast majority of home alcohol detox companies provide services illegally. They charge in excess of £1,600 for £15 worth of medication. There is no medical monitoring, no safety net, and no relapse prevention. The overwhelming vast majority of those who detox at home will relapse by the end of the week, if not the week after.

If you need to arrange Home Detox Services UK, want 24 Hour Rehab Advice or just want Clinician Addiction Advice without charge, please call. You will be speaking with an experienced addictions clinician.

Why are most home alcohol treatments illegal?

At this time, in the UK, no company has registration to provide home alcohol detox as a standalone service. There is a legitimate way of providing this treatment, but it is a little complicated to explain!

Where a medical doctor (not a nurse/pharmacist/paramedic prescriber) has additional qualifications in addictions treatment registered with the General Medical Council and works in a CQC registered addictions service, they can provide at home treatment. However, they can only do so when they perform the entire process: from start to finish. This means they must take payment, conduct the assessment and provide care during the detox. A nurse/paramedic/pharmacist prescriber cannot provide at home treatment where the service is not registered.

Most at home detox companies provide an extremely scant assessment with someone who may not be an addictions specialist and simply send you pills in the post. While they may call you for the first couple of days of treatment, you are on your own. If anything goes wrong you will have nowhere to turn. The companies are internet based and will simply not entertain any complaints or concerns.

If you need to arrange Home Detox Services UK, want 24 Hour Rehab Advice or just want Clinician Addiction Advice without charge, please call. You will be speaking with an experienced addictions clinician.

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