Addiction Recovery Center

As experienced addictions clinicians we work in a multitude of places, quite possibly including your local addiction recovery center. We also work in NHS and local authority commissioned services, GP shared care addictions clinics as well as private hospitals and prisons.

Because we work in the addictions sector, primarily within the addiction recovery center provision we can give you honest and impartial advice for which we do not charge. If you need a referral to a centre we will not contact your GP and neither do we charge for making a referral. The only time we take payment is if you are accepted for treatment at home.

What Is An Addiction Recovery Center

Addiction recovery center, drug treatment center, rehab, detox unit: Call it what you will. What it is called is not as important as what it does: Saves lives.

An addiction recovery centre does what it says on the tin: Helps you to recover from addiction. This could be to alcohol, drugs, porn, gambling, shopping, port, etc. What, precisely, you are addicted all falls under one umbrella: Addiction. While the medical treatment may differ from client to client (some people will need a detox and different medication is used for different addictions) the group therapy is for everyone.

In an addiction recovery center everyone, as soon as they are able to do so (it may take a day or two to get settled due to intoxication or severe withdrawals) everyone will be welcomed into the therapy groups and sessions.

Will I Need A Detox?

This depends on what you are taking, how much you are using and for how long. Not everyone will need a detox. Some clients can be assisted through withdrawals using adjunctive medications to treat symptoms. For some a detox is absolutely essential. For example, someone who is severely dependent on alcohol would put themselves at very serious risk of a medical emergency or fatality if the did not have a detox.

When you use alcohol or drugs, just as with prescribed medication and caffeine, chemical channels in the brain are affected. Some substances will open up chemical channels, some close them and some partially open or close them. It is this chemical messaging that causes changes in the body.

After a time using drugs and/or alcohol your brain will become used to their presence. This is known as tolerance. When this happens, if you stop using the substance suddenly (or reduce too quickly) the brain can not cope and will send incorrect chemical messages. This is what causes withdrawal. It has nothing to do with willpower but everything to do with science.

In an addiction recovery center you will be assessed by an experienced addictions clinician who will draw up a treatment plan for you: collaboratively. Nurses and support staff will monitor you during a detox so that any changes that are needed can be implemented by your clinician.

Adjunctive medication will be provided to help with nausea, vomiting, etc. Sometimes, especially with alcohol withdrawal, additional detox medication is needed in the early stages of the detox and your clinician will add these to the “as and when” column on your prescription chart.

Aside from the essential elements of a detox to prevent a medical emergency, without stopping using drugs and alcohol your brain will not respond to therapy.

Is Therapy A Compulsory Element Of Treatment?

In an addiction recovery center everyone is expected to join in with therapy as soon as they are physically able to do so. It may take a day or two if you are severely dependent on alcohol or heroin, for example.

Every centre, the world over, uses a group therapy model. This could be based on 12 STEPS, SMART or an eclectic model. It really does not matter which one is used. The most important thing is that you go into treatment. No model is better than another.

Therapy will help you to discover why you became addicted. Addiction is not a choice. It happens, usually, because something in your life is not as you want it to be. There could be unresolved trauma from childhood, trauma in adult life, relationship difficulties, etc.

When you are addicted to alcohol/drugs painful thoughts are suppressed. In rehab, because you are now abstinent, these thoughts will come back to the forefront of your mind: This is a positive as you are in the right place to process these thoughts, learn how to manage your emotions and plan for a future free of addiction.

In addition to group therapy there are weekly individual therapy sessions where you will be able to practise your new found skills on what do do, in role play, when you go home and are faced with stressful situations. Additional therapeutic approaches such as art and music therapy and gentle exercise are also evidence based and used to help you in your recovery.

One of the most essential benefits of an addiction recovery center is helping you through the cravings you may experience. Sometimes, even though the physical symptoms are under control, people can succumb to cravings if they do not have the right support.

When you detox your tolerance to drugs and alcohol diminishes. Without rehab, if you succumb to the cravings you will put yourself at serious risk. This is because you are very likely to use more than you used to in order to feel settled. This puts you at extreme risk of overdose.

How Can Find Me a Rehab Help?

We are experienced addictions clinicians who work in this field, be that a local authority/NHS commissioned service, GP addiction shared care clinic, prison, private hospital or Addiction Recovery Center.

Our advice is free and impartial. Confidentiality is incredibly important to us, as it is to you. We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office. As centres are legally required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) we will only recommend those that are listed on their website. We always recommend you check the CQC website for yourself before making a commitment with an addiction recovery center.

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