Alcohol Rehab

 

Introduction

Alcohol addiction is a debilitating illness that affects not just the sufferer but their family and friends too. No matter how hard an alcoholic tries to give up drinking, without help it’s highly unlikely they will be able to, and that’s where Serenity Rehab clinic and our experienced staff come in.

We can give free advice if you think you need help, and if you decide that you want to take a place at our facility, we take urgent admissions and you can get the help you need on the same day.

Alcohol Addiction and its symptoms

What is Alcohol Addiction?

Put simply, alcohol abuse, also known as alcoholism or alcohol addiction, is a serious mental illness. The medical term is ‘chronic relapsing brain disease’. An addiction like this doesn’t always get a lot of sympathy, with some people thinking that an alcoholic should just be able to stop, but unfortunately, that’s not possible without a great deal of professional help.

With the correct treatment, alcoholics can stay sober for the rest of their lives. The condition is never fully cured, but it certainly can be managed and sobriety kept permanently.

Most people think of an alcoholic as someone who hides bottles of alcohol to disguise their drinking and can’t get through the day without regular drinks, but it’s not as straightforward as that. Some people with alcohol addiction are like that, and yet others don’t need a drink during the day at all as long as they have what they need over 24 hours. Some alcoholics only drink at weekends and on holidays, but find that they cannot stop drinking until they pass out, with behaviour that is completely unlike their normal selves. “|ïmage here} insert image of someone with their head in their hands)

Though many people with alcohol addiction do have a physical dependency on alcohol, where the body begins to need the alcohol and suffers withdrawal symptoms without it, not every alcoholic is physically dependent on it. It is possible, however, that someone may start off as not physically dependent, but the more they drink, the more chance they have of becoming so.

While there are a wide range of different symptoms and ways alcoholism can present, every single sufferer has the common element that they simply can’t control themselves when alcohol is present, and they absolutely cannot stop without help.

What is Alcohol Dependency?

Not everyone with alcohol addiction is also alcohol dependent. Alcohol dependency can form from the very first time you ever have a drink or over time, and what happens is that your body gets used to having alcohol in your system, and when you don’t drink for a while, your body begins to crave alcohol.

There’s a popular misconception that every alcoholic is alcohol dependent, but it does vary widely, with some people being more susceptible to it than others.

Even with alcohol dependency, it is definitely possible to recover as long as you do it with proper help, but you will have to abstain from alcohol for life, rather than be able to continue social drinking.

Why do Alcoholics Drink?

While it might not start off that way, alcohol addicts drink because they crave the way alcohol makes them feel.

If a non-alcoholic has a drink, they’ll enjoy it and then that will be it. They’ll be able to take it or leave it, but an alcoholic can’t do that. The craving and need to drink can be completely overwhelming and may result in the alcoholic drinking until they pass out. An alcohol addict simply can’t make rational and reasonable decisions about alcohol or choose to stop.

Why do they start? There can be many reasons – stress, family problems, bereavement, money worries, illness. Someone might pick up a drink to destress, and then find that they are doing it more and more just to get through the day instead of being able to cope with whatever is going on in their lives. On the other hand, there are cases where someone takes just one drink, and that’s enough to become addicted.

This really is a severe and devastating mental illness that needs treatment.

Symptoms of Alcohol Addiction

Again, symptoms can vary between individuals, but have a look through the list below and see if any of this sounds like you. You can also use the list below if you’re worried about a family member, and Serenity Rehab will be happy to chat with you and give you free advice if you need it.

• Do you find yourself often drinking alone?
• Have friends or family members commented on how much you drink or told you they are worried about you?
• Have you tried to stop or to cut down on your drinking and found that you can’t do it?
• Have you begun to change your life to fit around your drinking?
• Do you find you can’t just stop at one or two drinks, and you can’t control the amount you have?
• Is the amount you drink increasing?
• Do you often feel ashamed about your behaviour after a drinking session?
• Do you worry about your drinking and feel out of control with it?
• Do you hide the amount you drink from your friends and family?
• Do you need to have a drink to face the day?
• Do you use alcohol to numb your feelings when you are stressed, worried or frightened?
• Does your personality change massively when you drink?
• Do you feel uncomfortable, restless and empty without having a drink?
• Have you found that your drinking is greatly affecting your life – your relationships are breaking down, you’ve lost your job, you’ve found you are spending more than you can afford on drinking, etc?
• Even drinking with others doesn’t stop you drinking to excess and behaving way outside your normal personality.
• Do you have withdrawal symptom, such as craving alcohol, sweating, feel sick, anxiety or insomnia if you don’t have a drink?

If you recognise yourself or someone else in too many of those questions, don’t suffer alone. Get in touch with Serenity Rehab, and one of our experienced staff will give you free advice and help. And if you then want to check into our facility, we can take urgent admissions at any time and get you the help you need.

Anyone who has ever suffered from alcohol addiction knows how alone you can feel, with relationships breaking down, family and friends unable to help and even having to leave you to your drinking for their own sanity. Your job could suffer and your health, and you might find yourself spending too much on alcohol and getting into debt. Depression, anxiety and stress can become regular visitors when you can’t stop drinking.

You might find yourself denying what’s happening, both to people you know and to yourself, and you might hide how much you drink, disguise what you’re having, hide bottles, or drink alone so other people can’t see how much you’re having.

You might even be quite sure that everyone is making too much fuss about nothing and that you’ve got it all under control, and rationalise what you’re doing because it helps you cope.

In the end, only you can admit you need help, and you can be helped. Alcoholism is an illness. You can’t treat yourself but you can get specialist help and stop, and get back the life that you had.

If you need help, take that one step and call Serenity Rehab today. We never judge, and we’ll do all we can to give you free advice and get you started on the road to recovery.

Government Guidelines on Alcohol

If you need some help deciding whether you might be drinking too much, here are the government guidelines for how much is safe to drink.

Note that if you do have alcohol addiction and you can’t stop drinking, there is no safe amount. The only way to recover is to abstain.

Current safe drinking guidelines from the government:

• For both women and men: Men should drink a maximum of 14 units in a week. It’s recommended that you have at most three units in a day, and that you have at least two days per week which are alcohol-free.

• For pregnant women, it’s safest not to drink at all, but the guidelines are that you can drink up to 1–2 units of alcohol up to twice a week.

There’s a handy calculator from Drink Aware to help you work out how much is in your drinks: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/understand-your-drinking/unit-calculator

How did you do? Are you drinking more than those guidelines? A lot more? If you are and you’re struggling to stop, please do get in touch with us here at Serenity Rehab. We really can help, and we’ll do all we can to get you better. “|ïmage here} insert image of smiling receptionist with phone).

Treatment

Once you’ve decided you need help, you can be admitted to one of our specialist clinics very quickly. We have staff on hand around the clock, and a team that’s there just to welcome you and get you settled. “|ïmage here} insert image of a bedroom).

Every treatment plan is different and personalised because you are unique and your circumstances and symptoms are unique. We don’t press a cookie cutter approach onto you. We get to know you and understand your addiction and how it got started, and our holistic treatment programme will have therapeutic, psychological and medical areas as needed.

You can’t fix alcohol addiction by sticking to the same behaviours and thoughts that got you there, and we understand that. We’ll detox your body, but we’ll also help you change your thoughts and reactions to help you leave alcohol behind for good and stay sober.

A detox on its own simply isn’t enough, as without the change in behaviour patterns, thoughts and habits, you could easily relapse. We’ll work out a recovery programme for you that’s extremely effective and treats both the psychological aspects of why you drink and the physical dependence. Should you suffer from any additional problems such as depression or stress, which are common with alcohol addiction, we will also help with those problems, too, treating not just the symptoms but the underlying causes, and leaving you feeling free from alcohol, and in a much better place mentally, physically and emotionally. “|ïmage here} insert image of smiling family).

At Serenity Rehab, we really are the experts when it comes to treating alcohol addiction and dependency. We won’t shoehorn you into a ‘one size fits all’ programme as we understand that everyone is an individual and needs their own particular treatment to recover. That’s why we have a range of different programmes to suit whatever you need. You can stay with us for 4 weeks, which is the minimum we recommend, and then after that you may continue with primary care for another 12 weeks, and we also have a secondary care programme if you still need help after that.

Serenity Rehab clinics are all fitted out to an incredibly high standard for comfort and an atmosphere of calm while you receive your treatment. And while we offer state of the art facilities, you won’t find a hefty price tag attached to your treatment and support. We genuinely want to help you, and if you commit to your treatment and open up to the idea that you can recover, we will help you.

Our staff are incredible people who have a deep understanding of alcohol addiction and the issues surrounding it. They are also very highly qualified and trained to the highest standards, and they will do everything they can to help you along the road to recovery. “|ïmage here} insert image of smiling staff).

Our Unique Approach to Treatment

“|ïmage here} insert image of a treatment room). We take a holistic approach to treatment, treating everyone individually and treating the whole body, mind and spirit, not just the withdrawal symptoms from alcohol.

We firmly believe that this is the best way to success and that we need to find out why your addiction started and help you deal with the causes to allow you to recover and stay recovered for the rest of your life.

We offer psychological help, therapy and counselling, and we work with the 12-step programme to take you through recovery. Along the way, we also provide wonderful food and a healthy diet to get you feeling good and gentle exercise in our well-equipped gym. “|ïmage here} insert image of the gym).

In addition, we bring in yoga, mindfulness and meditation to give you relaxation techniques and to heal your mind as well as your body.

Treatment Options

We can deliver your treatment as an outpatient, but we honestly believe that you’ll have the best possible chance if you stay with us for inpatient treatment. You’ll get a break away from all the stresses and strains of your life and the chance to recover without temptation at every turn.

We start with a medical alcohol detox to relieve your body of alcohol while carefully managing any withdrawal symptoms with medication. Please don’t try to do this on your own, as detox can be fatal if not done properly. Let us help you. “|ïmage here} insert image of a treatment room).

During your detox, which takes between 7 and 10 days, you’ll be monitored and cared for by our experienced staff and have some light therapy to start you on your journey to getting better.

Once your detox is done, you’ll then start your rehabilitation and therapy.

We’ll work with your family too. It can be hugely difficult for a family to understand addiction and to deal with it, and we have a family recovery programme to help with that. We know that we can get the best results when we help a family recover together and heal from the addiction, but we can also help an individual no matter what their circumstances and problems to recover on their own.

Alcohol Medical Detox

For anyone who is alcohol dependent, one of their biggest fears can be how they will cope with withdrawal symptoms if they stop. They might worry about the stress on their body, the physical symptoms such as shaking, nausea and insomnia, and simply whether they will be able to stick with withdrawal from alcohol.

At Serenity Rehab, we offer a safe and complete medical detox to help you through any symptoms you might have in comfortable surroundings, with staff around who understand how you feel, and medication to help you through and to keep you safe as the alcohol leaves your body.

A complete withdrawal can be incredibly dangerous, and even life threatening with delirium tremens and alcoholic seizures possible, so we insist this detox is done as an inpatient in order to help you with medication, monitor you at all times and keep you safe.

When you first arrive, our highly qualified and experienced doctor will examine you and make a careful assessment, checking for alcohol dependency and if you are on any other drugs. They will also look at your general health and your medical history and take into account your mental state. You will need medication to help you withdraw and to prevent withdrawal symptoms, and our doctor will prescribe this medication carefully depending on what you need and if you are also taking any other addictive substances. “|ïmage here} insert image here of a doctor).

Your alcohol detox will be over and done with in just 7–10 days, and your body will be free of alcohol. You’ll be cared for and monitored throughout to ensure your treatment is going well and that you aren’t having any severe withdrawal symptoms. You’ll also have therapy and counselling sessions while you stay with us to give you support and help you deal with your addiction.

We’ll also arrange aftercare to give you every last bit of support we can, and if you complete your treatment, we will give you free aftercare for up to one year.

Alcohol Rehab

When you arrive at our clinic, you’ll find that there are people of all ages staying with us. Alcohol addiction can happen to anyone no matter what age, race, sex or background they are, and everyone’s circumstances are different. Don’t worry about being the only person there of your background or sex, because you likely won’t be, and even if you are, you’re all there for one reason, and that’s to get better. Just relax and concentrate on what you need to do.

What Is Alcohol Rehab?

Alcohol rehab consists of a specifically designed programme to help alcoholics recover from their addiction and live their lives without having to drink. A programme might consist of therapy, counselling, CBT, psychotherapy, and the 12 steps, and will also look at the whole patient, not just the mental aspects of recovery, including a great diet, with healthy food, and exercise, meditation and yoga. “|ïmage here} insert image of a yoga class here).

No two programmes are alike as we design each one individually to suit every patient we have. We understand that this is a very difficult illness to recover from and we get everyone the best possible chance to do that with a highly tailored programme to suit their own individual circumstances.

Our Alcohol Rehab Programme

Our programmes are delivered as an inpatient as we feel this gives our guests the best chance of recovery in comfortable and relaxing surroundings away from their normal lives. There are no distractions, no having to deal with a job, or family concerns, and no temptations, giving everyone the chance to focus only on what they need to do to get better.

In such a supportive and comfortable environment, our patients are more likely to feel safe and to relax, allowing them to open up and talk about issues that they might never have discussed with another living soul in their whole life. Getting to the bottom of why our patients drink is vital, but it’s an intense process that takes a great deal of care, and that’s why we don’t do this deep work on an outpatient basis.

We use counselling, therapy, psychological help, and the 12-step process to help our patients change their thinking and find new ways to deal with their problems without alcohol. We send them out from our clinic with new tools and abilities to go back to their lives and cope well with daily stresses and strains.

Many of our staff are former addicts themselves and know exactly how it feels to deal with alcoholism and come out of the other side. This experience enables them to deeply empathise with our patients and quickly relate to them. Adding to that, their vast experience and qualifications in dealing with addiction, and we think we have the most amazing environment for recovery.

We’re not saying it’s easy, and alcohol rehab is an incredibly intense and deep process, but we do give you every possible support, with staff available around the clock if you need extra care or just to talk.

And afterwards, we’ll give you free aftercare for 12 months so you have support as you return back to your normal life.

Family Recovery Programme

“|ïmage here} of smiling family here). If a member of the family suffers from alcohol addiction, it can be absolutely shattering for the rest of the family to try to deal with it. Watching a family member change before your eyes into someone they never were before and watching their behaviour deteriorate while there doesn’t seem to be anything you can do is utterly soul destroying.

One of the most important things we do at Serenity Rehab is to assist families in our recovery programme to help them deal with their thoughts and emotions, and help them understand what is happening with their family member.

We also encourage families to be present and support their loved one and each other, as we know we get the best possible results when our patient has the love and support of their family.

Although it is down to each individual patient to deal with their addiction, we do encourage them to talk to their families, and watching a family recover together and support each other is a very special thing.

Follow Up

“|ïmage here} insert image of smiling doctor and patient) For everyone who completes our programme, we offer free aftercare for up to 1 year.

We’re there to support you as you take your first steps back into your life outside our clinic, and there to help you if you find yourself struggling or worrying that you might relapse into your old ways. We can provide further counselling and support as you go, and we understand that you might feel very vulnerable when you first go back to your normal life after staying at the clinic.

We think that our aftercare service is a vital part of your recovery, and encourage you to take full advantage of our help as and when you need it. You’re not on your own, and you don’t have to do this by yourself.

Many of our staff have been where you are and understand the challenges you might face as you take your place back with friends and family or learn to strike out on your own, and we know how much it helps to have someone there to listen and to care when things get tough.

If you need support or advice, all you need to do is call us, and we’ll be there.

Serenity Rehab

“|ïmage here} insert image of a treatment room) Serenity Rehab in-patient clinics can be found all across the UK, so wherever you are, and whatever you need, there’s a place for you. In addition to alcoholism, we treat drug addiction, gambling addiction, prescription drug addiction and more, including a variety of problems associated with addiction, such as PTSD, anxiety, stress and eating disorders.

Facilities

“|ïmage here} insert images below this paragraph of a bedroom with a view through to the en-suite, and the lounge) If you’re imagining institutionalised green walls and plain furnishings, then you’re in for a treat. Each patient has an en-suite bedroom with comfortable surroundings where they can relax. We also have up-to-date, well-equipped treatment rooms fitted with everything our staff need to help our patients through their detox, and the following treatment.

Staff

“|ïmage here} insert image of smiling staff). Most of our staff have overcome their own addiction and understand completely what our patients are going through and how hard it can be to take that first step and ask for help. Patients benefit from their experience, understanding and empathy, and we know our staff do everything they can to help our patients through their problems.

We have staff available 24 hours a day so patients always have someone to talk, no matter what time of day or night it is.

Take that first step

If you have a problem with alcohol addiction, just pick up the phone and give us a call for free advice. Should you decide to take up a place at our clinic, we can take urgent admissions and get you help very quickly.

It just takes that first step to choose that you want to get better and to make that call.