Alcohol & Drug Rehab in Basingstoke

The increased prevalence of heavy drug use has been identified as a main contributing factor to the rise in cases of serious violence in North Hampshire.

From 2017/18 there were 10 drug abuse deaths recorded in Basingstoke and Deane, equating to one death per 11,200 people, which placed them towards the bottom end of the list for drug-related deaths in the Southeast.

Although it does appear there is an increase in crimes committed in which drug use was seen as an important factor.

There has also been a steady rise every year from 2014-to 2021 in alcohol-related hospital admissions in the Basingstoke and Deane area.

During 2020/21 over 1,800 criminal offences were recorded in North Hampshire in which alcohol was considered to be a significant factor.

Clearly, addiction rehab is a sorely needed service is Basingstoke.

Rehab Centres Advocate The Disease Model Of Addiction

Organisers of addiction treatment programmes believe in the disease model of addiction and promote this view in the way they interact and treat their clients.

The disease model views addiction as a brain disease which developed because of neurological, chemical, and genetic factors.

Any of these factors could alter the structure and function of the brain and this physical abnormality may lead to an addiction.

This means addiction is viewed and treated the same way as physical illnesses, and people who are diagnosed with an addiction should be treated with kindness rather than being viewed as living by a weak moral code.

Dual Diagnosis In Rehab

Dual diagnosis patients have been diagnosed with another mental health condition on top of their addiction.

Such patients need to be treated with extra consideration due to the complexities of being diagnosed with two psychiatric disorders.

Rehab centres treat these patients with evidence-based treatments that have been proven to be effective in controlled scientific studies.

The approved treatments used in rehab include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and various medical interventions.

Rehabs Believe In Abstinence

Residential rehab services in Basingstoke and surrounding areas make sure that all clients set a target of abstinence as a treatment goal rather than just reducing the harm of their substance use.

This ensures there is no ambiguity in what they need to work towards, as anything other than abstinence would be problematic.

This is because if substances are not completely eradicated from their lifestyle, they will always be susceptible to re-entering the addictive process.

The Benefits Of Residential Rehab In Basingstoke

There are many positive benefits to attending residential (inpatient) rehab in Basingstoke, such as:

• Beginning your quest towards abstinence in a drug and alcohol-free environment, away from the significant triggers of your everyday life.
• The aftercare service provided by rehab centres means you still be monitored after your treatment has finished.
• Receiving up to date, established treatments (including detox) to help you recover.
• You will benefit from regular monitoring and support from qualified professionals to guide you through challenging times.
• You can stay at a location close to your family and friends.
• You will have time to devote to improving areas of your lifestyle that have become disrupted such as diet, sleep and exercise.

Private Rehab VS NHS-Funded Rehab Treatment=

Treatment for substance misuse is very expensive, often running into thousands but it is an investment that can change your life.

The benefits of privately funding treatment include:

Private Rehab

Private clients can begin treatment straight away with minimum delay.

Access to experienced practitioners who have developed significant expertise in conducting treatment interventions including detox and psychosocial therapies.

Your treatment plan will be specific to you after a careful examination of your medical and psychological history.

You will have access to specialist forms of treatment based on current technology that is not available to NHS-funded patients.

You may also have the chance to benefit from a wide array of holistic therapies.

You will remain in care after you leave, as any rehab we recommend will offer a thorough aftercare service.

Clients who undergo private treatment tend to have a higher success rate due to more comprehensive and personalised treatment programmes.

You can relax while you recover in more pleasant surroundings and engage in a range of recreational activities.

Treatment Via NHS Funding

Due to the NHS’s core belief of making treatment available to everyone without prejudice, everyone in need can apply for funding to receive addiction treatment.

There are highly regarded, proven and safe treatments for SUD available for NHS funded clients.

You will be able to receive treatment for your SUD with minimum disruption to your normal life.

However, there are also limitations that NHS funding that applicants need to be aware of.

These include:

• Despite receiving proven interventions, it is unlikely your treatment plan will be personalised to exactly meet your needs.
• Due to the delays in waiting for funding to be allocated to you, you may experience a considerable wait before beginning treatment.
• Many people who take advantage of NHS funding are only awarded treatment on an outpatient basis.
• There is likely to be a great deal of disruption to your treatment – you are likely to see many therapists, and therefore will be unable to form a trusting relationship with the same therapist.

Residential Rehab Is Not An Option For Everyone

Residential rehab treatment is not a viable option for many patients, as not everyone who requires addiction treatment is in the best shape to deal with its psychological demands.

These include:

• Clients diagnosed with several mental health conditions, one of which has been diagnosed as severe, and who require special attention.
• Similarly, psychiatrists may have assessed some individuals as being a suicide risk and in need of careful monitoring.
• Anyone who has been diagnosed with a mental health condition and who consumes over 30 units of alcohol per day.
• Anyone who has regularly displayed patterns of violent and aggressive behaviour over the years.
• People who have been unable to remain abstinent despite having been through home detox services on many occasions.
• Potential clients who need to stop drinking urgently and who have been diagnosed with delirium tremens or Wernicke’s encephalopathy due to extremely high alcohol use will require need constant medical care, which is beyond the realm of rehab centres.

Alternatives Sources Of Support

Due to the increased prevalence of substance misuse throughout the UK and the significant cuts in treatment funding, there are now many other sources of support available as an alternative to residential rehab.

Examples of these include:

Support Groups

The concept of support groups playing a key role in recovery from addiction was developed by Alcoholics Anonymous many decades ago, but their approach has led to the creation of many support groups for people with drug dependence such as Narcotics Anonymous and Marijuana Anonymous.

All support groups have regular meetings throughout the week, the details of which can be found on their websites.

these groups are run on the belief that mutual support provides the foundation for recovery.

Family Groups

There are also support groups for the family members of people who have been diagnosed with a SUD, which enables them to seek support, comfort and advice from other people who have been through similar experiences to them.

National Charities

UK based charities such as SMART Recovery and Change, Grow, Live (CGL) offer first-class support alongside free resources and services.

SMART Recovery conducts an online programme which helps substance users improve their cognitive skills and develop greater psychological resilience to deal with overwhelming emotions and cravings.

SMART Recovery also helps people with their personal development by enabling them to reflect upon their future goals and ambitions and providing them with the tools to attain these.

CGL helps people who have experienced substance misuse, homelessness and/or domestic violence turn their life around and equip them with knowledge, advice and skills that will improve their life.

CGL are excellent at signposting people to relevant substance misuse treatment services due to their vast number of contacts in the area, and their website has an abundance of resources and services that people can use to enhance their psychological health,

Outpatient Treatment Via A Local Drug & Alcohol Team In Basingstoke And Surrounding Areas

There are also outpatient services for substance addiction available in the North Hampshire area run by local NHS and council services.

Most areas throughout the UK have local drug and alcohol teams that coordinate several aspects of outpatient interventions such as different therapies, details of local support group meetings and educational workshops devoted to developing clients’ social and communication skills.

Home Detox In Basingstoke

Clients diagnosed with a severe SUD will be offered by local substance use teams the opportunity to receive home-based detox, treatment which can be easily set up by their key workers who will utilise their strong connections to NHS services in North Hampshire.

The Admissions Process In Basingstoke

As soon as clients have agreed to engage with rehab treatment, as part of the admissions process they take part in a comprehensive assessment which examines many key areas of their life and helps to create their treatment plan.

To help carry out this assessment on the client rehab staff will use the 6 dimensions of the ASAM criteria as guidance, which investigate:

• The client’s current rate of drug/alcohol consumption.
• The state of their physical and emotional health.
• Their level of motivation for engaging with treatment.
• Their risk of relapsing.
• If they have any ongoing social, legal, financial and family problems in their lives.

Each of the 6 dimensions will be given a risk rating score to indicate whether this dimension is a strength or an area of vulnerability in their quest for abstinence.

The Three Levels of Severity For An SUD

Substance misuse practitioners will also be eager to diagnose the severity of each client’s addiction and to help them with this they will consult with the 11 criteria for SUD set out in the DSM-5.

The severity of a person’s addiction is important to establish as it determines the type of interventions they will be recommended and to decide if they require a medical detox or not.

Clients who have 6 or over of the 11 DSM criteria will be diagnosed with a severe SUD, whereas those who only meet 2 or 3 of the criteria will be diagnosed with a mild SUD.

Professional Intervention Services

There are circumstances when relatives and friends of substance users need to use an intervention to persuade a family member into receiving treatment for their excessive substance use when their actions are causing them a lot of distress and pain.

These services employ psychological strategies to try and trigger a behavioural change in the relative.

Family members play an important role in persuading their loved ones into treatment due to their regular proximity to the person in question.

Intervention specialists work with family members and coach them on several behaviour strategies that they can implement during their interactions which can influence their relative’s behaviour.

An example of this is CRAFT, which involves family members praising/rewarding the person if they manage to abstain from taking substances, and withdrawing positive behaviour if they continue to consume substances.

Tips For Choosing The Right Rehab In Basingstoke

• Check for how long the rehab centres you are interested in have been operating – established and dependable services have usually been in practice for 20 years or more.
• Selecting a treatment centre with a high success rate for treating your substance addiction would provide added reassurance.
• Research and read independent reviews of residential rehab centres.
• To keep control of your finances, it is a good idea to establish a shortlist of rehab centres that align with your level of affordability.
• If you feel a good connection with staff at a certain rehab centre when you speak with them during your research phase, then that may be the one for you to seriously consider.
• Check the qualifications of the staff at the rehab centres you are interested in.

What Is A Detox?

Clients who have been advised to enter treatment for alcohol abuse will more than likely have developed a strong dependence on alcohol and suffer from unpleasant withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, nausea and anxiety when they stop drinking alcohol.

This is because their body has developed a tolerance toward alcohol and needs to drink greater amounts to experience the same effects.

Rehab clinics will offer alcohol-dependent clients pharmacological interventions, more commonly referred to as “detox” to help them eradicate the presence of alcohol from their bodies.

Librium

A drug called Librium is often used to help minimise these more damaging or dangerous withdrawal symptoms, including seizures.

The majority of patients in rehab for alcohol use disorder will be in detox for one week, possibly 10 days, after which they will be stable to begin their programme of therapy.

This will include individual and group therapies, and specialist workshops designed to educate clients on relapse prevention and cravings management.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDITs)

The AUDIT is a tool designed by the World Health Organisation to help diagnose patterns of hazardous and dependent drinking in people that regularly consume alcohol each week.

It consists of 10 questions which enquire about the level of a person’s alcohol consumption and the consequences it has for them.

Any score of 8 indicates a slight risk for alcohol dependence in the future, so brief advice on cutting down would be offered.

A person returning a score of 15 or over would be advised to consult with alcohol treatment services immediately.

Drug Rehab Treatment Programmes In Basingstoke

Substance misuse rehab programmes in Basingstoke provide comprehensive treatment services for treating various SUDs, including cocaine, heroin and other opioid drugs, cannabis and benzodiazepine dependence.

Detox

There are some drugs such as heroin and benzodiazepines for which some patients with a strong physical dependence will likely need to go through a detox treatment to lessen the amount of the drug in their body and curtail withdrawal symptoms.

This is achieved by using substitute drugs which contain similar chemicals to the substance they are addicted to, but crucially do not maintain a person’s psychological or physical dependence.

Withdrawal Management

Every residential rehab clinic has developed effective working practices to help treat cocaine and cannabis addiction.

There is no medical detox procedure for these two drugs to help reduce their presence in the human body, so the main aim of the medical team is to advise clients on the most useful strategies for managing the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.

These may include the prescription of appropriate medication, sleep hygiene or proven stress management approaches.

Psychological Therapies Available At Basingstoke Drug And Alcohol Rehab Centres

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a hugely beneficial form of therapy for people trying to overcome a SUD, as it gives the therapist the potential to correct the negative and inaccurate thought patterns that have besieged the clients and negatively influenced their emotions, resulting in them feeling the need to consume substances.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

DBT is a form of individual therapy which is ideal for substance users who usually consume drugs or alcohol to subdue uncomfortable emotions.

DBT has been very successful in helping people diagnosed with personality disorders who struggle to deal with daily frustrations rationally.

Some substance users face similar day to day challenges with their emotional states and, by engaging in several DBT sessions during treatment, they can rehearse techniques to help them deal with difficult emotions without resorting to consuming substances.

Brief Interventions

Brief Interventions aim to pass on important information to the client about the negative health outcomes generated by their heavy substance use.

The therapist will then ask the client to reflect on what they have just heard before they both engage in a discussion to delve into the range of options open to them.

There is no pressure from the therapist, as the client is empowered to be free to make their own choices bearing in mind the information they have just heard.

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Many clients will exhibit some resistance to treatment during their stay in rehab or just before beginning treatment.

If this is the case, then the therapist will utilise the principles of MI to work with the client to help them overcome their resistance.

The key to MI being effective is down to how well the therapist builds a trusting, supporting relationship with the clients showing understanding and empathy at all times.

Group Therapy

Group therapy is different to support group meetings such as the AA as the sessions are facilitated by a qualified psychological therapist, who will use the group setting to work on the communication patterns and personality traits of all the group members, as well as develop a strong sense of identity within the group.

The group itself can become a vehicle for healing the psychological wounds of all participants and help them develop important social skills such as empathy and an ability to understand the needs and perspectives of other group members.

Individual Therapy

Most people who develop a SUD do so because they have tended to deal with traumatic events and distressing feelings by turning to substances.

Therefore, it is important that all clients talk about the experiences have affected them over the years.

There is a range of psychological therapies that can help clients process their negative experiences, whether they relate to unconscious drives, negative thought patterns, relationship difficulties or extreme responses to traumatic events.

Family Therapy

Family therapy will help families repair negative communication styles that have been apparent for a long time.

Such negative interactions can have a very debilitating effect on a child’s emotional and social development, and lead to poor mental health into adulthood.

Many people who have become diagnosed with a SUD report frequent discord and poor communication during early family life.

Co-Dependency Treatment

Co-dependent people tend to have low self-esteem due to negative experiences during their formative years.

They will often disregard their feelings and are motivated to tend to the needs of other people.

Having therapy for co-dependency will help clients overcome the psychological barriers that prevent them from understanding their own psychological needs, and setting firm boundaries to ensure they protect themselves from being in vulnerable positions.

Twelve-Step Facilitation Therapy (TSF)

The AA’s twelve-step programme provides rehab residents with a sequence of steps that many deem essential for recovering from addiction.

These steps have been adapted into different formats to cater for various drug addictions.

Many rehab centres in Basingstoke have adapted the 12-step model into a form of therapy which can be implemented in individual or group sessions.

The steps involve a series of personal contemplations that encourage clients to think about powerlessness, individual character deficiencies, people they have harmed and spirituality, all designed to lead them to abstinence.

Holistic Therapies

Addiction treatment centres in Basingstoke have explored the use of using holistic therapies in their treatment programmes as there is a significant body of research to indicate they have therapeutic value in the field of addiction.

Art And Music Therapy

In particular, many holistic therapies related to art and music have been found to be effective in helping people process traumatic events in their lives and work through difficult, longstanding emotions that may have fuelled their substance use.

Equine Therapy

Spending time interacting with animals can have many positive effects on clients as they begin to access different parts of their personality and let go of unhelpful relational habits during their sessions engaging with a horse in a range of activities

Many people who have received equine therapy report an improvement in their relationships after completing a programme of sessions.

Adventure Therapy

Adventure therapy can be very beneficial for people looking to boost their self-esteem and practical skills and in helping them develop more social confidence when interacting with other people.

This form of therapy provides people with a chance to spend time in therapeutic settings, learn the importance of teamwork and develop the key skills to build relationships.

The activities include sailing, rock climbing and map reading, and many people report making good friends who they remain in touch with after the therapy.

It also provides an engaging activity that people continue to participate in for a long time afterwards.

Relapse Prevention Skills

Clients who enter residential treatment services rehab will benefit from specially prepared educational sessions which will help them develop and maintain important psychological strategies.

One of the most important skills they will learn relates to relapse prevention.

There are two main areas of relapse prevention to focus on: firstly, identifying high-risk circumstances that trigger their substance use, and secondly understanding how their internal physiology and emotions may make them vulnerable to relapsing.

High-Risk Circumstances

Clients may have individual or group sessions supported by therapists who will help them understand the precise circumstances in which they are vulnerable to relapsing.

This might be when they are present at a specific location or in a particular group of people (e.g work colleagues).

Once these circumstances have been established, the therapist will help formulate a plan for them to rehearse and implement if and when these situations arise.

This may involve assertiveness training and drug refusal skills.

Body States – HALT

Certain bodily states have a strong influence on our behaviour and are likely to make us vulnerable to relapsing.

People who have been diagnosed with a SUD are more likely to relapse when they are feeling Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired.

Therapists at rehab clinics advise clients on suitable strategies to help them deal with their feelings when they enter such states, so that they have the psychological skills necessary to show resolve when going through these vulnerable phases without turning to substances.

Getting Help Today

For more information on our fantastic Basingstoke-based alcohol rehabilitation services please call a member of our team FREE on 0800 111 4108 today.

Alternatively please reach out through our contact page and a member of our team will respond shortly.

Whatever addiction you are facing, help is always available.