Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Dartford

Knowing what to do when you’re wondering whether you have a problem with drink or drugs can be difficult.

In Kent, there are around “308,000… residents… drinking above the recommended levels of alcohol”.[1] In 2021 in Dartford, there were 220 drug crimes counted.[2]

It’s fair to say that the area is seriously affected by substance use. Perhaps you’re thinking of entering an alcohol rehab in Dartford. This is a great step towards living a healthier life and finding out about your treatment options is highly beneficial.

How Alcohol Changes the Brain

When you develop an alcohol addiction, it physically changes how your brain and body work. It’s a very powerful substance that alters your brain’s chemicals, amino acids, and hormones.

All of these regulate how your body functions and also how you feel and think.

Repeated use of alcohol causes the brain to become reliant on it for you to feel “normal”. Alcohol use and dependency can be so dangerous that they can cause you to experience seizures when you stop drinking.

For these reasons, the safest way to quit drinking is through entering a rehab in Dartford where you’ll be supported to detox safely.

A Bit About Rehab in Dartford

If you have an alcohol addiction, then it’s likely you’re considering going to an alcohol rehab in Dartford. You might be wondering what it’s like.

Rehab is designed to be a “home away from home”. The environment is safe, warm, and welcoming. It’s completely substance-free and free from usual external triggers. There are staff available to support you at all times of the day through individual and group approaches.

On entering, you’ll have a couple of assessments so staff can fine-tune your treatment programme.

You’ll be introduced to the other residents and settled into your room. There’s a set eating time where the in-house chef offers highly nutritious meals to support your brain and body to rebalance.

You’ll receive physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual care. During treatments, you’ll learn everything you need to remain sober. Addiction is difficult to face and manage, but it is possible and with the right knowledge you can recover.

What Can You Do at Home For a Loved One? The Interventions…

There are interventions you can use at home if you have a loved one who is living with an addiction.

Understandably, it’s very hard knowing how to handle this situation. Addiction is difficult because it creates such a large space of ambivalence and denial. There is also the fact that many people think they can “just stop” using drugs and alcohol.

Where addiction is present, professional input is necessary just as it is with any other illness.

The first intervention families commonly use is where one or two family members and a professional meet with your addicted loved one and discuss the situation.

Communication has to be open, compassionate, and non-judgmental. The professional help to guide the family through future treatment options.

Another intervention families use is that known as the CRAFT approach which offers a variety of communication styles and activities to practise.

The goal is to use positive reinforcement to ameliorate family bonds and encourage your addicted loved one to repeat healthy behaviours and move towards recovery.

The Cost of a Rehab Stay in Dartford

A private drug and alcohol rehab in Dartford costs money to fund in terms of accommodation, staff, and treatments. There are both budget and luxury options.

While some residential stays can cost around £495 a day, others come in at around £1000 a week.

When researching rehabs, it’s worth finding out about those nearest to Dartford and comparing their services as well as their price.

Staff at Rehab 4 Alcoholism can support you in creating a price and service comparison if that would help you – just give us a call for more information.

Is There NHS Funding That Pays For Private Rehab Care?

There is some limited funding available if you have an alcohol or drug addiction, and want to go to rehab, but can’t afford it. In this case, however, there are things you have to do to be eligible for the funding.

Firstly, you need to be in contact with local council-funded services and do everything recommended by your case worker and actively try to show that you’re keen to heal and recover.

Secondly, you need to apply for funding through the local council. Council staff receive applications from many people hoping to go to a drug and alcohol rehab in Dartford.

While your application and efforts might be outstanding, you might not receive funding if you’re up against a lot of other applicants.

The Length of a Residential Rehab Stay in Dartford

The most common amount of time, and recommended length of stay, at a rehab clinic, is around 28 days.

This is because it gives you enough time to settle in, get through the first difficult cravings, become used to the routine, and learn and start practising new psychological and mindful techniques.

Some people might stay for detox only. These last between 7-10 days. While this is important for those who are physically dependent, it’s important to try and stay for a longer amount of time as the mental aspect of addiction needs to be treated too.

Private and Council-Funded Rehabilitation Centres in Dartford

There are both private and council-funded drug and alcohol rehabs in Dartford. Knowing a bit about the two can help you choose the best option.

Private rehabs are funded by the individual. They’re establishments that offer a 24-hour approach to recovery treatment. This is essential because addiction is an illness that can control you at all times until you have the techniques to regain control of yourself.

Individual and group therapies are offered. The staff specialise in addiction, the most recent approaches are used, and residents leave sober.

Council-funded centres support people at all levels of substance use. Some will be experimenting (more common in the case of teenagers) and others will have lived with severe addiction for years. These services offer drop-in clinics, some counselling, and group sessions.

Would Inpatient or Outpatient Treatment Suit Me More?

As a general rule, inpatient treatment services, where you stay at a rehab centre, are important for people who want or need to quit alcohol or drugs.

Private clinics offer a safe substance-free zone where you receive daily treatments that will cause you to become sober. If you’ve tried and failed to quit substances, this is the recommended option.

Outpatient services are offered by council-funded centres. You go to the clinic for appointments and groups as scheduled.

This is often useful for people who have mild substance use issues, or those who have no intention of quitting but might need support around using substances in safer ways (known as harm reduction).

Alcohol Detox and Rehab in Dartford

If you have an alcohol addiction, you’ll need an alcohol detox and rehab stay to wean off alcohol safely and equip yourself with the skills you need to remain sober long-term.

One of the difficulties with alcohol use is that because the substance is legal and so socially accepted, it can be hard to know whether you drink in an unhealthy way.

The signs you have a problem include:

Deterioration of family relationships.
Problems at school, college, or work.
Manipulating, lying, or acting secretive.
Feeling you need alcohol to face the day.
Not being able to stop drinking even when you try to.

If you experience the following withdrawal symptoms, then alcohol rehab is critical:

Sweating.
Tremors.
Mood swings.
Fatigue.
Nausea.
Sickness and diarrhoea.
Seizures.

A rehab detox will include a 7-day Librium prescription to wean you off alcohol safely so that your symptoms are managed. After this, you’ll start learning grounding techniques and cognitive approaches to help develop control over your alcohol use.

Rehab for Cocaine in Dartford

While many people view cocaine as a drug for the “rich and famous” it has become increasingly used throughout society in the UK. With the rise in use, addiction to it and crack cocaine is also increasing.

With it comes a range of health concerns linked to mental health, suicide, family breakdown, financial ruin, and serious implications for physical health. The heart and lungs come under deep strain and toxins build up in the body impairing the immune response.

Rehab staff are specialists in their approach to cocaine addiction, which causes an extremely compelling habit.

The user can become so separated from their thoughts that their ability to control their automatic thoughts (those driving them to use cocaine) is non-existent. Therapy supports you to identify, adapt, and change those thoughts and change addictive behaviours.

Rehab for Heroin in Dartford

Contrary to popular belief, heroin isn’t immediately addictive. Some people who use it don’t feel the need to use it again either.

An addiction, however, can arise where there are various factors at play linked to personality, history of trauma, and a genetic predisposition that, for some, can create the urge to return to heroin after the first use.

The brain creates a new neural pathway when using heroin that releases a happy chemical and makes you feel good. For someone who struggles to feel good, this emotional space can create repeated behaviours that cause addiction.

When you enter a drug and alcohol rehab in Dartford for heroin addiction, you’ll go through a ten-day detox. Subutex is prescribed to manage your withdrawal so you feel comfortable. After this, you move on to psychological therapies to begin deep emotional healing.

Rehab for Cannabis in Dartford

It’s important to access rehabilitation support for cannabis addiction and you can do so in Dartford.

Cannabis isn’t always associated with severe addiction, but, with how stronger strains have become more available, it’s a health concern nowadays.

Unfortunately, many people don’t realise smoking releases toxic fumes which are incredibly damaging to the lungs. On top of this, it’s linked to causing anxiety, psychosis and schizophrenia.

At rehab, you’ll learn new ways to manage your mood and how regulate your emotions. This is essential in helping you to manage your thoughts and behaviours around cannabis.

Group sessions are also key in supporting you to understand how to better manage your time and create new lifestyle habits.

Psychological and Holistic Support at Private Clinics

One of the great things about entering a private drug rehab is the vast amount of therapies, both psychological and complementary, that you’ll have access to.

All of these are essential in providing a structure of support that will address every aspect of the addiction.

The psychological therapies include:

Cognitive behavioural therapy addresses how alcohol and drugs have changed your brain functioning and how to regain control of thoughts and behaviours.
Motivational interviewing is offered to everyone and is helpful because it encourages you to explore the things you like about substances as well as those you find difficult. Exploring these two sides of the coin supports you to come to a more honest self-understanding which can be very inspiring. The sessions are led by what you say.
Dialectical behavioural therapy is available to those who have experienced serious trauma or who need to learn how to more healthily manage their emotional reactions. Doing this means it becomes easier not to turn to drugs and alcohol when you’re triggered.

Other support sessions include:

One-to-one counselling. This might be from a therapist or a drug and alcohol worker. These sessions can be quite free-flowing and the worker might guide you or come up with ideas with you.
SMART sessions as part of a group where you learn skills on how to manage life by breaking it down into manageable parts. This helps you to remember that recovery is achievable.
12 Step groups where you and the other residents share and explore your experiences and come to new understandings as a group.

Complementary therapies include:

Art therapy.
Music therapy.
Equine therapy
Yoga.
Ear acupuncture.
Mindfulness.

What Happens at Rehab if You Have a Dual Diagnosis?

It’s important to recognise addiction in the context of mental health in the sense that the two are inextricably linked. Many people use alcohol and drugs to try and self-medicate around an underlying mental health condition and this regularly leads to addiction.

As well as this, people who use substances can develop mental health conditions because of their effects.

You might already know that you have a mental health condition. Some people, though, don’t and this is likely to be identified during the assessment process you undertake when entering rehab.

When staff recognise you have two conditions, it will be termed a “dual diagnosis” and they’ll use this information to create your treatment programme. This is essential to ensure you get the support you need to have a steady start to recovery.

How Do Rehab Clinics Support You Around Relapse?

Addiction treatment is far more than staying at a rehab clinic, becoming sober, and returning home. Returning home is where you begin to put into practice everything you learned at rehab in your normal life.

It can be more challenging, but it’s also the space where change and healing settle in. Bear in mind, too, that the more time that passes the easier it becomes to remain abstinent.

At rehab, staff will create an aftercare plan with you which includes how to keep yourself protected and safe around relapse.

You’ll discuss what it is you want to achieve in life and come up with action points to follow. It might be linked to health, exercise, art, a new hobby, or education and employment.

As well as this your plan will include people and organisations you can contact to help you remain sober, especially during triggering moments.

The private clinic will also offer some aftercare activities (i.e. alumni groups) and guidance on what to do in the event of relapse.

Other Recovery Services in Dartford

Some people will want support around addiction before or after staying at a drug and alcohol rehab in Dartford. There are other organisations in the area that can support you and those close to you.

You can also connect with:

Your local council-funded drug and alcohol services. There, you’ll be assigned a case worker who will offer some conversation-based support. As well as this, there will be weekly group sessions you can access and a drop-in clinic.
Local services to access a home detox, which is especially useful if you require medical assistance withdrawing from a substance but don’t need to enter rehab (i.e. if you’ve been in rehab recently and relapsed).
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups in local towns. People at various levels of alcohol addiction will be present. Community and connection are two of the main focuses of this type of support.
Narcotics Anonymous groups are available in the Dartford area. This is for people with addictions to heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, ketamine, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines. Like AA you’ll make social connections to help you approach recovery through a network of support.
SMART recovery groups offer you practical ways to manage recovery. Emphasis is placed on what you can do each day to manage cravings and develop a healthy new lifestyle.
Services for those who are finding it difficult to accept and/or live with their addiction include both AdFam and Al-Anon.

References

[1] https://www.kentonline.co.uk/whats-on/news/make-sure-you-know-your-score-257304/

[2] https://crimerate.co.uk/kent/dartford

Featured Drug and Alcohol Rehabs in Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Dartford

There are various types of rehab centres available in Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Dartford, including inpatient alcohol rehab, luxury alcohol rehab, and private drug rehabs.

Inpatient Rehab

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Medical Detox