Harlow is a large town located in west Essex and has an estimated population of 93,300.

According to the latest data gathered by National Statistics, there are currently estimated to be 5,463 opiate and crack users (OCUs) and 12,000 dependent drinkers in Essex.

In England, it is believed that 18% of adults (16-59) are affected by alcohol misuse.

Cannabis remains the most prevalent drug, with 7.8% of adults consuming it.

3.4% of adults were found to use Class A drugs, such as cocaine.

These statistics are reflected in people that need help with substance dependency.

People contacting drug and alcohol services is at an all-time high in the UK.

However, many people are not sure how to get help.

If you are based in Harlow, or the wider Essex area, and are suffering from addiction, this article will be of help.

It will outline what treatment is available, how to access it, and what to expect.

What Is Alcohol Addiction?

Alcohol addiction – or Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) – refers to several things: the inability to control or stop drinking, a preoccupation with drinking, and drinking regardless of negative social and health problems.

This can be broad, however, and might refer to alcohol consumption that leads to alcohol-related issues, such as heart and liver disease.

Other types of AUD also include binge drinking – five or more drinks within two hours – and habitual drinking, such as consuming alcohol every evening after work.

Symptoms of AUD vary but include things such as:

• The inability to limit alcohol consumption.
• The inability to cut down or stop drinking.
• Experiencing cravings for alcohol.
• Alcohol has a negative impact on employment, hobbies or social activities.
• Consuming alcohol in inappropriate situations, such as when driving.
• Developing a tolerance and needing more alcohol to gain the desired effect.
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not drinking – headaches, vomiting, nausea, sweats or tremors, for example.

What Is Rehab?

Rehab – or rehabilitation – is a broad term that encompasses treatment and recovery for some form of ailment.

This might include rehab for a physiological issue, post-operation, or in this case addiction.

With regards to addiction, there are several types of rehabs, largely falling under the category of:

• Outpatient – People attend daily or weekly appointments at a doctor’s surgery, for example, to receive treatment.
• Inpatient – People move into their rehab facility for the duration of their treatment.

Whichever rehab people go to, each will offer a similar experience – that is, each will help people detox, provide some forms of counselling and/or therapy, help with relapse prevention, and go on to provide aftercare.

These will be covered in more detail below.

What Is Addiction Intervention?

Medical professionals define an intervention as the gathering of Concern Others (COs) to convince a loved one that they need help for their substance dependency.

Usually, COs will take turns to explain to the loved on how their behaviour has negatively impacted them.

In most cases, an intervention is only necessary when the loved one refuses to get help or does not believe that they have a problem.

Studies have found that addiction intervention has a high success rate, but only when organised and conducted correctly.

Therefore, it is worth mentioning some useful tips and considerations.

The focus of an intervention is encouragement – the goal is not to shame or berate the loved one into change.

To ensure this, good preparation is key.

Some things to do in preparation for intervention include:

• Decide who is going to be involved – keep the intervention small and only include the loved one’s closest family and friends.
• Chose a safe place/space to hold to intervention – the loved one needs to feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible.
• Prepare what you are going to say and practice empathetic communication.
• Find out what treatment is available and how COs can support a loved one through it.

Another useful tip is to consider employing the help of an intervention specialist, such as an interventionist, a psychologist, or a social worker.

Such professionals will be able to help organise the intervention and act as mediators, which will help prevent any potential confrontation.

CRAFT

There are also many methods and models pertaining to interventions that can be helpful.

A prime example of this is Community Reinforcement And Family Training (CRAFT).

CRAFT was designed to help families that have loved ones that are unwilling to get help.

It focuses on positive behaviour reinforcement and behaviour consequences.

In other words, families are encouraged to reward their loved ones when they make positive behaviour changes, such as not using a substance or seeking help.

However, rewards are withheld when the loved one behaves negatively.

This might include not providing accommodation or withholding financial support.

Families will work alongside a professional and will learn things such as:

• Understanding the nature of addiction
• How to communicate clearer
• How to use positive reinforcement
• How to stop enabling behaviours
• How to organise and conduct a successful intervention
• How to support a loved one through rehab

What Treatment Is Available In Harlow?

Harlow is home to several great, free drug and alcohol services, such as Open Road Harlow and Passmores House.

Free services that they provide include:

• Detox and treatment
• Information regarding drugs and alcohol
• One-to-one and group support
• Counselling and therapy
• Needle exchange
• Prescriptions
• Family support

These services are accessible either through self-referral or referral by a key worker, such as a GP or social worker.

There are also several private rehab facilities in Harlow, but these can be expensive.

The average cost of rehab in the UK is between £4,000 and £12,000 per month.

There are many advantages to private rehab, including easy admission, personalised treatment and 24/7 medical attention, but its expense is undeniable.

If this is not an option and residential treatment is a must, it might be possible to access funding through the NHS.

The NHS provides funding for people that need residential treatment – however this funding is limited and is not easily accessible.

It requires a referral through a GP or key worker and an application to the local council.

The application itself requires people to meet a certain criterion.

For example, the NHS does not include detox in its funding, meaning that people are expected to have detoxed before entering treatment.

In addition, it is not uncommon for people to be expected to have already tried local services, such as an outpatient program or attending counselling or therapy.

Finally, even if funding is available, there are often waiting lists – ones that can often take up to a year.

How Long Does Rehab Last In Harlow

Typically, most treatment programs last between 1 to 3 months, with medical experts recommending a minimum program of 28-days.

However, there is no specific duration for rehab.

This is because each person will require different things.

For example, a person’s age, gender, how long they have been using, and the substance being treated, can all impact how long the treatment will last.

Younger people, for example, have a faster metabolism and therefore tend to detox faster than older people.

The same is true for gender, with men tending to have faster metabolisms.

Further, the substance being treated will be an important variable regarding how long treatment lasts.

Someone suffering from cannabis dependency is likely to need less time, as the withdrawal is less severe when compared to a substance such as heroin.

Before entering a treatment program, people will undergo a pre-admissions assessment.

Medical professionals will determine and suggest the best treatment options.

When entering a program, people will then undergo a medical examination.

This looks for any underlying mental or physical issues.

Treatment will then be based on this assessment.

Inpatient VS Outpatient Treatment

Another factor is whether the treatment is inpatient or outpatient.

As previously mentioned, inpatient treatment requires people to stay at a facility for the duration of their treatment.

This is more rigorous but, as a result, tends to have a shorter duration – on average 28-days.

Outpatient treatment on the other hand can last between 6 months to a year.

The benefit of outpatient treatment, however, is that it can often be accessed for free and can be fitted around people’s other engagements.

The caveat, however, is that people are still in their usual environment and potentially surrounded by triggers.

This might not be suitable for someone that has a severe addiction.

It is recommended that people suffering from severe addiction enter an inpatient program, as they will receive 24/7 assistance.

Alcohol Rehab In Harlow

The first stage of any treatment program is detox.

This is where the body begins to remove the substance.

Because people that are suffering from addiction need the substance to function properly, detox often leads to withdrawal symptoms.

For alcohol, this is known as Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS).

AWS can be unpleasant, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe.

Mild to moderate symptoms include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Cravings
• Sweats
• Tremors (shakes)
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Headaches
• A lack of appetite

Severe symptoms – which can be life-threatening – include:

• Delirium
• Confusion
• High blood pressure
• Fast respiration
• Fever
• Insomnia

For AWS, symptoms usually occur between 6 to 12 hours after the person stops drinking and a full detox will occur over a 5-to-7-day period.

Some symptoms can last for up to two weeks.

However, during detox and withdrawal, people will be given medication to help with AWS.

This will usually be a benzodiazepine such as Librium.

This will help reduce symptoms such as insomnia, restlessness, anxiety, a lack of appetite, and stress.

Rehab For Cannabis, Cocaine And Heroin In Harlow

The detox process also varies from substance to substance, with some being less arduous than others.

Cannabis, for example, is relatively mild.

Cannabis withdrawal usually does not require medical assistance or prescription medication.

Symptoms include:

• Restlessness
• Agitation
• A lack of appetite
• Headaches
• Anxiety
• Stress

The emergence of these symptoms will depend upon how often or long a person has been using cannabis.

Someone that has been using cannabis regularly can expect symptoms to show within several hours.

However, on average, most symptoms occur within 3 days and last for up to 10 days.

Cocaine withdrawal is commonly regarded as primarily psychological.

This is because cocaine tends to have a serious impact on a person’s brain.

Symptoms of cocaine withdrawal include:

• Paranoia
• Irritability
• Agitation
• Random mood swings
• Increased stress
• A lack of appetite
• Restlessness
• Anxiety

Again, the frequency of such symptoms will depend upon how often or long a person has been using.

However, it is not uncommon for cocaine withdrawal to happen quickly – in some cases, as quick as 30 minutes after a person stops using.

Most symptoms will reduce after several days, but some can last for up to two weeks.

Heroin withdrawal is both psychological and physical.

Heroin withdrawal is often argued to be one of the most unpleasant.

This is due to its highly addictive nature and that even mild withdrawal is still very unpleasant.

Mild to moderate symptoms include:

• Sweats
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Restlessness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Intense cravings

Severe symptoms include:

• Hypertension
• Insomnia
• Respiration problems
• Hallucinations

Symptoms of heroin withdrawal will begin to emerge 6 to 12 hours after the person stops using and can last up to 10 days.

Because heroin withdrawal is potentially life-threatening, it is unlikely that people will detox without medical assistance.

Commonly, people will be given a controlled replacement opioid, such as Methadone.

What Is Dual Diagnosis?

Dual diagnosis is a co-occurring disorder that refers to someone that has both mental health issues and a substance dependency.

Dual diagnosis occurs in approximately 20-37% in people with mental health issues and 6-15% in an addiction setting, such as rehab.

The reason for this is that mental health issues – depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, for example – interact with substances in various ways, and vice versa.

To elucidate, studies suggest that people suffering from mental health issues will use addictive substances as a form of self-medication.

By doing so, they significantly increase the likelihood of developing a dependency.

Further, such substances can lead to mental health problems, as they cause damage to the brain.

What Therapy Will I Receive During Rehab In Harlow?

An important aspect of rehab is therapy.

Again, the therapy people will receive will depend upon individual needs.

Common types of therapy include:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – This focuses on negative emotions and how to respond to such emotions in a positive way.
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – This involves looking at the relationship between thoughts and behaviours.
• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) – DBT is like CBT but looks at emotions and feelings, as opposed to thoughts.
• One-To-One therapy – People will discuss past experiences, trauma or relationship issues, for example, to uncover the root cause of the addiction.

• Family Therapy – This type of therapy focuses on rebuilding relationships between loved ones, looking at how addiction has impacted them.
• Group Therapy – People will meet with peers to discuss their experiences and struggles.
• Holistic Therapy – This type of therapy focuses on well-being and is done through holistic activities, such as gardening, mindfulness, equine therapy or painting, for example.

Relapse Prevention And Aftercare In Harlow

Relapse refers to someone that begins using again after achieving sobriety.

The latest data suggests that most 40 to 60% of people that were substance dependent will relapse.

Because of this, treatment programs will help people develop a relapse prevention plan.

This is a written document that explores things that might lead to a relapse, such as certain environments, relationships or situations.

The idea behind this is that by preparing for such things, the chance of relapse is reduced.

Medical experts suggest that relapse happens in three stages:

• Emotional relapse – Starting to feel negative emotions.
• Mental relapse – Starting to think negative thoughts.
• Physical relapse – The act of starting to use a substance again.

The relapse prevention plan addresses each of these stages by helping the person develop useful tools.

The first might be emotional management – how to control emotions and what to do if you feel angry, sad, or fearful, for example.

In dealing with negative thoughts, people might be taught cognitive reappraisal techniques.

Finally, if the person does relapse, they are shown how to reach out and ask for help.

In addition, people will be provided with aftercare upon leaving rehab.

This means continued support, therapy, and help to access local services, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA) or SMART Recovery.

Getting Help Today

To learn more about anything read on this page today or to begin your rehabilitation journey through Rehab 4 Alcoholism, please do not hesitate to get in touch using our addiction support line on 0800 111 4108 today.

Whether you’re looking for immediate admission or just want to ask some questions, we are here to help.