Useful links.
Address
Rehab 4 Alcoholism
211 Beaufort House,
94-98 Newhall Street,
Birmingham,
B3 1PB
All treatment providers we recommend are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) or Care Inspectorate.
According to national statistics, the Northeast of England is known as the ‘drug death’ capital of England. Drug death and drug poisonings are the highest in South Shields, more so than in both England and Wales. There were twice the national average drug deaths between 2017 and 2019.
There were over 680 deaths as a result of drug use between the years 2017 and 2019, standing at a rate of 9.1 per every 100,000 people, compared to England’s 4.7 per 100,000 people. The majority of these deaths were caused by illegal substances such as heroin and cocaine. Over 72% of these deaths were males.
The Northeast also have the worst rates of drug poisoning, including those that misuse drugs. For the Northeast, drug poisoning rates were 13.1 per 100,000 people, compared to England’s national average of 7.1 per 100,000 people.
If you are struggling with addiction in South Shields, particularly alcohol addiction, it can help to know what characterises different types of addiction.
There are various definitions of alcoholism and addiction. The DMS-5 defined addiction as a relapsing disorder, characterised by a compulsion to seek and use alcohol or drugs. This is accompanied by a lack of control in limiting intake and use, whilst experiencing withdrawal symptoms once the drug or alcohol is stopped. [1]
The DSM-5 defines substance addiction and substance dependency, where you may be able to identify some symptoms and behaviours. [2]
Substance dependency is a pattern of use, a pattern that results in distress and significant impairment. Those that are dependent on substances will see a tolerance increase; once you start using a substance regularly, you will require more, and more often, to achieve the desired effect that it once had.
Once the substance has worn off and is not administered, those that are dependent will suffer from severe withdrawals. The substance is being ‘abused’ once the user cannot fulfil their normal responsibilities and obligations, such as turning up for work or meeting up with friends.
To understand what type of treatment you need in South Shields, at home-questionnaires will assist you in recognising the nature of your addiction. The most popular alcoholism questionnaire, also developed for drug use, is the CAGE questionnaire:
CAGE Questions for Alcohol Use:
CAGE Questions Adapted to Include Drug Use (CAGE-AID)
If you answer YES, you receive a score of 1. If you answer no, you receive 0 points. For each set of 4 questions, a score of 2 or more highlights dangerous drinking or drug habits. For alcohol intake, there is a more developed questionnaire, called an AUDIT.
AUDIT stands for ‘alcohol use disorders identification test‘. An AUDIT is designed as an alcohol screening tool. Once you complete the first 4 questions, you may come out as FAST+. If you are, you are advised to answer the next 6 questions.
Are you FAST+?
Following these questionnaires, you will have a clear idea of the nature of your addiction, concerning what help you will need in South Shields. This help consists of a variety of rehabilitation clinics and therapies in South Shields, but also treatment for co-morbidity.
Studies indicate that co-occurring substance use disorders and mental disorders have common causes. Further, chronic drug or alcohol use leads to psychiatric disorders, and those psychiatric disorders tend to self-medicate their mental health with drugs and alcohol. [4]
Almost 9 million individuals struggle with co-occurring disorders according to the SAMHSA. However, of these 9 million people, only 7% of them receive treatment for both conditions, and over 60% don’t receive any treatment.
There are 3 main factors contributing to studies on comorbidity, meaning two or more conditions, such as schizophrenia and drug addiction, occur in one person at the same time. The three factors are:
Firstly, there has been significant research attributed to the studies of contributing factors. There has been evidence that both addiction and mental illness can be caused by brain genetic influences and early exposure to trauma. On average, 50% of an individual’s vulnerability to addiction comes from genetic influence.
Those that are traumatised or suffer from mental illness tend to self-medicate symptoms with drugs and alcohol, so are at a much higher risk of substance abuse. Studies have shown that 50% of military personnel that are diagnosed with PTSD go on to have a co-occurring disorder. For example, those suffering from anxiety tend to smoke marijuana for its sedative effect.
However, using drugs and drinking alcohol in excess can also lead to psychiatric disorders. Substances change the brain’s pathways, specifically the reward neurotransmitters, reshaping them around the user’s new euphoric threshold.
Further, drugs tend to have mental withdrawal symptoms and side effects, the most common being severe anxiety and depression.
There are multiple types of rehabilitation available in South Shields suitable for those suffering from co-morbidity, along with other characteristics. Rehabilitation is suitable for those that consume over, or around, 25 units of alcohol per day, or those who become violent or dangerous when they are under the influence of substances.
Rehabilitation in South Shields is also suitable for those who fail or haven’t got the sufficient motivation to stop using. Before rehabilitation, however, an intervention will be put into practice.
It is not unheard of that users of substances tend to remain unmotivated to start treatment, or admit they have a problem with drugs or alcohol. Over 80% of those with substance dependency or addiction, are contemplating rehabilitation, but don’t appear ready to take that step. [5]
It has been proven that users who seek help early, or interventions that are successful at early stages, tend to result in more favourable outcomes.
Over the past few decades, we have seen dramatic developments in drug and alcohol intervention. These interventions, specifically the CRAFT intervention, are said to be highly effective at getting those in need into rehabilitation and treatment. [6]
The intervention aims to get users into rehabilitation treatment. CRAFT intervention is one of the most popular approaches for drug and alcohol abuse. This is a unilateral interventional approach, primarily focused on ‘concerned others’. [7]
CRAFT stands for ‘community reinforcement and family training’, founded on motivation and reinforcement. During phase 1 of CRAFT, concerned others are taught specific skills to help change and modify the user’s behaviour to aid their engagement with treatment.
During phase 2, the users that have become engaged with the CRAFT approach receive treatment, which stands at 72% effective.
This has proven to reduce the stress and anxiety of concerned others, meaning CRAFT is a positive alternative to conventional confrontational approaches to intervention.
The concerned others in CRAFT focus on positive reinforcement, to try and rebalance the reward pathways of the user. Those who abuswhougs and alcohol have changed their brain to succumb to a new euphoric threshold.
By positively rewarding pro-social and anti-using behaviour, concerned others then motivate the user to stop or cut down on their use.
This is done through a variety of different techniques:
Once you have intervened in someone’s drug or alcohol use, you then move forward and look towards rehabilitation and treatment available in South Shields.
To know what treatment you require, you should have a clear idea about the nature of your addiction, since all addictions differ.
The ASAM created a specific criterion, focused on 6 main dimensions. Answers to these dimensions are rated on a score of 1-4, 4 being classed as high risk.
The higher the risk for a specific dimension, the more focus the treatment will place on that area of recovery. [8]
Once the type of treatment or specific focus of treatment is known, you may then move on to selecting which type of treatment best suits your needs in South Shields.
Treatment falls into two main categories: inpatient, and outpatient.
Outpatient treatment centres in South Shields are regularly referred to you through the NHS. When you are an outpatient, you reside in the comfort of your own home but attend the centre for therapy, monitored medication, and group support sessions.
For inpatient treatment, this is not usually referred via the NHS, so you may have to pay for it yourself. Despite the higher cost, you may be able to set up a treatment plan with the centre in South Shields, if you think inpatient treatment is better suited for you.
The cost of inpatient treatment ranges from around £14,000, to upwards of £80,000 per week. This is all-inclusive, covering elements such as food, medication, and staff training.
The unfortunate stigma behind the high prices originates from high-profile celebrity media coverage. This is untrue, and success rates for both inpatient and outpatient treatment run parallel.
Time spent in the facilities in South Shields varies, but 28 days is the advised number of days.
The minimum requirement is 7 days, as this is needed for a detox. Detox is only required if your addiction is physical. For example, substances such as heroin and alcohol, are physically addictive, but cocaine and marijuana do not require a detox.
There are different types of therapy on offer in South Shields, either in place of rehabilitation or to follow up with afterwards.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is therapeutic and founded on thoughts and behaviour. CBT was originally devised to counsel those with only mental health issues in the 1900s but has now been developed to cover a range of addictions.
CBT focuses on the developmental stages from negative thoughts to addictive behaviour. CBT then proves the link between irrational thoughts and use, highlighting the negative cycle you are trapped in. [9]
Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) is a talking form of CBT. DBT, however, is specifically adapted for those who feel overwhelmed by their feelings, and who feel them intensely.
DBT helps you both accept and comprehend the feelings you don’t understand or feel overwhelmed by feelings. DBT then teaches you how to manage them.
DBT has 6 main points that are required to work in conjunction with one another, to help identify and alter thinking patterns.
As a form of counselling, motivational interviewing (MI) was developed by Rollnick and Miller to explore motivational behavioural change.
MI’s guiding style engages users in acknowledging their strengths and aiming to evoke motivation and personal autonomy through decision-making.
Motivational interviewing is founded on these assumptions:
Holistic therapy, also referred to as holistic psychotherapy, is a rounded and all-inclusive therapy.
Holistic therapy aims to rebalance the energy present in the body, mind, and spirit, to make users feel whole and at peace with themselves. We are not able to live meaningful lives if we are not connected to ourselves.
A few of the different types of holistic therapy:
Once rehabilitation and therapy in South Shields have been successful, aftercare and support groups help prevent addiction relapse.
The relative success that users have depends on support and services. Many different types of aftercare may cater towards your addiction. For example, for alcoholics, alcoholics anonymous (AA) is the perfect example of group aftercare.
Alcoholics Anonymous provides group mutual support, where past and present alcoholics gather together to share experiences and unique stories, along with triggers and relapse prevention techniques.
They abide by 12 main principles, created by the founders of the AA: [10]
The relapse triggers most talked about are:
Try meditation, mindfulness, and natural techniques such as exercise and proper nutrition to combat relapsing. Get in contact with us today to discuss rehabilitation options in South Shields.
[1] Theoretical Frameworks and Mechanistic Aspects of Alcohol Addiction: Alcohol Addiction as a Reward Deficit Disorder. George F Koob, 2011. Part of the Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences book series (CTBN, volume 13) https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-28720-6_129
[2] Centre for Substance Abuse Treatment. Managing Chronic Pain in Adults With or in Recovery From Substance Use Disorders. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2012. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 54.) Exhibit 2-6, DSM-IV-TR Criteria for Substance Abuse and Substance Dependence. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92053/table/ch2.t5/
[3] ttps://www.mdcalc.com/cage-questions-alcohol-use
[4] Hartwell KJ, Tolliver BK, Brady KT. Biologic Commonalities between Mental Illness and Addiction. Prim Psychiatry. 2009 Aug 1;16(8):33-39. PMID: 26030747; PMCID: PMC3623011.
[5] Institute of MedicineTreating Drug Problems, 1, National Academy Press, Washington, DC (1990)
[5] Jhanjee S. Evidence-based psychosocial interventions in substance use. Indian J Psychol Med. 2014 Apr;36(2):112-8. DOI: 10.4103/0253-7176.130960. PMID: 24860208; PMCID: PMC4031575.
[6] Meyers, Miller, Scott Tonigan. Community reinforcement and family training (CRAFT): Engaging unmotivated drug users in treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse. 1998: Vol 10 Issue 3 pg 291.
[7] https://www.robertjmeyersphd.com/craft.html
[8] American Society of Addiction Medicine (2021) ASAM: Quality and Science. available @ASAM Home Page.
[10] https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/about-aa/the-12-steps-of-aa
There are various types of rehab centres available in Drug and Alcohol Rehab in South Shields, including inpatient alcohol rehab, luxury alcohol rehab, and private drug rehabs.