Drug & Alcohol Rehab in St Albans

Although St Albans is one of the more affluent cities, it’s still affected by the serious repercussions of alcohol and drug addiction.

In fact, there are around 851 alcohol-related admissions in St Albans every year.

Also, the total number of “drugs crime stands at 558”.

If you’re affected by substance use and are aware you need help, you can access a drug and alcohol rehab in St Albans.

This is the best environment to quit substances and develop the skills to build a healthy future.

Important Information About Alcohol Addiction

It’s important to understand a bit about alcohol addiction if you or someone you love is struggling in this area.

At a basic level, you need to keep in mind that alcohol directly impacts how the brain works.

There’s a reward system which when affected releases a chemical called dopamine.

This makes you feel good, and alcohol activates this system.

For some people, this system being activated becomes irresistible to avoid returning to.

This is usually linked to issues such as mental health conditions, a history of trauma, or the wiring in their brains.

Therefore, the person drinks again and again.

Soon an addiction forms, which basically means the brain and body have adjusted in such a way that it has come to rely on alcohol in order to function smoothly at all.

Without alcohol, withdrawal symptoms can not only be physical and distressing, at their worst they can be fatal.

As such, a stay at rehab is essential as it provides the medical support and professional knowledge needed to wean safely.

The Point Of Rehab And What Happens There

When you enter an alcohol rehab in St Albans, you go to quit substances.

This is the case for residential patients.

The point of rehab is to get you sober and for you to learn more about yourself and addiction and how to manage it in order to maintain an abstinent lifestyle.

Life inside rehab is relaxed in the sense that people are friendly and are all “in it together”.

There is a mutual understanding.

Staff are also there to help and support you.

You’ll have your own bed, “chill out” zones where you can chat to other residents, and delicious food to support your body to heal.

Primarily, of course, the focus is on guiding you through various clinical and alternative treatments.

Every day is filled with activities to guide you through successfully managing cravings, to a place of deep self-awareness, and around planning for your future.

Is There Anything You Can Do At Home To Support A Loved One?

There are a few things you can try at home if you have a loved one living with an alcohol or drug addiction.

Interventions can be quite hard-hitting and direct, or on the other hand more subtle and encouraging.

The first type of intervention is the sort you might have imagined.

It’s where you get the support of a drug specialist or doctor to accompany a family member or two to approach your loved one about your concerns.

Together, you discuss rehabilitation options with the aim of supporting your loved one into rehab almost immediately.

Another way you can support your loved one is through the CRAFT intervention.

This is an approach that supports you to put in a new lifestyle around your loved one and the family.

The goal is to improve communication and increase healthy activities amongst everyone.

There’s also direction on how to ensure your own self-care.

The goal is ultimately to move your loved one towards rehab through positive interactions.

Can I Afford To Go To Rehab?

You might initially assume that going to a drug and alcohol rehab in St Albans is too expensive.

Actually, private rehab clinics come in at all sorts of prices.

This is because of the differences in luxury offered, as well as where they’re located and what’s on offer.

While some clinics can charge around £495 a day, there are others charging as little as £1,000 a week which covers everything you need from accommodation, food, medications, and treatments.

NHS Funding For Private Rehab Treatment

Perhaps you’re from a background that will struggle to pay for private addiction treatment.

In such cases, you might be able to access funding through the NHS to cover the cost of a stay at a drug and alcohol rehab in St Albans.

To be granted this money, you’ll need to be in regular contact with local council-funded alcohol and drug services in St Albans.

There you’d have a substance misuse worker support you to complete an application form which is sent to the local council who are the decision makers in terms of who is granted funding for rehab.

The council will expect to see how committed you are to recovery in your application.

They’ll want to see this demonstrated through your work with the local service and lifestyle changes you’re trying to make.

How Long Do People Stay At Rehab?

To develop a healthy new habit it takes around 28 days.

This also coincides with how long it takes to get through the worst of withdrawal and early cravings.

Therefore, it’s recommended that you stay at rehab for at least 28 days.

Some people might stay even longer if they have complex needs or feel they want longer to deepen new habits they’re working on.

There are those who might go to rehab for seven to ten days for a detox.

This is especially important for people who are dependent on alcohol or heroin.

They will have been advised to stay longer in order to benefit from the psychological therapies that are the key to managing sobriety long-term.

What Private And NHS Rehab Clinics Offer

When you go to an NHS drug and alcohol service, you’ll have a main point of contact who is usually a substance worker that might hold a few one-to-one sessions with you.

There are two factors that influence how much one-to-one input you get; the fact that NHS services are stretched, and also the severity of your addiction.

That being said, you’ll likely be invited to harm reduction workshops and will be welcome to drop-in clinics and group sessions that take place every week.

At a private drug and alcohol rehab in St Albans, you’ll receive an immersive approach to treatment.

This means you’ll get a tailored treatment package to suit your recovery needs.

Every day you’ll participate in individual and group therapies to keep you focused and learning.

Staff are specialists and as well as being fully qualified have years of experience working with people in similar situations as you.

You’ll have 24 hour care as well as access to a detox, psychological therapies and holistic support.

Would Inpatient Or Outpatient Treatment Suit You Better?

Whether inpatient or outpatient treatment would suit you better really boils down to how severe you addiction is, what your treatment goals are, and whether you can reasonably spend time away from home.

An inpatient clinic is where you go to stay for a period of time.

If you have a moderate to severe addiction, need to quit the substance, and are able to leave your home life (i.e. you can get the time off work or your partner can take full responsibility for the kids) then inpatient rehab is the best option.

Outpatient services are offered by the NHS as well as some private rehabs.

It’s a more casual approach to rehabilitation as you go to a clinic as and when an appointment is scheduled, or there’s a group session you want to be involved with.

It’s good for people managing mild substance use issues.

Alcohol Detox And Rehab In St Albans

Alcoholism is a serious concern for thousands of people in the UK.

It destroys health, mental functioning, families and finances.

While, you might be unsure of whether your alcohol use is at the level you require treatment, there are obvious signs you can look out for which make it clear rehab is necessary.

Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:

• Delirium tremens (shaking, very noticeable in the hands)
• Sweating and fluctuations in temperature
• Confusion and hallucinations
• Low mood and feelings of anxiety
• Vomiting and diarrhoea
• Seizures

You’ll be supported by rehab staff to come off alcohol through a Librium-based detox.

This is a medication that eases symptoms, making it a smooth process.

The detox lasts between seven and ten days.

Following detox, you’ll then move onto work with psychotherapists and alternative therapists.

The goal of this is to develop deep self-awareness around the causes of your addiction and how to manage it going forward.

Rehab For Cocaine In St Albans

There are different ways cocaine use can slide into a person’s daily life.

Often, people start cocaine with friends in a social environment, sometimes at parties or festivals, other times at home.

Wherever you started, cocaine leads to the same risks for everyone.

Cocaine withdrawal includes:

• Irritability
• Paranoia
• Anxiety
• Depressed feelings and suicidal ideation
• Heart palpitations
• Fatigue and insomnia
• Fluctuations in appetite

At a drug and alcohol rehab in St Albans, you’ll be supported to successfully manage your early cravings.

This might be through developing grounding techniques as well as utilising therapeutic methods to regain control of your mind.

Staff will support you to understand how automatic thoughts created through neural pathways can be changed using conscious thoughts.

This is critical in giving you the power to take charge of your behaviours and become healthier.

Rehab For Heroin In St Albans

The life that comes with a heroin addiction can be extremely difficult to navigate.

This is due to how it affects both your mind and thoughts, as well as the physical sensations in your body when you go into withdrawal.

While you might be dead-set on quitting, the first signs of withdrawal can prevent this.

Withdrawal for heroin users is notoriously uncomfortable.

Symptoms include:

• Shaking
• Sweating
• Hallucinations
• Confusion
• Irritability and feelings of overwhelm
• Deep pain throughout the body
• Sickness and diarrhoea

A doctor will be present at rehab to prescribe you a course of Subutex.

This medication is used to manage your symptoms so that coming off heroin is as safe and comfortable as possible.

This takes around ten days and the dose is reduced to the point where you’re substance-free.

Staff then support you to develop your skills to manage your mental and emotional responses.

This is key in managing triggers.

As well as this, you’ll become more self-aware and learn to approach healing from a place of deep intrinsic motivation which will fuel your recovery for the rest of your life.

Rehab For Cannabis In St Albans

If you have a cannabis addiction, you can also get treatment at a clinic in St Albans.

This might come as a surprise.

Many people don’t think that cannabis is a “hard” enough substance to require treatment.

What has to be kept in mind, however, is that like all other substances mentioned here, it has a psychoactive effect.

It can also be really strong and for individuals can cause really unpleasant side effects.

Cannabis can lead to:

• Feelings of anxiety and paranoia
• Social isolation
• Low motivation
• Impaired memory and cognitive functioning
• Hallucinations and psychosis
• Smoking can lead to lung illnesses due to the release of toxic fumes
• Schizophrenia

Staff at rehab will develop a treatment plan to address your addiction as well as the symptoms you’re experiencing around it.

You might have workshops around building self-confidence and therapy around mental health symptoms linked to anxiety and sleep.

There are both group and individual therapies to help you improve in social skills as well as in managing cravings.

All About The Therapies You Get At Rehab

At an alcohol and drug rehab, you get access to the widest range of treatments available in the UK to treat addiction.

• Motivational Interviewing is used to support you to understand what your drives are for change. It’s important to discuss the pros and cons of what you feel you get from substance use. You’ll also explore what it is you want from the future and what you need to change to be able to reach that.
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is offered to everyone as a baseline to understand how you can alter your thoughts in order to control your habits and form healthy ones.
• Brief Interventions are conversation-based activities that reveal important information about how substances affect you, your health, and your likely outcomes if you do or don’t stop using.
• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy is provided to people who need to manage their emotions in healthier ways. This is because your emotional reactions can trigger you to use alcohol and drugs. Controlling your responses is essential in managing substance use.

• 12 Step Groups make up a big part of rehab treatment as it offers the space to come to terms with the fact that you have an addiction. It’s important to be able to say this and understand on a deep level what that means. When you’re deeply aware you have an addiction, you also become deeply aware that you need support and help to heal and do whatever it takes to remain sober.
• Counselling offers you a safe environment to discuss anything on your mind. It might be about relevant topics or those that are seemingly irrelevant. One point of your time at rehab is to see and accept how so many aspects of your life and history are linked to your addiction.
• SMART Groups are offered in order to equip you with tools on how to manage recovery from a moment to moment perspective.
• Alternative Therapies are a relaxing and often welcome part of treatment where you get to totally unwind and learn new grounding techniques. You might participate in yoga, music therapy, art therapy, mindfulness, reiki, equine therapy and ear acupuncture.

The Significance Of Dual Diagnosis On Your Care Plan

Some people have an underlying condition that has led to or exacerbates their addiction.

Usually, it’s a mental health condition such as bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia or anxiety.

This can occur because people use alcohol and drugs in an attempt to self-medicate.

Likewise, people who use drugs and alcohol can go on to develop mental health conditions because of how they upset brain chemistry and emotional balance.

Whatever came first, it’s called a “dual diagnosis” and at rehab you’ll have a care plan that will take account of the mental health condition too.

It’s important staff support you in relation to the two conditions, as this improves your chances of long-term sobriety.

Support Around Relapse Prevention

At a drug and alcohol rehab in St Albans, you will take part in sessions focused on how to prevent relapse in life outside of rehab.

You will share and receive ideas with other residents as well as staff.

From this insight and your honest self-reflections about trigger points, you’ll develop a relapse prevention plan.

The plan will cover particular areas to help you remain sober.

It will include the following:

• Steps to develop a substance-free life that feels meaningful. This can include going to self-help groups, connecting to others and developing new hobbies.
• An outline of techniques that you have developed to manage triggers and cravings successfully.
• What to do if you do relapse and how to quickly return to sobriety.
• A list of people and organisations you can contact for ongoing support.

Aside From Rehab, What Other Options Are There In St Albans?

There are other organisations you can connect to in order to get a bit of support around addiction and recovery.

• Alcoholics anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous: 12 Step groups provide millions of people throughout the world the space to remain focused on healing and recovery.
• NHS alcohol and drug services support people who are using substances and require an outpatient service. They’re free to all.
• SMART Recovery Groups are on offer if you need a bit of direction on how to practically approach recovery and manage time effectively.
• Home detox is available for those who can reliably recover without direct supervision. A doctor will prescribe medication to manage withdrawal after being in contact with you each day.

Addiction is often termed the “family disease” because it affects everyone.

For those around you who need some support, they can contact Al-Anon or AdFam.

Getting Help Today

The Rehab 4 Alcoholism chat lines are open 24/7 to provide you with support on how to access treatment in St Albans.

You can call us on 0800 111 4108, or you can request a call back to speak to a member of the team.

Please use our FAQ section for more information about addiction treatment in Worthing to start your recovery journey today.