Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Colchester

Addiction is a word that can often be misconstrued. It can evoke ideas that a person is not willing to try to help themselves or simply does not care about their well-being. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

Addiction does not happen overnight and most addicts may not even realise that they have a problem until their addiction has truly taken hold of them. In many cases, addicts may not even realise that there is a problem at all. The meaning of addiction is that somebody is not in control of their actions because of their desire for one thing. This desire takes over their life and whereas most people focus on doing well in their jobs, having a nice home and keeping good relationships with people, an addict becomes focused solely on how they can feed their habit.

Not all addicts are destitute

The stereotype of those people who fall into substance abuse can be highly misleading. The reality is that most of these individuals will not act or appear like this stereotype. In fact, the individual may be functioning to a high level and may appear to outsiders to be a success. There will be many individuals living in the Colchester who would fall into this type of category. The fact that this individual is performing so well can actually mean that they are more at risk from addiction. This is because they will have more reason to refuse the help of drug counselling and drug rehab. The fact that the person is doing so well means that they are able to refuse addiction help more easily.

The Dangers of Being a High Functioning Substance Abuser

There are a number of reasons for why being a high functioning substance abuser in Colchester can be more dangerous than being a stereotypical substance abuse including:

• The individual can use their successes in life as evidence that they do not need drug rehabs are any other type of addiction help. There will be plenty of people who agree with this person that their successes prove that they are living the good life
• It is common for the high functioning substance abuser to have a sense of entitlement in regards to these substances. They may live by the motto that you work had means that you deserve to play hard. The individual will have no problem finding people who agree with this philosophy because it is widely accepted in society
• This person can be so good at hiding their addiction behind their success that even their friends and family do not realise the extent of the problem. This means that these individuals will not be putting any pressure on the person to stop
• The individual may believe that using alcohol or drugs is necessary for their work. The person may need to entertain clients regularly and such outings will involve substance abuse. The individual may even be convinced that their own creativity depends on their ability to use these chemicals
• Most substance abusers are limited in the amount of damage they can do to their health by their budgets, but many high functioning substance abusers will not need to worry about such limitations on their finances. This means that they will be able to take as much alcohol and drugs as they see fit and do much damage to their body and mind in the process
• This person may be convinced that they have more to lose by admitting to an addiction problem. They may believe that it will harm their career and reputation. The reality is that no matter how good the person is at hiding their addiction they will not be able to do this indefinitely. They are caught in a downward spiral and unless they are able to get help things are only ever going to get worse over time

Intervention

For the friends and family of a high functioning substance abuser, the tell-tale signs of addiction may not always be noticeable at first. Yet when signs do become clear, they often build until loved ones feel the need to say something to the abuser. Trying to talk to a substance abuser in order to get them to admit that they have a problem and seek help for it is what is known as an intervention.

There are different types of interventions. Sometimes loved ones will stage an intervention on their own. By having the intervention in a place where the addict feels safe, with people that they know and trust, it is thought that they may be more willing to listen to reason.

Alternatively, concerned friends and family may ask for professional help which will involve:

• Contacting an interventionist to discuss why people feel that an intervention is necessary
• Meeting with everyone who will be present at the intervention and the interventionist. Here people will discuss the negative impact of the substance abusers behaviour on them. This is written down on paper to be read by each person at the intervention
• A rehearsal intervention is arranged beforehand and the interventionist will discuss likely reactions and outcome
• The intervention is held and the substance abuser is confronted by loved ones and work colleagues in an attempt to make them understand the need to go to rehab

When staging an intervention, it’s important for people to know that it’s likely for the addict to become angry and irritated throughout the process. This more than likely comes from feelings of embarrassment and a need to continue to deny the obvious, both to themselves and everybody else in the room.

The success of an intervention relies heavily on the ability of participants to remain calm and focused throughout the process. Their role is to read out what it says on the paper and remain strong and unwavering in the face of the addict who will no doubt be upset. Any outbursts from the substance abuser will be handled by the interventionist. It is their role to try and keep the intervention on track and provide professional support to all involved.

Success rates are high for interventions, depending on the commitment of everyone involved. However, this is only the first step to recovery for an addict. The strength of support shown at the intervention will be needed time and time again throughout the journey of rehabilitation for it to be a success.

How can I find out more?

To speak to an advisor at ADT Healthcare, contact us today on 0800 138 0722. At ADT Healthcare, we advise on addiction rehabilitation clinics in Colchester and across the region. We will be able to offer treatment options that are local to you.