Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Romford

Making the decision to go to rehab is one of the most difficult decisions that anyone might make in their lives. Addiction is so powerful that people will rely on their chosen substance to see them through every aspect of their lives. They will use it to celebrate an occasion, console themselves when something bad happens, and hide behind it if they have a traumatic experience. To an addict, everything revolves around that one thing and to give it up is a huge step for them, which is scarier than anything else.

Going to rehab

When the decision has been made to go to rehab, patients will need to discover the best rehab for them. This may depend on the type of addiction they have. There are specific rehabilitation centres for drugs and alcohol. In addition to this, future patients should look at the rehab centres treatment program. Some clinics use a strong spiritualist approach, teaching patients to let go of their addiction in favour of God.

Whilst this approach has worked for many people over the world, many more find that they are unable to willingly put so much trust in God. For these people, alternative treatments that still use the same 12 step program are in place but without so much emphasis on religion. Alternatively, there are centres which offer holistic treatments such as acupuncture to help clean the body and mind of the addiction.

Inside Rehab

Once a treatment centre is chosen, it is time to request admittance. This usually involves making contact with the centre via telephone or email. An appointment can be made to go along and talk to one of the counsellors. Here, the patient will discuss their need to go to a rehab clinic and the family can find out exactly what to expect. The facilities can be discussed and viewed.

Should everything go ahead, the patient will be admitted. At this point, a more in-depth discussion and appraisal will take place. The result of this will lead to a specific itinerary and program for each day for the patient according to the doctor’s findings. There might be more need for one on one therapy than workshops for the first few weeks for example.

The first week will involve a detox. This could mean different things for different people depending on the substance they are addicted to. For severe addictions, where it is considered dangerous to the health of the addict to go cold turkey (stop all use of the drug immediately), medication may be used or the drug could be tapered out by using controlled amounts over time. For many people, this part of rehab is the part that they dread.

Withdrawal symptoms can be painful for a patient and make them incredibly ill. However, once this part is over and their minds are clearer, many patients find it easier to focus on the end goal which is to lead a life without substance abuse.

Those people from Romford who make it through drug and alcohol detox centres have a much higher chance of success in recovery. This is because they will have a strong foundation on which to build the rest of their life. It is important to keep in mind though that the fact that the person has managed to stop abusing alcohol and drugs does not mean that things are going to be perfect going forward. There are many traps to be avoided in early recovery, and one of these will be dry drunk syndrome.

Dry Drunk Syndrome

One of the dangers for people in Romford who are trying to break away from addiction is that they develop dry drunk syndrome. This is where the individual is physically sober, but they continue to behave in much the same way as they did while in the midst of addiction. This happens because the person has not yet developed true sobriety. In Alcoholics Anonymous they talk about people who haven’t had a drink in years but who still have not managed to become sober – the dry drunk. It is important to keep in mind that this condition can impact all types of drug users and not just alcoholics.

The symptoms of dry drunk syndrome would include:

• The individual is full of negativity, and they always seem to be complaining about something. If this person won the lottery jackpot they would complain about having to go to the shop to collect their winnings. It is like this person does not want to be happy, and the reason for why this is can be that they want a good excuse to relapse back to alcohol and drug excuse
• This type of person will be pessimistic about the future. They do not expect things to go well for them, and this means that they create the conditions for their own future misery – this is often referred to as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even if the individual manages to make it through rehab they are unlikely to have the determination to stay sober long term
• The dry drunk will often still engage in behaviours that would be considered unethical. They may still behave as they did while addicted, and this could include things like lying or even criminal behaviour. The dry drunk may also abuse other chemicals that they were not previously addicted to. For example, the individual might give up heroin but begin using alcohol – even though they will eventually become addicted to this too
• The individual who is a dry drunk will fall into other maladaptive behaviours such as workaholism or exercise addiction. This person is always looking for new ways to escape having to deal with their problems
• The dry drunk tends to be full of resentment and anger. They lose their temper easily, and they tend to make mountains out of molehills. This means that they can be difficult to be around, and they may struggle to develop meaningful relationships

Reaching sobriety is a long process. Abstaining from alcohol and drugs is only one part of the journey. The other part is being able to let go of the addiction and move on. This is often the most difficult part for many addicts. It can take a long time to be able to turn their back completely on substances and in the meantime, it takes a lot of strength and support of others, along with patients to enable them to reach their goal.

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 Romford and across the region. We will be able to offer treatment options that are local to you.