Drug and alcohol addiction is a very serious condition which effects many people across the UK. If you are based in Castle Vale and require rehab treatment, our admissions team at Addiction Advocates can help you.
Signs of Drug or Alcohol Addiction
Often a person living with an addiction does not realise they are struggling with a serious condition. People often think they have a bad habit and use drugs or alcohol more frequently than they should. Or others use drugs or alcohol to self-medicate and try to regulate their moods because they live with undiagnosed mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression.
But if you suspect that your drug or alcohol use has developed into an addiction, then there is something you can do about it. But first, you need to understand the signs of drug or alcohol addiction.
The signs of an addiction include:
- Withdrawing away from friends or family members
- Feeling the need to hide your drug or alcohol use from people you can trust
- Lying to doctors or pharmacists to access prescription drugs
- Having a high tolerance to drugs or alcohol, so you need more than most people to feel any effect
- Experiencing anxiety, depression or other negative psychological effects when you go without any drugs or alcohol
- Planning your day around when you can use it again
- Using prescription painkillers when you have no pain or when you no longer have severe pain
- Using drugs or alcohol to self-medicate an undiagnosed mental health issue, such as a mental illness or disability
- Starting and ending your day with drugs or alcohol
However, one of the best ways to know if you have an addiction is if you experience withdrawal symptoms. It is important to remember that withdrawal symptoms only appear if you are addicted to alcohol or drugs that cause a chemical addiction, such as heroin.
Get In Touch
Are you suffering from Addiction and need help? Addiction Advocates are leading UK based experts in Private Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Treatment. Find out how we can help by getting in touch with our friendly team today.
Withdrawal from Drugs and Alcohol
Experiencing withdrawal symptoms after use of the substance has decreased or stopped is a sign that you have an addiction which requires treatment, such as at a private drug or alcohol rehab.
Withdrawal symptoms can include:
- Chills
- Hot flashes
- Goosebumps
- Light sensitivity
- Muscle pain or spasms
- Anxiety and depression
- Insomnia
- Paranoia
- Nausea
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Mood swings
- Delirium and hallucinations
- Dehydration
- Seizures
These withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous, but long-term addiction is even worse. You are putting yourself at risk of:
- Heart failure
- Homelessness
- Kidney failure
- Liver failure
- Loss of vision
- Loss of taste and smell
- Mental illness, including psychosis
- Loss of teeth
- Cancer
The best thing you can do is to start the journey to long-term recovery so that you can get help for your addiction. At Addiction Advocates we can support you in Castle Vale and find a drug rehab centre which suits your needs.
Treatment Options in Castle Vale
When getting treatment for your drug or alcohol addiction in Castle Vale, you have a few options available.
The first option is to seek help through a local support group. Groups such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous can provide you with a welcoming and supportive environment to begin to reduce or stop your drug or alcohol use.
Support groups are often run by volunteers who have also worked through the group 12-step programme to achieve long-term recovery. As the final step in the programme, they sponsor someone early in their journey.
This means that you will have someone available to help you avoid giving in to temptations. Sponsors are available 24 hours a day and are there to help you make good choices.
However, you must remember that as a support group is not a medical treatment, they cannot deal with your withdrawal symptoms, so it is very important that you don’t attempt to stop all of your drug or alcohol abuse without medical supervision.
The next addiction treatment option you have available is to try and receive treatment from the NHS rehabilitation services.
While these services can be difficult to access due to the large number of people trying to access them, often leaving you on a waiting list for months, the NHS can still provide you with free help for your addiction. This allows anyone who needs help to be able to access it.
The final and often considered best option is to go to private rehab. This option allows you to remain in full control of your recovery. This means you get to decide when you want to start rehab and what treatments you will be getting. It is a treatment option that works for you, not the other way around.
Outpatient vs Inpatient Rehab
While inpatient and outpatient rehab treatment both have their benefits, it’s important to pick the option that works best for you and your lifestyle.
The benefits of outpatient rehab are:
- Often cheaper
- Good if you can’t take time away
The benefits of inpatient rehab are:
- Proven to have a higher success rate
- Medically assisted detox
- It can give you a break away from all temptations
- Access to 24-hour support
- Everything you need at the facility
- Safe and clean environment
- Linear recovery process
The downsides of outpatient rehab are:
- Recovery takes longer
- It can be difficult to access
- Disjointed treatments
- Can access drugs and alcohol
The downsides of inpatient rehab are:
- More expensive
Addiction Treatments
Addiction has to be carefully treated by medical professionals so that you are safe. In residential rehab, this is done through two main treatments: detox and therapy.
The drug and alcohol detox is used to wean your body safely off all drugs and alcohol. This means that you will experience some withdrawal symptoms but have nothing to worry about. You will be monitored day and night by the rehabs medical team, who are there to keep you safe.
Most importantly, they can provide you with medication to relieve your withdrawal symptoms should they prove too much for your body to handle.
Following your detox, you won’t need to worry about withdrawal symptoms again and should see some relief from your cravings.
You will then move on to therapy, where you will learn how to manage your addiction in the long run. You will do this by learning how to replace your substance abuse with healthier coping mechanisms and trigger avoidance.
These treatments are designed to allow you to potentially go the rest of your life without drugs or alcohol.
Get in Touch with us Today
If you are ready to make a positive change in your life but don’t know where to start, please call us. We can help you every step of the way so that you can find yourself in a drug and alcohol rehab centre that can help you.
Please give us a call at 0800 012 6088, and you can start your journey to long-term recovery. Alternatively, you can fill out our contact form.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can experience anything from insomnia, feelings of depression and irritability, to nausea, migraines, and extreme cravings. Side effects are unpredictable and will depend on the drug that you’ve consumed and how your body naturally reacts to withdrawal.
They can be worked through safely by completing a medically assisted detox, through private rehab.
Rehab is the starting point. No matter the length of your programme, you’ll need to continue your recovery long-term.
Each step will be tailored, to ensure that the right rehab programme is ready for you.
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