Drug and Alcohol Rehab Lothian

Recent figures showed that there were  4,859 deaths related to drug poisoning were registered in 2021.

It was also around three and a half times the per capita death rate in England and Wales.

Alcohol Focus Scotland, meanwhile, reports that alcohol was a factor in 3,705 deaths in Scotland in 2015 – around one in 15 of all deaths in the country. Deaths related to substance misuse are a serious issue, of course, but they also only represent the tip of the iceberg.

Addiction to drugs or alcohol can have a negative impact on your life in many different ways, ruining your health and wrecking relationships.

If you are struggling with these issues, the most effective way of dealing with addiction is to follow a drug and alcohol treatment at a professional rehab centre.

This uses evidence-based treatments that have been proven to give you the very best chance of breaking free from the destructive cycle of addiction.

Contact us today to find out how drug and alcohol rehab in Lothian can help you to move forward towards a brighter and healthier future.

Finding help for your Addiction

If you are struggling with addiction and substance misuse issues you might feel like there’s no one to turn to. Even if you have a support network in place in the shape of friends or family, you might feel ashamed of your addiction and past behaviours related to it.

Many people find  it difficult to admit they have a problem in the first place but realising that you do and taking steps to get better are very positive things to do.

There should certainly be no shame in seeking help through drug and alcohol services. Addiction is generally considered to be a disease or disorder of the brain and the American Psychiatric Association defines a substance use disorder (SUD) as “a complex condition in which there is uncontrolled use of a substance despite harmful consequence”, with the most severe SUDs being commonly known as addictions.

It adds that there is a strong focus on using drugs or alcohol to the point where it impairs their ability to function on a day to day basis. People with an SUD may have distorted thinking and behaviours as changes in the structure and function of the brain start to occur.

All of this means that addiction can strike anyone and it can be extremely difficult to tackle without expert help. Addiction treatment at a rehabilitation centre in Lothian or elsewhere will attempt to help you to get clean and sober, as well as tackling these distorted behaviours and ways of thinking.

What to expect in Rehab

Everyone seeking help for an addiction problem will have their own individual issues and requirements. This means that treatment programmes can vary quite widely but there are some common elements that you might expect to find if you attend a rehab centre.

The first thing will be a thorough assessment. We can help to talk through your problems to find the most appropriate treatment and rehab centres in Lothian or further afield. There will also be a medical examination to ensure that any treatments will not be dangerous.

Once admitted, the first step is usually detoxification. This is where the toxic chemicals from the drugs or alcohol are processed by the body – getting clean or sobering up in other words.

This is best done in a supervised detox clinic as the process is generally accompanied by a range of withdrawal symptoms. Drug and alcohol withdrawal can be very unpleasant and sometimes dangerous, with different physical and psychological effects.

That is the first major step in breaking your addiction but even after detox there is a lot of work to do. You will need to understand your addiction and the way it affects your behaviour in order to change the way you think and behave.

Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT has been proven to be very effective for this, as well as for treating other conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders, but other therapies and treatments can also be valuable.

Group therapy, counselling and psychotherapy can all help you to explore the root causes of your addiction, while various workshops on areas such as nutrition and stress management can help you to live a healthier lifestyle. This can all be important in relapse prevention once you leave, helping you to make a lasting, long-term recovery.

The link between Addiction and Mental Health

It is a well-established fact that a lot of people who are struggling with addiction also experience mental health problems at the same time. This is often known as dual diagnosis, although it can also be referred to as dual disorder or co-morbidity.

The exact relationship between addiction and mental health issues and disorders can be complex and difficult to unpick. In some cases a mental health episode could lead to or worsen substance misuse and subsequent addiction.

In other people it is the substance misuse that leads to psychological symptoms, or changes the course or severity of existing mental health issues. Sometimes the withdrawal from a substance, whether undertaken in a drug or alcohol detox clinic or not, can be the trigger for psychological issues.

In all these cases, it can be beneficial to treat both issues simultaneously. Treating one without treating the other can leave the individual vulnerable to relapse or recurring symptoms, which is why dual diagnosis treatment can be so valuable.

How to find Rehab near me

Whether you are looking for addiction treatment in Lothian or further afield, we can help to find the right place for you. We work with a range of different treatment centres so contact us today to take your first step towards a healthier, happier life free from drugs and alcohol.