Rehab for Addiction: Effective Alcohol Recovery

What is Rehab for Addiction?

Rehab offers relief and safety for people who struggle with addiction to drugs and alcohol. A rehab is usually a residential care facility where you can detox and receive therapy in a drug and alcohol-free environment.

Clients will stay in a private or shared room in rehab for several weeks to a month or more. During the day, they will receive one-to-one and group therapy as well as medical assistance from the rehab staff. There will also be classes, workshops and excursions to help residents recover physically and mentally and discover a new way of life.

What Addictions are Treated in Rehab?

Rehab centres in the UK mostly focus on treating people with drug and alcohol addiction. However, some select rehabs do treat other behavioural addictions, such as gambling, food and sex addiction.

Rehab for Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol is everywhere around us, making an alcohol addiction one of the toughest to deal with. While you are unlikely to come across street drugs such as cocaine or heroin frequently in normal life, you can’t step into a supermarket without seeing alcohol.

It is also an addiction that plays out in public and impacts families and friends, too. Alcoholics are vulnerable to peer pressure and the lack of stigma around drinking.

Rehab offers a way out by taking the person out of mainstream life to a place where alcohol is not allowed. This removes the temptation, peer pressure and many of the stressors that lead to addiction.

Rehab for Drug Addiction

Our lifestyle and social circles often cause drug addiction. People who spend time with others who take drugs are much more likely to become addicted. There are also dangers to detoxing from drugs that are best managed in a clinic with help from a doctor and rehab staff. A medical detox can manage the symptoms and motivate people to resist returning to their drug of choice.

Drug addiction can be caused by and lead to psychological trauma and mental health issues. Intensive one-to-one and group therapy is the best way to deal with these problems and remove the need to take drugs.

Rehab for Behavioural Addiction

Behavioural addictions are different from drug and alcohol dependence. While you may become dependent on the dopamine increase from activities such as gambling, sex, or food, they don’t cause chemical dependence.

This means that the detox will be more about managing your mood and cravings than physical symptoms. Therapy is also a big part of treatment for behaviour addictions as they are usually rooted in psychological problems that you are self-medicating with your addiction.

How Does Rehab Treat Addiction?

Treatment for addiction in rehab is usually in three parts: Detox, therapy, and planning.

Detox in Rehab

A meeting with the rehab doctor will be one of your first stops when you are admitted to the clinic. They will assess what you are addicted to, so you should be completely honest and open with them about what you have been taking.

Based on their experience and your medical history and condition, the doctor will prescribe medication to help you through detoxing. Below are some of the most commonly used medications in rehab, although this is done on a case-by-case basis.

What are the common medications used in rehabilitation?

• Naltrexone
• Acamprosate
• Disulifram
• Benzodiazepines