Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Hertford
Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire, has a population of around 26,783.
The coroner’s office in Hertfordshire recorded over 50 drug and alcohol-related deaths in 2021, the majority of this figure being men.
This was less than the deaths recorded in 2019 (62), but the figures after the pandemic are expected to be much higher. Dr R. Piper stated that it is clear “that the crisis is deepening, and millions of people are suffering as a result”.
The pandemic and lockdown led many to relieve stress or boredom through alcohol and drugs.
Around 33% of men and 16% of women drink more than the NHS limit. This is:
- Men are asked to drink no more than 3 to 4 units per day
- Women are asked to drink no more than 2 to 3 units per day
In 2022, data showed that approximately 1 in 11 people aged 15 -59 (3 million adults/ 9.2% of the population) reported drug use. Of the 9.2% of the population, 2.7% of these adults reported Class A drug use. This only shows the number of people that reported drug use, and doesn’t account for those who try to use in secret.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86
Addiction: Causes
Knowing exactly when you are suffering from addiction can be difficult.
Even social drinking can quickly become binge drinking, which can easily turn into alcohol dependency, and the same is true for any substance.
Known as a brain relapsing disorder, ‘addiction’ is a brain disease that hijacks the brain’s pathways and therefore takes over thought patterns, behaviour, and general health. Addiction is known to damage and ruin relationships, social ability, jobs, and all aspects of a happy life.
Research has shown that one of the major characteristics of addiction is the inability to cut down or quit substances, whilst ignoring the negative consequences of active addiction.
Addiction is seriously complex and can arise from a variety of factors. There is no singular universal factor that scientists can say directly causes addiction, but a mixture of the following:
- Genetics
- Social groups and pressure
- Environment
- Trauma and stress
- Circumstances
- Physical and mental health
Addiction is often the result of people trying to self-medicate their emotional and physical pain, sometimes the result of past trauma. These issues often lead to depression, anxiety, and the inability to cope with current circumstances.
People then use substances to reduce the feeling of stress, but in the long-term, they will make their mental health decline and possibly fall into active addiction.
Some people become addicted to substances as a result of wider social and environmental causes. This may include growing up with someone who is involved in active addiction, or an environment with direct and repeated exposure to addiction.
For example, children with alcoholic parents are over 3X more likely to become addicts in the future.
It is not certain that genetics will cause family members to become addicted, but genes may predispose some people to a more ‘addictive personality’.
Characteristics of Addiction
When someone becomes addicted to a substance or behaviour, the activity or substance is put on a pedestal. Becoming the main focus of someone’s life, the substance takes control, and no person will be able to control what they do if the addiction is severe.
Many addiction sufferers will experience physical dependence, particularly if one suffers from alcohol misuse, heroin addiction, ketamine abuse and benzodiazepine addiction.
However, if you are suffering from cocaine dependence, crack cocaine addiction, ecstasy addiction or cannabis use disorder, you will only be psychologically addicted.
This is also true of process and behavioural addictions, such as gambling addiction, shopping addiction and sex addiction.
Addiction changes the brain chemistry and reward pathways, changing the patient’s life for the worse. Most addicts can’t cut down and usually have a few unsuccessful attempts at quitting. If the addiction has developed, then the threat or presence of withdrawal symptoms keeps the person in active addiction.
People suffering from addiction will ignore and give up on social activities and responsibilities. For example, addicts will avoid situations where they can’t use drugs and would rather be comfortable and free from judgement.
Addictive persons will engage in high-risk situations to ensure that they get their ‘fix’, as it is their highest priority. For example, some people will exchange sex for drugs, and under the influence, some people may drive recklessly or become violent.
An addicted individual will likely aim to keep their addiction secret if it is possible. Sometimes they may be in denial, making them emotional and defensive if confronted about their issues. This will also lead to:
- Trouble with the law
- Financial difficulties
- Relationship breakdowns
- Homelessness
- Mental health issues
The common idea regarding addiction is that it is a kind of moral failing and a severe lack of willpower. However, people need more than mere intention and effort to break free from addiction as the brain changes after the addiction starts.
Recognising the signs and symptoms of addiction is critical. The following list is just an example of the range of symptoms that accompany addiction, but can change according to age, health, and severity of addiction:
- Lack of control
- Ignoring negative consequences
- Social isolation
- Risk-taking
- Withdrawals
- Insomnia
- Weight loss or weight gain
- Lack of hygiene
- Mental health issues
- Injury and bruising
- Secrets
- Increased tolerance
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86
Addiction Questionnaires & Intervention
To help yourself before you start the drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford process, it is useful to take questionnaires to screen for addiction and addictive behaviour. For example, John Hopkins university asks the following set of questions in order to help them identify alcoholism and drug abuse:
- Do you lose time from work due to drinking or drug use?
- Is drinking or drug use making your home life unhappy?
- Do you drink or use drugs because you are shy with other people?
- Is drinking or drug use affecting your reputation?
- Have you ever felt remorse after drinking or drug use?
- Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of your drinking or drug use?
- Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking or using drugs?
- Does your drinking or drug use make you careless of your family’s welfare?
- Has your ambition decreased since drinking or using drugs?
- Do you crave a drink or a drug at a definite time daily?
- Do you want a drink or drug the next morning?
- Does your drinking or drug use cause you to have difficulties in sleeping?
- Has your efficiency decreased since drinking or using drugs?
- Is your drinking or drug use jeopardizing your job or business?
- Do you drink or use drugs to escape from worries or troubles?
- Do you drink or use drugs alone?
- Have you ever had a complete loss of memory?
- Has your physician ever treated you for drinking or drug use?
- Do you drink or use drugs to build your self-confidence?
- Have you ever been in a hospital or institution on account of drinking or drug use?
If you have answered 3 questions with a YES, then it is likely that you are at the beginning of a drinking or drug problem. 4 – 7 questions with a YES answer show the early stages of alcoholism and drug addiction, and 7 – 10 YES questions indicate the second stage of addiction.
Answering any more than 10 questions with a YES showes severe and possible end-stage addiction.
Many other pre-set psychiatric assessment frameworks exist, such as:
- The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Criteria and Dimensions
- The AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test)
- The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5)
- The CAGE Questionnaire
These assessments allow your psychiatrist and rehab specialists to create a person-centred care plan that is specialised to address your specific needs.
If these questionnaires prove that you are struggling with addiction, an intervention is required. An intervention in this sense is designed to motivate patients to start treatment, preventing the addiction from worsening.
There are many different types of intervention because not every type of addiction is the same. Researching which type of intervention will suit you or your loved one best will give you or them the best chance of entering drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford and having a successful recovery.
The severity of the addiction will dictate the intervention and the drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford. For example, a mild addiction may only call for a simple intervention. A simple intervention is normally a one-on-one intervention between the patient and either a loved one or a professional.
Severe addiction will require an intervention that is planned and concise. This will need motivation, energy, effort, and education, using:
- Explaining the effect of addiction on the patient and concerned others
- Use explicit examples of the consequences of addiction
- Discuss the different treatment plans (inpatient and outpatient)
- Discuss different types of therapy such as behavioural therapy
- Education everyone on the causes of addiction
- Figure out personal aims and objectives of treatment
- Use personal examples of the effects of addiction (mental and physical)
Before these aims can be put in place, the people included must be decided:
- Family and friends
- Loved ones and spouses
- Psychologists and professionals
- Mental health nurses
- Addiction specialists
Whoever is involved, the intervention is to take place in a secure, safe, and comfortable environment. This allows for an easier conversation and a more open and honest discussion. Pushing patients to talk about things they aren’t ready to discuss will only make them retract into themselves and avoid help.
Next, make sure you have all gathered and educated yourself on the different types of drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford. Certain things can help people pick a specific type of treatment, such as the cause of their addiction (if known), what may motivate them to stay in treatment, and whether they have co-occurring disorders.
A good example of an intervention that includes family and concerned others is CRAFT intervention. ‘Community Reinforcement And Family Training’ aims to use reward and consequence to rewire the parts of the brain that have been damaged.
This is because addiction directly targets the parts of the brain linked to pleasure. The reward system in the brain has been developed to reinforce behaviours that we need to survive.
When we carry out these behaviours, such as eating and sex, the brain activates dopamine, a chemical that relates to satisfaction. This pleasure and satisfaction drive us to repeat these behaviours in order to feel these emotions again.
The brain then starts to change when the brain becomes addicted to these behaviours or substances. Addictive substances and behaviours create an overreaction in the brain, leading to a level of dopamine that is 10X the normal amount.
The brain then recalls how this made it feel, and associates it directly with its cause, addictive substances. However, over time, the patient’s tolerance levels will increase, meaning they require a higher dose to create the same feelings.
Run by close relatives and loved ones, patients will be rewarded when they exhibit desired behaviours, such as remaining clean. If the patient becomes anti-social and remains in addiction, rewards are taken away and the negative consequences are left to play out. This hopes to rewire the changes that have changed the brain during addiction.
A successful intervention will lead patients directly into the drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford of their choice.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86
Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Hertford
When a patient enters drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford, they will enter either inpatient or outpatient treatment.
These types of rehab in Hertford will offer similar treatment plans, but they will differ in their flexibility, suitability, and severity.
Which type of treatment the patient is suitable for is most likely to be discussed during the intervention. Picking the right type of drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford will help the patient stay motivated, giving them the best chance of a successful rehabilitation.
Inpatient treatment has been designed to suit the most severe addictions. Inpatient treatment is residential, meaning that patients temporarily stay at the centre in Hertford. This is so that professionals can care for patients 24/7, providing them with intensive care when they need it.
Inpatient treatment is also called ‘private’ treatment, so it will be extremely difficult to be referred to inpatient treatment. Patients will likely have to pay for this treatment, but this will be all-inclusive, including elements such as medication and activities.
Often, patients from inpatient treatment move to outpatient treatment once they are on their journey of recovery and require less supervision. Patients with a milder addiction may also check straight into outpatient treatment.
Outpatient treatment in Hertford is not residential, so there is flexibility when the patients enter and leave the centre. There are multiple levels of flexibility, suitable for different phases of addiction.
For example, those coming into outpatient treatment from inpatient treatment may enter intensive outpatient treatment. Here, patients will attend therapy multiple times a day, multiple times a week.
If the patients in outpatient treatment require less supervision and treatment, they may only require treatment for a couple of hours, once or twice a week.
Whatever the type of treatment chosen by the patient, they will work on techniques and mechanisms to help them motivate themselves, stay in treatment, and work on reducing the risk of relapse.
Inpatient treatment is almost exclusively offered through private rehab, however, this is not the only way towards recovery.
The NHS (National Health Service) also provides free, reliable information for drug and alcohol addictions and dependencies, as well as limited support through various NHS Foundation Trusts.
Free local services include:
1. CAMHS Hertfordshire (Hoddesdon)
Address: Hoddesdon Health Centre, High Street, Hoddesdon, EN11 8BE
Telephone: 01992 465042
2. Hertfordshire Complex Needs Service
Address: Hertfordshire Complex Needs Service, Office F14 Business Tech Centre, Bessemer Drive, Stevenage, SG1 2DX
Telephone: 01707 891120
Website: https://www.turning-point.co.uk/services/hertfordshire-complex-needs
3. Spectrum Drug and Recovery Services
Address: Yeomans Court, Ware Road, Hertford, SG13 7HJ
Telephone: 0800 652 3169
Website: https://www.changegrowlive.org/spectrum-hertfordshire-drug-alcohol-services/hertford
4. The Living Room – Hertfordshire
Address: (Rear of) 156 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 4JA
Telephone: 0300 365 0304
Website: https://www.livingroomherts.org/
5. The Herts Mind Network
Address: The Wellbeing Centre, 501 St Albans Road, Watford, WD24 7RZ
Telephone: 020 3727 3600
Website: https://www.hertsmindnetwork.org/
You can also reach out to a number of remote services, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Change Grow Live, Turning Point, We Are With You and the National Association for Children of Alcoholics.
If you are suffering from too many temptations and triggers in your home life, you may also be able to gain temporary residence in a sober living house.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86
Therapy at Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Hertford
Both inpatient and outpatient treatment will offer similar types of therapies but vary in intensity and supervision. Whichever one is chosen, patients will usually start with detoxification, a medically managed procedure to help patients rid their bodies of toxins and avoid severe withdrawal symptoms.
These drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms range from mild to severe and often include:
- Feeling or being sick
- Feeling paranoid
- Feeling anxious
- Feeling restless
- Diarrhoea
- Chills and sweats
- Headaches
- Increased heart rate and heart palpitations
- Excessive shaking
- Insomnia
- Nightmares
- Flu-like symptoms
- Delirium tremens
- Wernicke’s Encephalopathy
Many other physical issues are also often present alongside substance use disorder – and therefore must be considered during detox – including:
- Liver failure
- Hepatitis
- Heart issues
- Blood pressure issues
- Brain damage
- Gastrointestinal issues
With the support of doctors, patients will undergo detox with the help of certain prescription drugs, a process known as medically-assisted detox.
For alcohol detox, this will involve the use of drugs such as Librium, also known as Chlordiazepoxide, which is extremely effective at reducing the effects of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
For heroin detox and recovery from other opioid use disorders, substances like methadone and buprenorphine are widely used for the same reasons, making heroin withdrawal a much safer process.
Patients will then start their therapy, which will generally work on:
- Skills to remain sober
- Addiction education
- Risk avoidance
- Relationships
- Behaviour response
- Coping mechanisms
Different therapies have different aims. Behavioural therapy is used to help patients change their mindset and help their mental health. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) aims to phase out the negative thoughts that lead to addictive behaviour, examining their causes and the reasons for reoccurrence.
Behavioural therapy then helps patients cope with these thoughts and cope with what comes next.
One form of CBT is dialectical behavioural therapy, DBT. DBT uses similar mechanisms to CBT, but it is specifically designed for overly emotional patients. DBT has 4 main pillars that it works on:
- Emotional regulation
- Mindfulness and meditation
- Interpersonal effectiveness
- Distress tolerance
DBT also focuses heavily on relapse prevention, aiming to reduce the cravings for substances. Behavioural therapy also looks at coping with high-risk situations and reducing the risk of relapse.
There are two types of therapy that work on motivation, motivational interviewing and contingency management. Motivation interviewing addresses any underlying anxieties about the whole process of recovery, including therapy, treatment, relationships, and relapse.
The aim of motivational interviewing is to find what motivates the patients to find the best version of themselves, stay in therapy, and use personal goals to create a tailored treatment plan.
Contingency management uses incentives to keep patients in recovery and exhibit desirable behaviours that help them through therapy. For example, some clinics offer monetary vouchers as a reward for attending therapy and staying clean. These incentives help patients stay in drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford and avoid relapse or dropping out.
Some therapies help patients who are struggling with destructive thoughts and PTSD, REBT and EDMR. REBT, rational emotive behaviour therapy, identifies the thoughts that lead to self-destructive addictive behaviour and helps replace them with constructive and happier thought processes.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, EMDR, uses dual stimulation exercises that directly target the areas of the brain linked to traumatic experiences. EDMR also then replaces these experiences and changes the way the thought processes react to them.
For those patients that enjoy a mutually supportive group, patients will be offered 12-step facilitation therapy.
These group therapy sessions offer an anonymous and mutually supportive environment to discuss addiction, as well as encouraged to lean on a higher power when their addiction seems overwhelming.
One very famous 12-step facilitation group is the AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, following these 12 steps:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous and Marijuana Anonymous also follow this structure, whilst groups like SMART Recovery offer a more secular approach to peer support.
Many Al-Anon Family Group Meetings are also held in and around Hertford, as well as Alateen meetings that provide support specifically for adolescents.
These are just a few of the most common talking therapies and psychiatric treatments used in rehab centres across the UK, which also includes:
- Group Therapy and Group Psychotherapy
- Family Therapy
- Individual Therapy
- Codependency Treatment
- Brief Intervention
- Motivational Interviewing, Motivational Enhancement Therapy and other forms of motivational therapy
- TSF (Twelve-Step Facilitation Therapy)
- Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
- Holistic and alternative therapies (music therapy, art therapy, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, acupuncture, equine therapy, drama therapy, etc)
Therapy aftercare does not have to start ‘after’ therapy, as most patients continue outpatient therapy for years and integrate it into their personal life. These sessions will primarily focus on avoiding high-risk situations that may lead to relapse, such as being with people you used to drink or use drugs with.
Rehab aftercare will focus on the techniques learnt during treatment and will develop coping mechanisms to help patients cope with daily life outside of treatment. Patients can carry on working on rehab and aftercare for their whole lives; rehab and sobriety are not an easy nor a short journey, but it will be worth it.
Substance abuse and alcohol addiction will require a medical detox at a drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford. This may be in a residential rehab or outpatient rehab depending on the severity of the addiction. Different rehab programmes will have different treatment options, supported by medical professionals and recovery workers.
This will be followed by aftercare services to solidify your recovery journey and help you lead a happy and fulfilling life.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86
What if I Suffer From Another Condition?
If patients entering rehab suffer from an additional condition, whether mental or physical, these needs will be addressed by a private drug and alcohol rehab. A dual diagnosis will be made, and their personalised recovery programme will address these concerns.
Dual diagnostics are common among addiction patients.
A gov.uk study reported that around 60% of patients who are undergoing treatment are also suffering from a mental health condition and require treatment.
Mental health disorders that are commonly linked to addiction include:
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar Disorder
- Eating disorders
- Depression
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Codependency
Many other patients may suffer physically through issues such as:
- Liver failure
- Hepatitis
- Heart issues
- Blood pressure issues
- Brain damage
- Gastrointestinal issues
Whether the addiction is exacerbated by another condition or whether addiction has caused it, professional support is imperative.
Trying to overcome addiction while suffering from another illness makes it incredibly difficult to reach and sustain recovery.
Many organisations across the UK offer free mental health support, whether you are also suffering from addiction or not.
These organisations include Mind UK, Young Minds, Rethink Mental Illness, Samaritans and Papyrus.
For more information about drug and alcohol rehab in Hertford, contact us today at 0800 088 66 86
Contact Rehab Recovery Today
For fast access to alcohol and drug rehab in Hertford, contact Rehab Recovery today on 0800 088 66 86. All information you supply is treated with the strictest confidence.
We supply you with the most effective treatment options in Hertford, and we ensure your final decision is based on as much information as possible.
Every rehab in England and Wales that we work with is vetted by the Care Quality Commission.
Get help for addiction anywhere in Hertfordshire, including in St Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, Welwyn Garden City, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Bishops Stortford, Hatfield, Elstree and Borehamwood, Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City, Harpenden, Bushy, Rickmansworth, Potters Bar, Ware, Berkhamsted, Royston, Tring, Baldock, Sawbridgeworth, Buntingford, Aldbury, Bovington, Chipperfield and many more.
Help for Me
Area for text will appear here to give more info or details
Help for a Loved One
Area for text will appear here to give more info or details