Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Atherton

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Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Atherton

What is Detoxing Like at Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Atherton?

Most addictive substances cause users to experience physical symptoms when they are under the influence. Sometimes, these symptoms can even persist for years after chronic drug use. The only way to remove these physical symptoms safely is to have a detox at a drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton.

Most people do this under inpatient care, but it is also possible to have a detox at outpatient clinics in Atherton. Some intensive outpatient programs are based at a rehab treatment center, but others are independent.

The difference is that they do not provide 24-hour care, so it is less safe than an inpatient detox clinic.

Before the detox at drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton, the medical staff at rehab will make a note of the type of drug addiction you have, how serious it is, how long it has been since you last used drugs and various other things that will influence your detox experience.

Then, they will prepare a detox that is as safe as possible. They will do this by prescribing medications to reduce the risk of withdrawal symptoms, including hallucinations, sickness, fatigue, and cravings.

They will also plan the timeframe for the detox according to the average time for your substance type, severity etc.

While going through the detox phase, you will have nothing to focus on but withdraw from the substance you are addicted to. You will not have to think about having therapy, socialising with other patients, or anything else until the detox phase is complete.

If you are wondering what the detox process is like for specific kinds of drugs, we have articles on different types of detox, e.g., alcohol detox, opioid detox, and Xanax detox.

We cannot state which detox is the hardest, because this is subjective and depends on many different factors. However, some substances that are known for being very difficult to withdraw from are: heroin, crack cocaine, and alcohol.

What is Leisure Time Like at Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Atherton?

This is something that varies hugely depending on which drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton you go to. We encourage you to think about what you want to get out of leisure time, so that you can search for a private rehab that offers the comfortable amenities you’re looking for.

Most residential rehabs will promote community living by having a common room, sports facilities, shared rooms, and games for patients to play. This means you have many different options when it comes to how to spend your leisure time on a daily basis.

Equally, if you prefer a quiet life, you can spend your leisure time alone. This would be easier to do if you had a private room, as there would be more opportunity to relax away from other patients and recover from your addiction in comfort.

What is Aftercare Like at Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Atherton?

Your plan after drug or alcohol addiction treatment can look very different depending on the individual needs of each patient.

It is supposed to help the patient to stay in long-term recovery, so different techniques have been used that work with each patient’s lifestyle, level of motivation, and risk of relapse.

An example of what might be included in a typical aftercare (relapse prevention) plan at drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton is:

• Crisis hotlines
• Identified personal triggers
• Family therapy (1)
• Individual therapy
• Prescription medication
• Self-regulation techniques (2)
• Sober friends and family and/or supportive friends and family
• Accountability partners
• Regular hobbies

If you have been to drug rehab before and you have feedback on what did and didn’t work in your plan after treatment, make sure you pass this on to the staff at drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton. This will increase your chances of getting an effective comprehensive treatment plan for after rehab.

Try not to have a negative mindset about new additions to your aftercare plan. Some methods seem like they wouldn’t work, but they end up being some of your most successful coping mechanisms.

For example, one patient may think that starting a new hobby isn’t going to help them to stay sober. However, they may find that they meet lots of sober friends at this hobby, and finding a new passion gives them something to focus on other than drugs and alcohol.

Others may put off family therapy as they cannot envision their family getting along well, so they do not even entertain the idea. However, when they finally decide to accept weekly family therapy, they realise that all their family needed was dedicated time to process their feelings and connect with one another.

Types of Therapy at Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Atherton

We are not going to list every possible type of therapy at drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton, as each treatment centre has different options, and the list would be very long.

However, we will introduce you to some common types of therapy/treatments that you may want to look into before your referral to drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton. All of these are appropriate for addiction treatment, as well as dual diagnosis treatment.

1. Holistic therapies

Most addiction therapy types are solely focused on the mind, and how it causes addiction, copes with addiction, and is impacted by addiction. However, the holistic approach to healing involves the body, as our physical health is closely associated with our mental health.

Instead of treating specific symptoms, the whole body is treated in holistic sessions, and it is hoped that targeting certain parts of the body will reduce stress in the patient. The end goal of the holistic approach, long-term recovery, is achieved by keeping stress low, which reduces the risk of relapse.

Not every drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton will offer the same kinds of holistic sessions. Some possible types you may encounter are: yoga, massage, meditation, hypnosis, reiki, breathwork, grounding, and homoeopathy.

2. Contingency management

Contingency management is a form of therapy that involves positive reinforcement of sobriety. Patients are rewarded for not engaging with drugs or alcohol, and for committing to sobriety.

Often, patients are rewarded with money. This can be as simple as offering a set amount of money, but it may also be presenting a voucher to the patient, or entering them into a prize draw.

Some examples of behaviours that may be rewarded are: passing a drug test, completing treatment at rehab, attending self-help meetings, taking prescribed medication, and simply staying sober.

3. Group therapy

Most therapy that people have in addiction recovery is in the form of individual sessions, but almost everyone will experience group therapy at least once in their recovery journey.

If you attend drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton, you will have the opportunity to experience this healing environment.

Most of the time, patients sit in a circle, and a leader is present. They are encouraged to speak about their journeys with addiction, and their motivations for getting sober.

Sessions tend to last up to an hour, and during this time, you can talk as much or as little as you would like (as long as everyone gets the opportunity to talk).

4. Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a form of talk therapy that usually involves discussing your childhood, significant events in adulthood, and any trauma, to discover what may have caused your addiction (as well as other factors, including genetics).

There are many types of psychotherapy, some of which we have discussed (group therapy), and some we will discuss later (cognitive behavioural therapy and dialectical behavioural therapy).

This means that this type of therapy looks very different depending on which specific approach is used. However, all types work well with active addiction, as they encourage the patient to delve deep into their issues and make connections between their traumas.

5. Acceptance and commitment therapy

In this therapy, you will be encouraged to accept what is outside your control, which includes your vulnerability to addiction (but not the use of substances, as this is something you can resist).

As well as acceptance, there is a particular focus on core values, being present, cognitive defusion, self as context, and committed action.

Cognitive defusion is the concept of noticing thoughts without internalising them. For example, noticing that you keep having the thought ‘I will never recover’, but rather than immediately believing this, simply observing it and analysing it.

Self as context means that the patient is more than their addiction, so they must put this into context as often as they can. In the recovery process, it is easy for patients to get caught up in their identity as victims of addiction, but the self as context reminds them that they are more than that.

Finally, committed action refers to the importance of taking action rather than simply thinking about changing. Some examples of taking action are: cutting off unsupportive people, going to drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton, removing drugs and alcohol from your home, and reaching out to your employer about your addiction.

6. Mindfulness

Many of us are familiar with mindfulness as an anti-anxiety technique, but did you know that it works very well against addiction too? Instead of focusing on mistakes made in the past, mindfulness encourages the patient to pay attention to the present moment.

It also prevents the patient from stressing about the future, and how their addiction might spiral.

When they are in the present moment, they do not take for granted the fact that they are currently sober, and it makes it easier to deal with their issues by taking it day by day.

7. Dialectical behavioural therapy

As we have pointed out, dialectical behavioural therapy is a type of psychotherapy. Just like acceptance and commitment therapy, DBT is very focused on mindfulness. Other key concepts are distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional regulation.

Distress tolerance is great for people with addiction, as it reduces their risk of relapse when they are faced with a trigger. For example, when they are arguing with their partner, if they have a high tolerance for distress, they will cope with this well.

However, if they are very distressed, they may turn to ‘easy’ coping mechanisms, such as substance misuse.

Interpersonal effectiveness is all about establishing boundaries with the people in our life and respecting the boundaries of others. This helps people with addiction to distance themselves from enablers and to pursue sobriety in spite of judgement.

Finally, emotional regulation is our ability to point out which emotion we are feeling and to know how to handle it. Many people struggle to even identify what they are feeling, so DBT helps them to connect with their body in a way that allows them to distinguish between emotions.

8. Cognitive behavioural therapy

This is another type of psychotherapy that is beneficial for people with addiction. It is a common type of dual diagnosis treatment. CBT therapists introduce their clients to different cognitive distortions (negative thinking patterns), which help the patient to identify when they are thinking in this unhelpful way.

Some examples of distortions are: jumping to conclusions, ‘should’ statements, personalisation, and all-or-nothing thinking. Here is how this could manifest in someone with addiction:

• Jumping to conclusions – I have relapsed once, so this means I will never be able to stay sober.
• ‘Should’ statements – I should find it easy to resist temptation because my friends do.
• Personalisation – My partner has said they are disappointed about my drug use, so this means they are not happy with me as a person.
• All-or-nothing thinking – If I don’t find the motivation to go to rehab tomorrow, I won’t ever go.

CBT therapists will work with clients to refute these thoughts with logical, healthy thinking. There is no shame in having the original negative thoughts, but they can take a toll on your mental health, so it is important to learn how to flag them up and doubt them.

9. Brief interventions

With this type of therapy, a therapist conducts a short conversation with a patient about their addiction and its effects. There are usually key concepts that are followed throughout.

One of these concepts is responsibility. The therapist will make a note of whether the individual seems to accept responsibility for their drug abuse problem, or whether they attempt to deny their addiction or pretend it is not as serious as it is.

Another concept is empathy. The therapist must remain empathetic at all times, showing that they are closely listening to the patient, and that they do not wish to make judgements on the patient or their addiction.

Advice plays a key part in brief interventions, unlike some other forms of therapy, where the patient must always come to their own conclusions. The therapist may give advice on coping with triggers, maintaining good mental health, or anything else that is linked to the patient’s substance misuse issue.

Finally, feedback is given on the conversation. The patient gets to hear the therapist’s opinion on how their addiction is going to affect them in the future, including the impact on work, relationships, and health.

Brief interventions is not to be confused with a family intervention, where a patient is approached and urged to seek professional help.

9. Motivational enhancement therapy

Motivational enhancement therapy is a short-term form of therapy that hopes to inspire the patient to make a change in their life, by turning away from drugs and alcohol.

The five key components of MET are: rolling with resistance (persisting even if the client is resistant), expressing empathy, avoiding arguments, developing discrepancy, and supporting self-efficacy.

We have more information about all of these therapies on our website. Head to treatments, then have a look at the list below ‘specialist treatments’.

There are other forms of therapy that do not appear on our website but may be used at some private rehab facilities in Atherton, e.g., massage therapy, art therapy, behavioural therapy, and intensive therapy. You can ask us about these therapies when you have an assessment with us.

Getting a Place at Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Atherton

There is never a perfect time to get a referral to drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton, so please get in touch today if you know that you need inpatient treatment for your drug or alcohol addiction.

We can also explore the option of referring you to rehab as an outpatient, or referring you for a home detox, if you have a strong reason to not go to drug and alcohol rehab in Atherton.

We know that there are many treatment referral teams out there, but our experienced staff really are the best. They know exactly what to do to find a rehab that is perfect for each patient, even if that means extending their search beyond Atherton (with your consent, of course).

We can be contacted 24/7, so there is no need to delay your call. As soon as you get in touch, we will tell you how we can help you, and we will offer an initial consultation that will not cost you anything.

We are familiar with all of the treatment services in Atherton, so we will ensure you are aware of your options before you take the step towards recovery.

There is no better gift than the gift of recovery, and we encourage you to reward yourself with this sooner rather than later.

References

[1] Family Counseling Approaches https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK571088/

[2] Common Self-Regulation Strategies https://nrcgt.uconn.edu/underachievement_study/self-regulation/sr_section7/