Drug and alcohol misuse, and subsequent addiction, is broadly in line with the national average in High Wycombe.
In 2019 to 2020, there were a total of 1,294 individuals in treatment for drug and alcohol problems in High Wycombe’s county of Buckinghamshire.
The majority of individuals were in treatment for alcohol misuse.
To help you beat your addiction, you should consider drug and alcohol rehab in High Wycombe.
It is important to attempt to prevent the need for rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction.
Many people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol will refuse to go to rehab for a variety of reasons.
These reasons can include concerns about any stigma associated with rehab, worries about the rehab process, or even denial about the fact that rehab could be necessary.
In this instance, forcing a loved one or someone you know to accept the need to go to rehab could be detrimental to their rehabilitation process.
Therefore, it’s important for people close to substance users to understand how to stage an intervention.
An intervention is when someone close to a person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol takes steps to persuade the individual to either accept the need to access a rehab service or to make significant behavioural changes.
One well researched and effective method of intervention is the CRAFT approach.
CRAFT is an acronym for ‘Community Reinforcement and Family Training’ and is an approach to intervention that goes beyond just forcing the individual to go to rehab.
The approach is aimed at rewarding the individual for their positive behaviour.
For example, when they show self-control and discipline with regards to the consumption of their drugs or alcohol, or when they actively choose sobriety over drug or alcohol use, they are rewarded.
It also involves allowing the negative consequences of drug or alcohol consumption to play out, to emphasise the lack of control that the individual has when they abuse substances.
By rewarding positive behaviour, and demonstrating the repercussions of negative behaviour, a CRAFT based approach to intervention can effectively highlight that an individual is not in control of their addiction.
This can allow the individual concerned to realise they require professional help from rehabilitation services to achieve sobriety and improve their lives.
To close family and friends, determining whether or not an individual is addicted to drugs or alcohol might seem simple.
For the individual involved however, this can be very difficult
Addiction isn’t straightforward: it is a disease that impacts everyone differently.
However, it is most often characterised by the experience of physical or mental withdrawal symptoms – and sometimes both.
For a drug like cannabis, these withdrawal symptoms can include physical symptoms like discomfort and stomach pain, and changes to mental wellbeing.
If you’re an individual with drug and alcohol related problems, facing up to the facts of your addiction can be daunting.
It is common for individuals with drug and alcohol addictions to be in denial about their dependency, even when confronted about it by close family and friends.
The reasons for these feelings of denial can be due to the shame and guilt associated with addiction.
To get an indication of whether or not you are addicted to drugs or alcohol, the CAGE questionnaire is a popular choice.
The CAGE questionnaire can be found online and asks a small number of questions about your drug and alcohol consumption.
To summarise, the CAGE questionnaire prompts an individual to ask themselves:
Several ‘yes’ responses indicate that the individual may be addicted to drugs or alcohol.
With some substance abuse problems, it can be helpful to understand that they are facing addiction, whether or not it feels that way to them.
The NHS does provide rehabilitation treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in High Wycombe, and like other NHS healthcare treatments, this is a free service.
However, accessing the NHS rehabilitation service for drug and alcohol addiction is a difficult, protracted, and uncertain process.
The steps that are required to access NHS rehabilitation treatment are complicated and can be difficult for a person struggling with addiction to go through.
To receive NHS rehabilitation treatment, a person is required to come before a funding committee which can be a source of serious anxiety.
In addition, funding for NHS rehabilitation treatment is ring-fenced, and access to the funding is ultimately determined by local council bodies rather than NHS practitioners.
Applications for funding may also first require the support of a statutory body, like the Westminster Drug Project, which can be difficult to find.
Ultimately, applications can take months to be processed, and the outcome is far form certain.
A large proportion of those seeking funding for NHS rehabilitation treatment are ultimately turned down, meaning that months of effort has been wasted.
The stress the application process causes can result in relapses, even when a person is actively attempting to access help.
This can also be a difficult time for close family and friends, and the uncertainty can leave serious concerns about the future of the individual’s addiction.
On top of this, the need for rehabilitation treatment is often urgent and cannot be delayed.
While rehab can tackle long-term addiction, the most success is often seen when addiction is treated swiftly.
Acting quickly can limit the impact that the addiction and the rehab treatment have on an individual’s life, and the months spent waiting for an application for NHS rehab treatment can make a difference.
For these reasons, while NHS rehab treatment is an option, it is recommended that people seeking urgent drug or alcohol support in High Wycombe access a private rehabilitation clinic.
While the difficulties with accessing NHS funding for rehab for drug and alcohol addiction have been outlined above, there is a substantial difference between NHS and private rehab treatments in High Wycombe.
Successful rehabilitation treatment can be life-changing for not just the individual experiencing addiction to drugs and alcohol, but to the family and friends around them.
This should always be taken into account when considering the positives and negatives of both NHS rehab treatment and private clinics.
Rehabilitation treatments for drug and alcohol addiction can be covered by health insurance, however this isn’t always as simple as it first seems.
Some employers offer health insurance to their employees, and this can be used to access private drug rehabilitation services.
Accessing drug rehabilitation services through this route does come with its own challenges, however.
Primarily, it would require the individual seeking rehabilitation treatment to tell their employer of their drug or alcohol addiction.
This in itself can be enough to put someone off seeking rehab treatment, even if they need it.
Drug and alcohol rehab in High Wycombe could also be covered by private healthcare insurance, but once again the individual would first have to disclose their drug and alcohol addiction to their insurer.
This might be easier to do than telling an employer, however it could also raise insurance costs in the future.
What are inpatient and outpatient treatments, and which is the best for drug and alcohol addiction rehab?
Inpatient treatment is when an individual is assigned to a rehab programme that keeps them in a rehab clinic for the duration of the treatment.
This could take the form of a month-long addiction treatment, or be shorter like a week-long alcohol detox.
Common forms of inpatient treatment include:
Outpatient rehab treatment is where you don’t use the clinic for accommodation, and instead go back to your place of residence at the end of a day or session.
Some examples of outpatient treatments include:
All drug and alcohol addictions are serious, and require professional support.
Outpatient rehab is often recommended for less severe instances of addiction when it is less threatening to an individual’s life.
For instance, when withdrawal symptoms are potentially life-threatening, it is imperative that inpatient rehab treatment is sought so that the individual can be assisted by medical professionals at all times.
Inpatient rehab treatments lower the risk of relapse, and are more successful at creating full and effective change in an individual’s life.
On the other hand, outpatient treatments offer a much more flexible and affordable way of treating addiction, making them accessible to a huge range of people.
Seeking advice for drug and alcohol addiction by speaking to professionals is the first step to accessing inpatient or outpatient care, which can begin the rehabilitation and recovery process in earnest.
There are different types of rehab treatments and therapies for different forms of addiction.
For example, an addiction to alcohol is very different to an addiction to heroin, and therefore rehab clinics treat each case of addiction according to its unique demands.
Common forms of drug addiction, such as addiction to cannabis, alcohol, heroin, or cocaine require different approaches to manage their withdrawal symptomsand prevent relapse in the long-term.
However, while there are major differences among treatments for different forms of addiction, there are some common treatments as well.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, more commonly known as CBT, is a psychological therapy that can be used in the treatment of many forms of addiction to a variety of substances.
When you enter a drug and alcohol rehab, they will select the most appropriate treatment therapy to address your unique substance problem.
One of the country’s most common forms of addiction is alcohol addiction.
Alcohol is not an illicit substance and can be bought in most shops and found in most households in the UK.
Someone suffering from alcohol addiction can find it extremely difficult to break the addiction, therefore, and is recommended to seek professional advice from a rehab clinic.
Withdrawal symptoms specific to alcohol can include both mental and physical responses.
These can include:
Delirium tremens is the most dangerous stage of alcohol withdrawal, and can eventually be fatal.
Rehab clinics offer professional support for individuals with alcohol addictions with treatments that are designed to limit the impact of withdrawal symptoms.
One of the most popular treatments is a Librium-based detox.
This is a pharmacological treatment that lasts over a ten-day period and works to prevent the onset of withdrawal seizures as the body adjusts to the alcohol detox.
After this detox period, rehabilitation treatment can then focus on the prevention of relapse, and assessing the underlying emotional causes repercussions of the addiction.
One way in which a rehab service will support an individual to prevent relapse is the identification of relapse triggers.
Triggers can be objects, people, places, memories, sights or smells that are associated with drug and alcohol consumption.
The presence of triggers is a major cause of relapses into addiction, so their identification is vital as a relapse-prevention measure.
Once they have been identified they can be discussed with a professional, and work can begin to protect an individual against their effects.
These post-detox steps are vital to ensuring that the individual does not slip back into the addiction.
In the case that prevention is unsuccessful and the addiction is re-established, rehab clinics can support an individual through their rehabilitation journey again, with a greater focus on relapse prevention.
Cocaine is an illicit, and highly addictive drug that is in circulation among the drug-taking population of the UK.
Unlike a drug like cannabis, addiction to cocaine can occur after the first instance of its use.
Treatment for cocaine addiction will focus on talking therapies, such as CBT, which aim to change the behavioural processes which lead to the usage of the drug.
The therapy will often focus on the ability of an individual to take control over their actions and to mindfully recognise when they are experiencing cravings.
Heroin is another addictive illicit drug.
Heroin withdrawal symptoms are varied, and have both physical and psychological effects.
These can include restlessness and an inability to sleep, prolonged confusion, poor judgement and depressive episodes.
A heroin overdose can be fatal.
The withdrawal process will be difficult for some individuals, and can cause protracted instances of nausea and abdominal pain, among other symptoms.
After the detox, the individual will be supported through talking therapies to help address any underlying causes of addiction, and identify the risk of any triggers for relapse.
The individual will then be helped to develop a relapse prevention plan, so that they can regain control over their life without falling back into addiction.
Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug across the UK and is also the drug with the highest figures for addiction.
Cannabis addiction can have a detrimental impact on an individual’s life, and this is exacerbated if the person is part of a younger age group.
Cannabis addiction is associated with:
For these reasons, it is imperative that an individual with cannabis addiction seeks professional help from a rehab clinic.
Inpatient treatment is the most successful form of treatment for an addiction to cannabis.
It will focus on ending cannabis use and preparing the individual for life after rehab.
Once this stage is passed, the individual will be offered either individual or group therapies, where they can address the causes of their cannabis use to ensure that the drug isn’t taken up again after leaving the rehab clinic.
These therapies can also be key sources of support as a person breaks their cannabis addiction.
Dual diagnosis treatment is when an individual is diagnosed with two conditions.
Mental health conditions can be brought on by the prolonged use of certain drugs, and certain people with a genetic history of mental illness are particularly vulnerable.
In other instances, mental health conditions can predate the use of drugs.
For example, someone with anxiety or depression might use drugs or alcohol in order to self-medicate and relieve the symptoms of their mental health condition.
Whether a mental health condition is caused by drug use or predates it, they are often heavily linked with drug use and addiction.
Therefore, the aim of dual diagnosis treatment is to understand the role that a mental health condition has played in a person’s addiction to drugs or alcohol.
If a mental health condition is ignored during rehab treatment, there is a higher chance of relapsing into drug use and addiction again.
If the individual’s mental health condition had gone previously undiagnosed, receiving this diagnosis can be a great boon both in treating the condition and their own peace of mind.
Without dual diagnosis treatment, a key aspect of a person’s experience with addiction risks going ignored, which can have detrimental effects following the end of their rehab treatment.
Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are two well-known support groups that allow an individual in addiction recovery to stay connected to people with similar experiences.
Attending local meetings can help individuals in addiction recovery to receive support and learn from other people’s experiencs.
It can also help create a community and support network and can be significant in the prevention of relapse, which is the main aim following rehab treatment.
SMART recovery is another organisation which helps people in recovery to meet and support one another.
Its benefits include an active online community, which can be a better option for some individuals than in-person meetings.
It is an alternative to groups like alcoholics anonymous, or programmes like the 12 steps programme, and can offer an alternative (or simultaneous) avenue of support.
SMART recovery focuses on the fact that each individual is in a different stage of their addiction recovery path, and places an emphasis on rationality and the acceptance of mistakes and relapses.
As an alternative to support groups and programmes, an individual coming out of their rehab treatment can still rely on their rehab clinic for support.
Outpatient treatment is offered by the local drug and alcohol team in High Wycombe following the end of the rehab treatment.
These support services will help to support a person to prevent relapse and answer any further questions they may have.
In the case of a relapse, the clinic will remain open to offer support.
It can provide someone with home detox kits, if appropriate, as well as preventative support from professionals through talking.
In the case that an addiction is reinstated, the rehab clinic can offer another period of rehab treatment.
The price of rehab treatment can vary hugely, depending on the type of treatment that is sought.
In the UK, the cost of rehab treatment for drug and alcohol addiction is likely to be around £14,000 for the recommended 28-day stay.
However, this isn’t always the case, and treatment can come in cheaper or more expensive depending on the clinic and the treatments required.
The upper end of the costs for drug and alcohol rehab treatment can come in at around £10,000 a week, while the lower end can be as little as 10% of that.
The benefits of attending the upper-end clinics are that they offer higher quality accommodation and closer contact with the professionals, along with luxury facilities.
Treatment for drug and alcohol rehab in High Wycombe is expensive.
However, it is important to remember that successful treatment can mean the end of addiction, and this can completely change a person’s life in innumerable positive ways.