Alcohol Rehab
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Last Updated:
May 6th, 2024
If you’re reading this, then you or someone you love may be struggling with alcohol use. You may be wondering if alcohol rehab is the right step for you – and if it is, what to expect from treatment. At Sanctuary Lodge, we know all too well just how quickly alcohol dependency can change an individual’s priorities, behaviour and choices. As you take this first step to free yourself from alcohol and start your recovery journey, it is important to know exactly what to expect from rehab, as well as the most effective treatments available to you.
Alcohol rehab: five key takeaways
- You do not need to wait for rock bottom to seek help. If alcohol is negatively impacting your life in any way, alcohol rehab will be highly beneficial.
- Alcohol rehab can help you to improve all aspects of your life, from your health and well-being to relationships, career and finances.
- Alcohol rehab is a holistic approach to treatment, looking at both the physical and psychological aspects of addiction and treating any co-occurring mental health issues.
- Alcohol rehab provides you with the tools needed to recover but it does not do the work for you – you must be ready and willing to make a change.
- Aftercare is essential if you want to maintain your sobriety, including therapy, support groups and working on a relapse prevention plan.
Do I need alcohol rehab?
If you’re struggling to control your drinking, or if your alcohol use is having a negative impact on any aspect of your life, then it is likely alcohol treatment is necessary. It can be difficult to admit that you have an alcohol addiction, but alcohol rehab is often the best step for those who are ready to take their recovery seriously.
Take our quick quiz to find out if alcohol treatment could benefit you:
- Do you drink more than you intended to, or for longer than you intended to?
- Do you feel like you need to drink in order to relax or feel better?
- Do you drink to forget your problems or cope with stress or anxiety?
- Has your drinking led to conflict with your partner, friends, or family?
- Do you keep drinking even though it’s causing problems in your life?
- Do you drink more than other people, or more often than other people?
- Do you ever feel like you need a drink first thing in the morning?
- Have you ever thought that alcohol rehab could benefit you?
- Have friends or family members ever suggested alcohol rehab to you?
- Have you started noticing problems with your health as a result of your alcohol consumption?
If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, checking into alcohol rehab could be exactly what you need to recuperate, recover, and begin a healthier life.
Why is alcohol rehab important?
For many people, admitting they need help with alcohol abuse is the hardest part of recovery. The prospect of opening up about your struggles and undergoing treatment can be incredibly daunting, plus breaking old habits and patterns of behaviour is notoriously difficult. With the right support, however, it is certainly possible to turn your life around and start fresh.
Alcohol rehab is an important step in overcoming alcohol abuse and getting your life back on track. Without it, you risk delving deeper into the throes of alcohol abuse, endangering your health, relationships, career, and financial well-being.
Some of the important benefits of alcohol rehab include:
- Better health: the risks of developing chronic health conditions like liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, oral cancer, and cirrhosis are reduced when you learn to live a life free from alcohol.
- The chance to repair important relationships: alcohol dependency often leads people to prioritise drinking over those closest to them. When you take part in alcohol rehab, it gives you the chance to rebuild lost relationships.
- Ability to focus on career or education: maintaining work or studies as you drink excessively is not viable in the long run. Even if you are considered a ‘functioning alcoholic’, eventually the side effects of alcohol will catch up with you. Alcohol rehab is vital if you want to remain productive at work or school.
- Financial well-being: Regardless of how cheaply you buy alcohol, dependency compels you to increase alcohol intake to satisfy your cravings. The cost of drinking can lead to debt and loans that you might struggle to pay back, with the stress of this contributing to the continuing cycle of abuse. Undergoing an alcohol treatment programme will help you to avoid crushing consequences to your finances.
While these are just some of the attributes that correlate with successful alcohol rehab, you can expect to see many more positive and rewarding changes in your life once you have completed treatment.
The benefits of residential alcohol rehab
There are many benefits of residential alcohol rehab at an experienced alcohol clinic, including 24/hour support from a team of medical experts, a safe and structured environment in which to recover from alcohol abuse, and evidence-based treatments that are proven to work.
Residential alcohol rehab provides an opportunity to focus solely on your recovery, without the distractions or triggers from everyday life. Having access to a calm and therapeutic environment like this can be an invaluable experience for those who are serious about turning their life around.
A previous Sanctuary Lodge client, Sarah, tells us about her alcohol rehab experience:
“I felt very secure. You realise early on that everyone has the same story and you build trust.”
At Sanctuary Lodge, you will be surrounded by many others in similar circumstances, including staff members who all have first-hand experience of alcohol use disorder. Knowing that you are in a safe, judgement-free space is fundamental to a successful recovery from alcohol. The ability to create life-long bonds and form a network of supportive friends will prove indispensable as you go through this journey.
What treatment is involved in alcohol rehab?
If you decide to complete a residential alcohol treatment programme at our Sanctuary Lodge clinic, you will be provided with a comprehensive plan that aims to tackle every aspect of your alcohol use disorder. To give you the best chance of a successful recovery, we combine the three vital stages of alcohol rehabilitation into your treatment programme: detox, therapy and aftercare.
Alcohol detox allows your body to heal from the damage caused by alcohol dependence in slow stages and avoids painful and uncomfortable withdrawal systems that would occur if you suddenly stopped drinking. At Sanctuary Lodge, our methods aim to remove alcohol from your system in a safe and structured manner, steering clear of the known dangers of going ‘cold turkey’.
To make a full recovery, however, attempting to achieve sobriety through alcohol detox alone is not enough. Restructuring your brain’s unhealthy thought patterns is paramount to successful alcohol rehabilitation. A range of different therapies is required to discover the underlying causes of your alcohol abuse and teach you how to respond to triggers and cravings for alcohol.
Some of the therapies at Sanctuary Lodge include:
- 12-step programme
- Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
- Group therapy
- Fellowship meetings
- Motivational interviewing
- Mutual aid and self-help
- Relapse prevention
- Lectures and workshops
- Yoga and meditation
- Acupuncture
Our treatment programme has helped thousands of individuals overcome their unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and we can help you too. Your days will be structured, busy, and productive, as keeping your mind distracted from alcohol cravings is proven to be an effective way of avoiding relapse. You may also find enjoyment in new activities as you explore the variety of holistic treatments Sanctuary Lodge has to offer.
For many people, completing alcohol rehab is just the beginning of their journey. Alcohol use disorder is a chronic condition, which means there is always a risk of relapse and ongoing work will be required in order to remain sober.
Once you have completed alcohol rehab, it is recommended that you continue with aftercare, including regular therapy and support group meetings. Leaving alcohol rehab and potentially being exposed to triggers can be scary to face alone, as well as a lot of hard work. With the right aftercare in place, however, you will be more likely to stay on track and avoid relapse.
Next steps
If any of the points on this page have resonated with you, and if you are ready to commit to sobriety, alcohol rehab can give you all of the tools and resources you need to reach your goals.
Alcohol rehab will provide you with the safe space you need to heal, as well as a support network of people who understand the complex emotional journey of recovery. With your dedication and hard work, a healthy and fulfilling life free from alcohol is waiting for you just around the corner.