Alcohol Help

Highgate Hall: Yalding
Highgate Hall is a large Georgian property situated in the centre of the village of Hawkhurst, Kent

About us:

This is a first-stage residential project, offering a fully structured and therapeutic recovery programme for 9 men.

This programme of recovery from addiction is designed to take place over a minimum of 16 weeks, although it is accepted that some people will need longer, especially if there are a number of personal issues, which require further exploration.

The therapeutic approach employed is a powerful blend of the 12-step process and cognitive self-change tools, which enable the individual to break previously unhealthy and addictive life-patterns.

The main components of this route to recovery are:

* Individual Care Plans
* Group Therapy
* ‘Steps’ programme
* Key working support
* Daily personal journal
* Weekly objectives
* Progress Reviews
* Education programme, including IT skills
* Compliance with Drug Treatment and Testing Orders
* Introduction to the work of AA and/or NA
* ‘Recovery is a Process Not an Event’
* Safe place in which to grow in trust and self-esteem.
* Spiritual guidance
* Faith and Hope Groups
* Leisure pursuits
* Access to on-going support in second and third-stage accommodation.
* Groups facilitated by trained staff.

The house provides single bedrooms, with all other facilities shared. Staff are on-call out of hours; there are no resident staff.

Whether you are a newcomer to any form of 12-step recovery, or whether you have prior experience, the information and techniques in this programme will increase the security and quality of your recovery.

Contact Details:

Highgate Hall
Kenward Road
Yalding
Kent
ME18 6AH

Telephone: 01622 814 187

Boons Park, Edenbridge
Residential rehabilitation projects set in large country houses within farmland settings

About us:-

Kenward House and Boons Park are residential rehabilitation projects set in large country houses within farmland settings. They both offer the opportunity for residents to experience a well regarded, tried and tested programme of recovery that will help you to change the way you think and the way you have come to behave, in relation to substance misuse.

Let me explain. When alcohol or other drugs start to take over our lives, almost without noticing, everything becomes directed towards feeding the habit and, consequently, everything else gets neglected. In other words we lose touch with Realityand become accustomed to a distorted way of life. In doing this we also lose our social and life skills, we lack confidence and our feelings about ourselves reach rock bottom.

The programme of recovery at Kenward House and Boons Park, will assist you to get back to a balanced, structured life. This might be termed a Skills based approach and our hope would be that residents will leave the project, not just having re-gained old ground but with additional abilities that they had not previously enjoyed.

We do not do anything to you! We are able to provide a pleasant, safe environment and experienced skilled staff to help you achieve your own goals. We do this through Client-centred Counselling, Groups with other residents, a daily Work routine, Recreation and Leisure, Education and Training, and attention to your Spiritual needs, all conducted in an environment free from substance misuse.

The main components of this route to recovery are:

* Immediate attention to medical, optical and dental care, plus a balanced diet.
* Support with legal issues, court cases and outcomes, including liaising with Probation, Social Work and legal representatives. Compliance with Drug Treatment and Testing Orders
* Individual counselling, including Specialist counselling for specific issues such as abuse, grief, etc.
* Peer groups
* Drug/Alcohol education groups, talks and videos
* Adult Education for numeracy, literacy and Computer skills.
* Spiritual guidance
* A varied work programme (taking into account residents abilities and interests).
* Positive use of leisure and recreational opportunities
* Keyworker support regarding family, personal and housing matters.
* Life and Social Skills Workshops
* Introduction to the work of AA and/or NA

There is no time limit to achieve the agreed goals but we would generally expect residents to be here for a minimum of 6 months. This can be further extended on an individual basis. As might be expected, different people have differing needs and not everyone starts at the same point in their recovery. Some people have additional issues to deal with over and above the addiction problem; things such as physical illness, childhood mistreatment, parenting, legal matters, grief and loss and so on.

Contact Details:

Boons Park
Toys Hill
Edenbridge
Kent
TN8 6NP

Telephone: 01622 814 187

Devon Home Detox: Umberleigh
Private home alcohol detox in Devon – an alternative to NHS treatment or Residential Rehab

About us:

Devon Home Detox provides private treatment for alcohol problems across all of Devon, and parts of Somerset & Cornwall.

Treatments offered include home detoxification - either with medication or just with psychological support - aftercare, counselling, and support for family and partners.

Devon Home Detox is a realistic alternative to NHS treatment and residential ”Rehab’.

This friendly, professional and confidential service is provided by an experienced addiction nurse specialist & independent prescriber.

You can contact me for any advice about alcohol treatment - if I don’t think I can help you, I’ll try to point you in the right direction.

Contact Details:

Devon Home Detox
Higher Doomsford Cottage
Burrington
Umberleigh
Devon
EX37 9NE

Telephone: 01769 580672

Our Website

Inishfree, Stroud
Safe accommodation, training and support for people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.

About us:

Inishfree has established a small community project in Gloucestershire that provides supported living for individuals addressing their addiction problems after they have completed a detoxification programme elsewhere. An individual can sign up to the Inishfree housing programme for as long as 2 years, receiving different levels of support and training to prevent relapse and returning to the cycle of addiction.

Inishfree is a unique service in this country because it provides opportunities to develop skills and expertise in vocational trades after completing a significant amount of time to stabilise. It individualises the programme to meet specific needs and supports an individual to fulfil their potential whilst in the safety of a drug and alcohol free environment ensured by 24 hour staffing cover.

The client group are referred to as Trainees and are attracted to the Inishfree programme because it provides an innovative approach to address emotional problems while building up confidence and self esteem. This provides the emotional stability and foundation to go on to develop their aspirations for the future. In the main the programme is focused around cooking and catering, using the kitchen garden as a means of education into diet, health and ultimately a sense of wellbeing that was missing in their lives before.

Inishfree hopes to satisfy the individual needs of each human being on three different levels:

1. Physical level – Work
2. Emotional level – Therapies
3. Social level – Community life

1. Physical level – Work:

Physical exercise such as gardening, building and decorating can provide when achievable, a positive distraction from cravings, a clear purpose and goal in daily life, and a self motivated contribution to the community, a feeling that one is needed, which was not present before.

2. Emotional Level – Therapies:

Counselling and biography group work will also be central to the recovery process, but in a way that enables people to digest the process rather than be overwhelmed by it. Looking back over one’s life would of course be part of the counsellor’s input, but only after a time of stability, and when the trainee is ‘ready’ to take hold of it more fully.

3. Social Level - Community Life:

Living together in a supported environment, where others know exactly where you are coming from is fundamental. For some who have lived in virtual isolation from the world, community life can help to address those feelings of isolation.

The programme has been developed in such a way that it covers 5 phases over a period of 2 years. Each phase is designed to accommodate the changing body, mind and emotional needs in the early and later stages. Physical illness, panic, anxiety, shame and cravings, are very strong in the beginning, from the obvious distress experienced in the withdrawal of poisonous substances. As time goes on this becomes less prolonged and less intense. Slowly through the activities the emergence of a renewed sense of self outweighs the earlier symptoms.

Contact Details:

Inishfree
Roseclive
Rooksmoor
Woodchester
Stroud
Gloucestershire
GL5 5NE

Telephone: 0845 458 9904

Tougher police powers and a call for parents and industry to play their part to prevent young people drinking and to reduce the damage caused by alcohol to individuals and communities were outlined today by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

In a major speech to an audience of police and local authority licensing officers, representatives from the drinks and retial industries, community pressure groups and other frontline practitioners, the Home Secretary described a package of measures to tackle alcohol related crime and disorder. They included:

* a major new £875,000 national crack down by police from next week to confiscate alcohol from under 18s year olds drinking in public

* extra powers for police, where necessary, to make it clear that it is unacceptable for children to drink in public

* wider use of Parenting Contracts where poor parenting is identified as an issue when alcohol is confiscasted from underage drinkers

* a new multi-million pound Government public information campaign to launch this summer setting out the dangers associated with binge drinking, and raising awareness on recommended units of intake and the dangers of regularly exceeding those levels; and

* an independent review of how well industry standards on responsible sales are being met across the alcohol retail industry.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said"

"There is a lot of good work being done to tackle the damage that alcohol misuse can do to individuals, to the people around them, and to the communities they live in. But I want to go further.

"Government must lead the way and I am determined to use all the powers at my disposal to bring about change. But in order to do this we also need the support of industry, enforcement authorities and communities. We all need to meet our responsibilities to make a difference.

Police must have all the powers they need to make groups of young people drinking in public a thing of the past. A new campaign to confiscate alcohol from underage drinkers begins this month and lessons will be learned from it. At the same time we wil continue to punish those few irresponsible retailers that flout the law by persistently selling to children.

"Parents must play their part as well and we will give parents whose children are drinking the suport they need to change their damaging behaviour.

The Home Secretary also published today a toolkit document aimed at enforcement and licensing authorities which sets out the full range of powers now available to them.

Director of Alcohol Concern Srabani Sen said:

"We warmly welcome the Home Secretary’s announcement today of the review of the drink’s industry’s standards of practice in the way the produce, promote and sell alcohol. Alcohol Concern applauds those drink producers and retailers that have actively tried to cut alcohol related harm, but too may companies put the interests of profit above the need to do everything possible to minimise the potentially damaging effects of drinking too much.

"We hope that the Home Office review will pave the way for a genuinely constructive dialogue between Goverment, the industry and alcohol experts about the contribution of the drinks industry to reducing harm".

Home Office

The Huntercombe Centre, Sunderland
The Huntercombe Centre is a 34 bedded specialist drug and alcohol treatment service in Sunderland.

About us:

All clients referred into the service have a comprehensive assessment completed prior to admission.

A Care Plan is then agreed between the service user, Centre and referringprofessional. This Care Plan identifies the specific goals of treatment and is reviewed continuously throughout the client’s stay in the Centre. Through-care arrangements and exit plans are agreed between client, referrer and the Centre staff. No client will be admitted into the Centre without adequate through-care arrangements in place.

The Centre operates a client centred model of treatment that recognises and responds to the unique needs and expectations of individual clients. Whilst the overall service approach is based on Social Learning Theory, the Centre utilises a range of cognitive and behavioural treatment interventions. Clients wishing to access additional self-help based support can do so through AA / NA fellowship groups or other local services.

All clients have a full medical assessment on admission and have treatment initiated according to the agreed Care Plan. Care Plans are reviewed daily and any changes necessary agreed between the client, referrer and Unit Medical Officer. Centre staff liaise with referring agencies to ensure appropriate on-going prescribing where necessary.

Rehabilitation

The Centre operates a 12 week therapeutic programme designed to assist clients who are seeking to achieve significant long term change in their drug and alcohol use. Most clients referred into the service, work to achieve abstinence from their problematic drug of choice. The programme consists of a mix of educational, attitudinal and skills development groups, alongside individual counselling sessions. The emphasis in all therapeutic work is to improve problem solving through attitudinal change, and the development of necessary personal skills. Additional specialist therapeutic support is provided by the Clinical Psychologist and Occupational Therapist. Clients referred into the Centre for a combined detoxification and full rehabilitation programme, will start rehabilitation sessions as soon as significant physical symptoms are controlled.

The Centre offers a range of after care through groupwork, liaison with community agencies and planned telephone support. Client’s use of these systems will be agreed between the client, referrer and the Centre during the client’s stay. The Centre also offers a 24 hour helpline for clients who need urgent support following discharge from the service.

Contact Details:

The Huntercombe Centre
Leechmere Road
Sunderland
SR2 9DJ

Telephone: 0191 523 5516