Alcohol Help

Wellington Lodge: Pinner
We provide unique accommodation, support and assessment for those needing urgent alcohol rehab.

About us:

Wellington Lodge’s medicated withdrawal programme offers clients a gentle, safe, and effective detoxification from drugs or alcohol. Detox involves the controlled, systematic withdrawal from an addictive drug or alcohol.

The Wellington Lodge detox programme include the following services:

* Pre-detoxification support and advice to provide the client (and their family if appropriate) with clear information
* Medical assessment with our prescribing nurse and consultant psychiatrist
* Psychiatric assessment if required
* 24 hour nursing supervision throughout detox
* Therapeutic group work
* Themed discussions or activities
* One to one counselling
* Shiatsu Massage
* Post-detoxification advice or onward referral to treatment or other care services.

Residential detox, detoxification service

One-to-one counselling

This programme is available to those wishing to stay at Wellington Lodge for detox, or it can form part of our full primary residential rehabilitation programme. We offer a safe, serene and supportive environment within which you can begin your recovery.

Upon arrival at Wellington Lodge our experienced medical staff will examine and assess your needs to ensure that the most effective detox regime is used. We manage the withdrawal process and ensure that you receive the best treatment and care during your stay with us.

All medicated withdrawal protocols utilised at Wellington Lodge are based upon current best practice and guidelines including those of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the NTA (National Treatment Agency).

Home detoxification (community detoxification)

If you prefer to remain in your own home surrounded by your familiar environment, friends and family, we can support you with our home detox programme. Before detox begins every client will receive a comprehensive initial assessment and an experienced nurse will remain in the home 24 hours a day throughout the agreed period of detox.

There are a number of advantages to home detox:

* Clients stay in the comfort of their own home;
* Contact with family and friends is maintained;
* The service is discrete and confidential;
* The service is flexible and supportive within a medical model;
* The nurse can provide information and support to the family together with post-detox advice.

In most cases post detoxification treatment will be recommended to enable continuity of care as detoxification needs to be viewed as the first stage of the journey towards recovery and independence.

Every detox client (home/ community based or residential) is allocated their own Care co-ordinator to support them in the programme with advice on diet, exercise and all aspects of recovery. The Care co-ordinator can also provide advice, information and support to the close friends and family.

Residential treatment programme – the road to recovery . . .

One-to-one CounsellingWellington Lodge offers a comprehensive, abstinence based structured psychosocial treatment programme which utilises a range of psychotherapeutic interventions. Recognising the invasive nature of addiction, our programme is holistic in nature and aims to support individuals on a physical, mental and spiritual level.

The psychotherapeutic approaches utilised in respect of each client will be determined by their individually tailored care plan. Care and treatment planning is a collaborative process between clinicians and client and is kept under constant review to ensure that each and every client is successfully attaining their treatment objectives and reaching their therapeutic milestones. As a client moves towards the end of their period of treatment, the emphasis of the care and treatment planning process shifts focus to an on-going support plan which enables clients to plan and prepare effectively for their for post treatment objectives and reintegration back into mainstream life.

In addition to the individually crafted elements of the programme, clients take part in a wide variety of more general treatment sessions in which the universal themes of alcohol and substance misuse addiction are explored and in which clients can gain peer support to recognise and address the common themes and threads which are present in the experiences of other individuals who are in crisis from addiction. Predominantly this is done through group therapy and group process (based on the ‘Yalom model’) and a wide variety of recovery related workshops, seminars and sessions. Clients are expected to undertake written assignments and exercises to complement and reinforce the work they undertake within the structured daily programme. Clients are encouraged to take advantage of a range of complementary therapies which support the holistic ethos of the programme. Outside of the structured daily programme, clients are encouraged to take part in organised leisure activities and also enjoy some free time in the evenings and weekends to relax and recharge.

To preserve an appropriate and healthy therapeutic environment, all clients are subject to on going risk assessment and are required to abide by a number of house rules as part of their therapeutic contract; this includes random drug and alcohol testing.

The therapeutic treatment approach used at Wellington Lodge is eclectic and wherever possible is informed by best practice and statistically proven research. This approach includes elements of the 12 step model and other mainstream therapeutic techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Motivational Interviewing approaches.

Contact Details:

Wellington Lodge
47 Wellington Road
Hatch End
Pinner
Middlesex
HA5 4NF

Telephone: 0871 384 1182

Drunk driving is still the number cause of vehicle casualties this year. Everyday, there are numbers of news related to driving accidents that have caused several lives. This is not just a problem in the US, but the rest of the world. Too much alcohol intake is similar to drug addiction.

Sunset Malibu Drug Rehab is again promoting their alcohol rehabilitation program to individuals who are deeply in need of help in controlling the alcoholic substance their body requires. Threats of alcoholism can only be eliminated if a victim has under gone alcohol rehab.

Considering the numbers of accidents and crimes involving alcoholics, the need for alcohol rehab centers increased. These drivers and criminals need to undergo alcohol rehabilitation programs in order for them to be considered safe from any threats. This is an alarming situation that the community must address.

Cases of alcoholism do not only involve drivers. Every year, the numbers of alcoholics have increased by thousands. Most of these victims are processionals that have been successful with their career. They lost track of their career due to the disease. At Sunset Malibu, alcohol rehabilitation is given to patients to give them a new life and hope.

Alcohol influences the mind and can totally alter a person’s behavior and responses. Patients of alcoholism demand more alcohol intake than any ordinary drinker. Their body no longer considers alcohol as a foreign substance. Instead, they require more alcoholic substance to enter their body in order to normalize their mental and bodily functions. Anybody with these symptoms should immediately be brought to an alcohol rehab center for medication and prevent further unwanted effects on their being.

Alcohol rehabilitation centers are the most suitable places for alcoholics to overcome their current state. The condition of an alcohol rehab center contributes a lot to the recovery of a victim. Aside from the medication applied, the environment and people surrounding the patient help cure and transform their outlook of recovery.

At Sunset Malibu alcohol rehab, patients are given privacy and the chance to discover their inner potential instead of focusing with their situation. Programs are well crafted to give them the necessary treatment. Medications are administered to patients at different levels. This allows the center to provide patients with what they really need and not give treatment that will not create any importance to them.

Sunset Malibu

Women who have an abortion face a small increase in the risk of developing common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, according to a new study from New Zealand.

But the researchers, writing in the December issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, say their findings point to a “middle-of-the-road” position on abortion – and do not support either the strong pro-life or pro-choice arguments.

Researchers from the University of Otago studied the pregnancy and mental health history of over 500 women born in Christchurch, a city in South Island.

The women were interviewed six times between the ages of 15 and 30. At each assessment, the women were asked whether they had been pregnant and, if so, what the outcome of that pregnancy had been. The women were asked whether the pregnancy was wanted or unwanted, and if this had caused them to be upset or distressed.

The women were also given a mental health assessment during each interview, to see if they met the diagnostic criteria for major depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol dependence and illicit drug dependence. The researchers took other confounding factors which might be associated with increased risks of various pregnancy or mental health outcomes into account.

Overall, 284 women reported a total of 686 pregnancies before the age of 30. These included: 153 abortions (occurring to 117 women), 138 pregnancy losses (including miscarriage, stillbirth and termination of ectopic pregnancy), 66 live births that resulted from an unwanted pregnancy (or one that provoked an adverse reaction), and 329 live births resulting from a wanted pregnancy (where there was no reported adverse reaction).

The study found that women who had had abortions had rates of mental health problems that were about 30% higher than other women. The conditions most associated with abortion included anxiety disorders and substance use disorders. In contrast, none of the other pregnancy outcomes were consistently related to significantly increased risks of mental health problems.

However, the overall affects of abortion on mental health were found to be small. The researchers estimated that exposure to abortion accounted for between 1.5% and 5.5% of the overall rate of mental disorders in this group of women.

Professor David Fergusson, John Horwood and Dr Joseph Boden said their study had “important implications for the ongoing debates between pro-life and pro-choice advocates about the mental health effects of abortion”.

Writing in the British Journal of Psychiatry they said: “Specifically, the results do not support strong pro-life positions that claim that abortion has large and devastating effects on the mental health of women. Neither do the results support any strong pro-choice positions that imply that abortion is without any mental health effects.

“In general, the results lead to a middle-of-the-road position that, for some women, abortion is likely to be a stressful and traumatic life event which places those exposed to it at a modestly increased risk of a range of common mental health problems.”

The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Alcohol Concern today urged pub owners across the UK to do their bit to cut drink-driving during the festive season. They recommend that pubs, bars and clubs significantly reduce the price of their soft drinks – or offer them for free – during the next ten days in order to help drivers stay sober during Christmas and New Year.

The price of soft drinks in UK pubs is often near the price of alcoholic ones, despite soft drinks being much cheaper for pubs to buy and produce. The average price of a pint of beer is £2.76, with prices for soft drinks ranging from £1.60 to £3.40 per pint, Alcohol Concern’s own research shows.

Welcome initiatives underway in the UK include half price soft drinks in a selection of pubs and bars in areas including Tayside and South Tyneside, and free soft drinks in all pubs run by the Wadworth Brewery. However, a Government-supported scheme from Coca Cola to offer 3-for-1 Coke to drivers is available in less than 3% of the nation’s pubs.

While drink driving is a year-round problem, fairly priced soft drinks in pubs and bars may help ease pressure on drivers over the next ten days.

Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern, said:

“High prices for soft drinks discourage drivers from remaining alcohol free. Moreover, it’s grossly unfair that drivers and other non drinkers should have to pay as much for soft drinks as for alcoholic ones when they’re simply trying to have a responsible night out.

Pubs, clubs and bars make huge profits on the sale of soft drinks, often marking them up by 80%. They can afford to offer them at a fairer price, especially at a time when so many people are socialising outside their homes and public transport is often lacking.”

He added: “Similar schemes in other parts of the world have delivered successful results in changing behaviour and reducing the number of accidents.

While we welcome small-scale initiatives already in place, we urge more pub owners to slash prices of soft drinks or offer them for free for drivers between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. They could make a crucial difference to the safety of thousands of their customers this festive season.”

Edmund King, President of the Automobile Association, said:

“Drivers who don’t want to drink alcohol are actually under a double pressure. They may feel that they don’t want to pay high prices for soft drinks themselves, but they may feel even more uncomfortable asking other people to pay for them. Human nature means that some may end up drinking and driving when they know they shouldn’t.”

A spokesperson from the Association of Chief Police Officers said:

“Any move by the industry to reduce the chance of anyone thinking about drinking alcohol and driving during the festive season would be welcomed by ACPO. But drivers must take responsibility for their own actions and we would encourage those people planning to drive to stick to non-alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol Concern

St James Priory, Bristol
Providing Support & Treatment For People With Addictions

About us:

St James Priory Project is a registered charity based in Bristol. It offers acceptance and compassion,support and treatment,for people with addictions. It promotes an abstinence model of recovery from addiction.

We aim to provide high quality abstinence based support and treatment to enable individuals to obtain and maintain recovery from their addiction and to achieve a quality of life which would otherwise be denied.

St James Priory Project has been providing support & treatment for people with addictions for 11 years.

It was established to help homeless people achieve recovery from a substance dependency.

Now it has developed into a service for people with chaotic backgrounds who have a housing need.

Our support & treatment programme:

* promotes a way of life that is free from all mood altering substances;

* encourages honesty, trust, responsibility and respect;

* shows people healthy ways of coping with the stresses of life;

* supports people to deal with issues in the here & now;

* improves self awareness and self knowledge;

* enables self acceptance, self confidence, and self worth;

* develops self responsibility and an appropriate concern for others.

Contact Details:

St James Priory
Whitson Street
Bristol
BS1 3NZ

Telephone: 0117 9299100

A new power that targets offenders who commit crime under the influence of alcohol was today unveiled by Home Office Minister Alan Campbell.

From next summer, Drinking Banning Orders will allow police and local authorities to stop a person entering certain premises if they have been involved in criminal or disorderly conduct under the influence of alcohol. Breach of a Drinking Banning Order, which can last up to two years, could lead to a fine of up to £2,500. The orders are focused on people whose drinking has been identified as a factor in their irresponsible and disorderly behaviour.

To add to the range of tools and powers to tackle alcohol related crime and disorder, the Government also published new guidance on obtaining Designated Public Place Orders and establishing Alcohol Disorder Zones.

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said:

"The Government has given police and local authorities a wide range of tools and powers to tackle alcohol fuelled crime. We have recently given police forces and councils across England and Wales a cash boost of £4.5 million to deal with specific local problems.

"Drinking Banning Orders will focus on offenders who’ve committed crime under the influence of alcohol. They are an example of our targeted and focused approach to ensure people can enjoy drinking sensibly and sociably.

"Alcohol Disorder Zones are a measure of last resort and I encourage councils and police to follow the action plan process to tackle alcohol related crime and disorder where it is required. They can help recover some policing costs caused by alcohol fuelled crime and disorder."

Alan Campbell today visited Alnwick in Northumberland which has two Designated Public Place Orders which means police and accredited local authority officials can confiscate alcohol in public places and can order individuals in that area to stop drinking alcohol.

Mike Craik, Association of Chief Police Officers national spokesperson for alcohol and licensing, said:

"This significant funding of £4.5 million will enable us to make further inroads into what are real local issues in many areas. Police forces are always ready to work alongside partners in local councils to use resources and powers to provide a focus on drunken offenders who cannot behave in public places and who spoil the experience of others.

"The ability to take action against these problematic people by preventing them from entering certain places is something forces up and down the country can work with in future. Alongside intelligence-led enforcement activity directed at the specific problems excessive alcohol consumption brings, measures such as alcohol disorder zones, as a position of last resort, can also be a useful tool in the range of powers available to us."

Hazel Harding, Chair of the Local Government Association Safer Communities Board, said:

"Drink fuelled anti-social behaviour is a major concern for many councils and this power is a necessary step in helping them deal with it. However, it’s important to recognise that Drinking Banning Orders should only be used as a last resort, when all other efforts to tackle the problem have been exhausted. Also, it remains to be seen how they will be enforced."

Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern, national alcohol misuse charity, said:

"If used as part of a package of measures to reduce alcohol harms these initiatives can make a real difference to safety on our streets. Policing of alcohol-related crime must go hand in hand with more robust measures to curb irresponsible and illegal sales and improved treatment pathways for dependent drinkers."

Home Office

It might seem odd for a rehab centre to be talking about reasons to be cheerful this festive season, however thanks to an initiative launched this week, the Linwood Group is running its very own winter sale to ensure even more people can access its first rate treatment facilities!

From Christmas through to the end of January, those booking in for treatment at one of the company’s three centres throughout the North of England will be able to make the most of 50% off of the normal weekly fee. Now priced at £1,000 a week, Sue Allchurch, a Linwood director, explains why the Linwood Group has made this unusual decision:

"We recognise that the need for drink related rehab treatment will only increase in the current climate. With this in mind, we decided that we needed to find a way to ensure that as many people as possible can make use of our first class residential treatment facilities. To make this service available to the wider public, we decided to reduce this year’s development budget and to channel that money into funding treatment cost reductions for clients from now until the end of January.

"Our staff have put a lot of effort into helping us build an excellent treatment service which has been instrumental in a large number of people over-coming problems with alcohol. So it makes sense that we do something that will increase the availability of these first rate services to more people at this very challenging time."

In addition to reducing the price of treatment until the end of January, the Linwood Group is also offering a money back guarantee. Sue Allchurch explains: "We are proud of the level of provision we offer at our rehab centres, and we are prepared to refund any difference in costs if clients can demonstrate that they could have received the same treatment in identical quality facilities elsewhere in the UK."

Linwood Manor

The holidays can be a stressful time for non-alcoholic and alcoholics alike, and when alcohol is brought into the equation sometimes tensions mount resulting in dangerous situations possibly occurring. The Center for Disease Control released a study in 2006 that found suicide victims frequently tested positive for alcohol or illegal drugs; 33 percent alcohol, 16 percent opiates, 9 percent cocaine, and 8 percent marijuana. Over the holidays the statistics for drunk-driving accidents, domestic violence, depression, and suicide increase substantially.

"In the midst of this holiday season, at a time filled with joy, laughter, family and friends, it is important to remember those who struggle daily with drug and alcohol tendencies," says Pat Allen, Chief Executive Officer at the Pat Moore Foundation. "There are usually three outcomes for someone with this addiction; sobriety, jail, or death."

Nine types of heavy drinker identified – what type of drinker are you?

Are you a heavy drinker — and if so, what kind of heavy drinker are you? Researchers from the Department of Health (DoH) recently identified nine personality types of heavy drinkers. Those who engage in this kind of problem drinking, they point out, are at grave risk of developing the kinds of alcohol-related illnesses that cost the NHS in England some £2.7 billion annually.

For the purposes of this research, the DoH defines heavy drinkers as those who regularly drink at least twice the recommended limits of alcohol in a week. So for women, heavy drinkers are those who drink 35 units a week, and for men, it’s those consuming around 50 units. It’s important to remember, however, that alcohol abuse comes in many disguises – heavy drinking is dangerous, certainly, but so are occasional (but regular) binges interspersed with periods of abstention.

The DoH study found that heavy drinkers fit a number of different stereotypes — from depressives who abuse alcohol by drinking alone at home over extended periods to macho exhibitionists who spend almost every evening in the pub.

The nine alcohol-fuelled personality types are:

* "De-stress drinkers", who use alcohol to regain control of life and calm down. They include high-achieving professionals.
* "Conformist drinkers", who are driven by the need to belong and seek a structure to their lives. They are typically men aged 45 to 59 in clerical or manual jobs.
* "Boredom drinkers", who consume alcohol to pass the time, seeking stimulation to relieve the monotony of life. Alcohol helps them to feel comforted and secure.
* "Depressed drinkers", who may be of any age, gender or socioeconomic group. They crave comfort, safety and security.
* "Re-bonding drinkers", who are driven by a need to keep in touch with people who are close to them.
* "Community drinkers", who are motivated by the need to belong. They are usually lower middle class men and women who drink in large friendship groups.
* "Hedonistic drinkers", who crave stimulation and want to abandon control through drink abuse. They are often divorced people with grown-up children, who want to stand out from the crowd.
* "Macho drinkers", who spend most of their spare time in pubs. They are mostly men of all ages who want to stand out from the crowd.
* "Border dependents", who regard the pub as a home from home. They visit it during the day and the evening, on weekdays and at weekends, drinking fast and often.

Linwood Manor

Vale House Stabilisation Services, Hertford
Develop, provide, support treatment, education, training in the field of drug and alcohol problems.

About us:

We operate with a high ratio of staff to residents and believe this allows us to offer each client their own unique, individually tailored treatment plan, incorporating one or multiple models of therapy.

The team is small and as well as a once weekly core meeting regarding all clients welfare and progress, we all take the time to liaise with each other daily.
Being a small close team, this projects a warm, caring, approachable attitude towards our clients.

We pride ourselves on our enthusiasm, commitment and motivation to further our service to ensure the highest level of care is offered to our client group.

The house is a 7 bed unit, providing comfortable living conditions in a therapeutic community setting. We welcome male and female residents aged 18 years upwards with substance misuse and all levels of dependency.

Each resident is provided with their own bedroom. The house is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We offer treatment for a range of problems including: alcohol. ’street’ drugs such as heroin, crack, cocaine, cannabis and prescription drugs. Treatment is also given for co-existing disorders, including gambling and eating disorders.

Each resident is assigned a case manager who will work with the resident in areas such as debt management, housing, legal issues, benefits, resettlement and, where appropriate, support with child protection issues.

The house has connections with local colleges to assist with further learning opportunities and extensive contacts with local businesses for voluntary placements, each after 3 months in treatment.

We offer a comprehensive aftercare package and ongoing support.

Initially, a telephone referral will be taken, only asking for basic information regarding personal details, substance misuse, previous treatment history, medical history and previous criminal history. Once complete, an appointment can be arranged with the referrer immediately and a date and time will be confirmed for the assessment.

When the client arrives at Vale House, they will be assessed which takes approximately 1 hour. If accepted onto the programme, they will be invited, following assessment, to visit the rehab and meet the staff and residents*. Referring agents are welcome to attend to see the facilities offered and meet with staff and residents.

Following acceptance, the client is placed onto our waiting list. Case managers will liaise with both client and care manager to ensure all parties are kept up to date with bed availability, funding, medical issues, legal issues and support. All beds are offered pending acceptance after successful assessment and having confirmation of funding.

A case manager will be assigned to the client to ensure a smooth transition into treatment and assist where possible supporting both client and referrer, giving a constant link and assurance to all parties.

*A visit of the residential setting will only be possible if the client is free from mind-altering substances.

Contact Details:

Vale House Stabilisation Services
43 Cowbridge
Hertford
SG14 1PN

Telephone: 01992 553173