Rehab Care

The following information on rehab care has been prepared under the supervision of Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist Dr Bruce Trathen MBBS MRCPsych, and Senior Addictions Therapist David Goodlad FRSPH MA Dip. MBACP (Snr. Accred) UKRC NCAC CADC.

Accessing reliable and accurate information on rehab care can be confusing and time consuming. Triage Advisors are here to help you make fully informed and accurate decisions. Call 0117 339 0080.

What is Rehab Care?

Rehab care refers to the support individuals get in overcoming an addiction. This is most commonly accessed on a residential basis.

Residential rehab care typically involves a medicated detox to begin with. For alcohol or benzodiazepine dependence, this is often essential as the withdrawal symptoms can be fatal. For individuals with a drug addiction, the withdrawal symptoms are not necessarily life-threatening, but can be uncomfortable enough to warrant the need for a medication to be given when trying to stop. Residential rehab care will then offer an intensive daily programme aimed at addressing the underlying psychological reasons and trigger points of the dependence. This will also give individuals the help they need to develop more effective coping strategies to increase the chances of maintaining lifelong abstinence.

Home based rehab care may involve accessing a treatment centre's programme on an out-patient basis. This will involve the individual returning home each evening. There may also be the option of one-to-one counselling local to home. People may also have access to local drug and alcohol services and fellowship meetings, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

When should someone seek Rehab Care?

Someone should seek advice about rehab care when they suspect an addiction is present. There are a number of signs that may indicate this. For instance, the behaviour of an addict may change as they become more focused on their next fix. They may become agitated and irritable. Their social habits may also change, such as a tendency to keep unusual hours. Physically, they may lose weight and appear unwell. Drug paraphernalia or alcohol bottles may also frequently be found amongst their possessions.

Withdrawal symptoms are another good indicator that rehab care is urgently needed. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms include shaking, sweating, nausea and vomiting, which can progress into symptoms of delirium tremens. These have the potential to be fatal and cause brain damage; therefore professional support should be sought immediately.

Heroin withdrawal symptoms are not generally life-threatening, but they are extremely unpleasant. The presence of depression, agitation, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and muscle ache suggest the individual should seek help to make this process as comfortable as possible. This is the same for other drug addictions, such as cannabis or cocaine, where treatment rehab should be sought to alleviate the intense psychological withdrawal symptoms.

Where to Rehab

It is important that the rehab care is tailored to the individual - addiction is different for each person; there is no “one-size-fits-all solution”. Triage Healthcare has an in-depth knowledge of the full range of treatment services and programme options throughout the UK, and will advise you independently of any particular centre.

It is possible to access overseas rehab care as well. This option can be particularly appealing to those individuals who have already accessed help in the UK with limited success. By travelling overseas to access treatment, the person is completely removed from their problematic surroundings. Overseas treatment can also represent better value for money in some cases.

Whilst it would clearly be preferable to receive treatment without paying for it, it is important to remember that there is an imbalance between availability of addiction treatment in the NHS and the demand in the community. Rather than rehab care, support will typically be community-based and thus less intensive. However, it is certainly better than receiving no help at all.

How long could Rehab care take?

If a full medical, psychological and therapeutic programme is accessed, this should ideally last a minimum of four weeks for alcohol dependence and six weeks for drug dependence. However, generally the longer the treatment programme, the better.

How much does a private Rehab care cost?

Triage Healthcare recognises that there is a deficit in the provision of affordable private rehab care for addictions in the UK. High quality free advice and information is provided to all, as well as best-value private treatment to individuals with a limited budget. If you arrange treatment through Triage Healthcare you will never pay more and in some cases you will pay less for residential treatment than by booking direct with a treatment centre.

Where to find Rehab Care Centers in the UK

Triage Healthcare Ltd is a specialist healthcare company dedicated to the treatment of addictive illness. We were formed in 2005 by Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist Dr Bruce Trathen MBBS MRCPsych, and Addictions Therapist David Goodlad FRSH MA Dip. MBACP (Snr. Accred) UKRC NCAC CADC. We work with treatment centres and addiction professionals throughout the UK to give people throughout the country an opportunity to get the help they deserve.

We understand that there may be concerns regarding treatment, particularly in terms of cost, location and success. That is why we are here. We can advise you on centres running individually tailored programmes. We can help all concerned decide on a comprehensive program that is affordable to your budget. You can telephone to speak with us straight away in confidence or email us with the guarantee of a timely response.

We are staffed by highly experienced and expert professionals in addiction medicine and counselling, who are ethically bound to give you advice according to the latest evidence of what works, and who are not allowed to advise you according to a profit motive. Rather we will find you the best value treatment given your particular circumstances and wishes.