- Are you concerned about your own or someone else’s drug or alcohol use?
- Are you minimising the problems attached to your drug or alcohol use?
- Do you minimise, justify or deny that your behaviour is problematic?
- Are you neglecting your responsibilities?
- Are you experiencing financial or health issues?
- Is your drug or alcohol use causing arguments, neglect, abuse, relationship difficulties or break-up; financial stress or loss of employment?
Often despite the negative consequences an individual continues using substances; this could be viewed as addiction or dependence. It is possible to treat addiction and change problematic drug or alcohol use. Often referred to as “recovery”, it requires the development of awareness and responsibility.
Substance use can be the adaptive behaviour adopted to cope with stress, relationship difficulties, anxiety, depression, trauma, bereavement or just to manage negative thoughts and feelings. The drug or alcohol use becomes the solution to the perceived problem or issue. Counselling or treatment facilitates an exploration of your thoughts, feelings, behaviour, perceptions and adaptive behaviour to enable you to identify alternative, constructive coping strategies.
Addiction/alcoholism/drug or alcohol use can be treated through abstinence based rehabilitation, substitute prescribing (which manages withdrawal and hopes to reduce or eliminate alcohol or drug use), harm minimisation and / or talking therapies. Addiction/alcoholism/drug or alcohol use can be viewed as a health issue in which compassionate treatment facilitates awareness of the root cause, for which the substance use became the solution.
If you can identify with the above, or it has started you thinking about yourself or a loved one and you would like further information, please contact us.
The following online resources provide additional advice and information.
Alcoholics Anonymous – www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
National Helpline: 0845 769 7555
PO Box 1, 10 Toft Green, York, Y01 7ND
A voluntary fellowship of men and women who help each other achieve and maintain sobriety by sharing experiences and giving mutual support. Information is available from AA helplines in the local telephone directory.
Narcotics Anonymous – www.ukna.org
Helpline: 0300 999 1212
Al-Anon Family Groups UK & Eire – www.al-anonuk.org.uk
Confidential Helpline: 020 7403 0888
E-mail: enquiries@al-anonuk.org.uk
61 Great Dover Street, London, SE1 4YF
Help for relatives and friends of alcoholics to help solve common problems through shared experiences.
Alateen – www.al-anonuk.org.uk/alateen
For Alateen meetings: General Service Office: 020 7407 0215
Provides a service for teenagers aged from 12 to 17 whose lives have been affected by someone’s drinking, usually a parent. Alateen is part of Al-anon.
Cocaine Anonymous UK – www.cauk.org.uk
SAdAS (Southern Addictions Advisory Service)
www.sadas.org.uk
Acorn – Community Drug and Alcohol Team – Guildford
Community drug and alcohol service
Acorn Service
Taylor Building
Farnham Road Hospital
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 7LX
Telephone Number: 01483 450256
www.sabp.nhs.uk/services/specialist/drug-alcohol/index_html/acorn-community-drug-and-alcohol-service-guildford
The NTA (National Treatment Agency) www.nta.nhs.uk has a comprehensive online directory www.rehab-online.org.uk detailing residential rehabilitation centres in the UK.
Lifeworks – are a private treatment centre who will charge for their services.
www.lifeworkscommunity.com
Priory:
0845 2774 679 (www.priorygroup.com )
NHS Choices website
www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol
A comprehensive and useful website with a variety of useful resources, information and tools for alcohol, including: binge drinking, alcoholism, drinking calculator, alcohol limits and more.
Use NHS Choices interactive tools to calculate alcohol units, assess your drinking levels and track your drinking over time.
Action on Addiction – www.actiononaddiction.org.uk
Tel: 0845 126 4130
Frank – www.talktofrank.com
Government funded website containing useful information on all drugs