Residential Rehabilitation

If you are reading this page, it is likely that either your or someone you know may be in need of addiction treatment. Rehab is a generic term that has been widely used to describe a range of services, but what exactly is residential rehab? There are a number of alcohol and drug rehab centres in the UK and worldwide, often with many similarities in how they work, but huge differences in terms of location, accommodation, treatment methods and cost. In this guide, we hope to help you to understand more about residential rehab, so that you can make the right choice when it comes to helping yourself, or a loved one, to fight addiction.

What is rehab?

The word rehab derives from the latin ‘rehabilitare’ ‘re’ (again) and ‘habitare’ (make fit) – restoring something that is broken to its previous condition. Rehab is a term used in the medical sector, when people break a part of their body, they will need to undergo ‘rehabilitation’ to slowly get the broken body-part to work as it previously did.

What is nice to understand from the true definition of the word, is that it implies that a person seeking rehabilitation for addiction, does not necessarily have to change themselves into something completely different, they should seek to restore themselves back to the good, kind, loving person that they once were, before the demons of addiction took hold. Famously in the 12 step programme, Step 2 is all about having the belief that an addict can be ‘restored to sanity’. In the world of addiction, rehab can be used to describe any treatment designed to help someone to recover from alcohol or drug abuse.

Residential Alcohol and Drug Rehab

The word ‘Rehab’ is more widely associated with residential rehab – a treatment programme in a residential setting, where addicts and alcoholics can live for a period of time, to undergo detox and intensive therapeutic care. Though rehab can be funded by a local authority, most places work with people on a private basis and costs vary dramatically depending on where the rehab is, what services it offers and the accommodation it provides. For some people going to a residential rehab is the only option and the last resort, but it can be extremely effective. If you are looking to book yourself or a loved one into rehab, it is a big decision to make, but the outcome could be life changing.

How long do I need to stay in rehab?

The length of time someone can spend in a UK rehab centre, typically varies from 7 days to 3 months, though some rehab centres offer extended secondary care programmes which can last an additional 3 months, sometimes longer. Ultimately, someone can stay in rehab for as long as they deem it necessary.

The American model of rehab is generally a 28-day programme, and most rehabs in the UK would recommend a minimum of a 4 week stay, especially for someone for whom it is their first time in rehab. The reason for this is that it takes time to get acquainted to your new surroundings, and time to develop trust and build the relationships which will allow you to share your story with the therapists and other clients in the rehab.

What is the success rate of rehab?

Before answering this question, you must ask yourself – what does ‘success’ mean? A lot of people in ‘active recovery’ would say that being in recovery is a lifelong process, something that an addict or alcoholic will have to work on daily for a sustained period of time, possibly forever, to maintain sobriety. Some people who have multiple addictions, may define success as abstaining from all illicit drugs but in the longer term still being able to have a drink or take a prescribed medication such as methadone.

Most rehabs would define their success rate as ‘number of people completing’ their residential rehab programme’. However, as the UK government do not commission any individual rehab service and the fact that residential rehabs in the UK, be they charities or privately funded, are stand-alone entities, there is no ‘rehab specific’ data collected at a national level. Rehabs are merely included in data covering the wide spectrum of all drug and alcohol treatment services in the UK

The last piece of data collected specifically about residential rehab was in 1995, where rehabs reported that between up to 80% of people successfully completed their residential treatment programme. Some of the highest performing rehabs reported up to 60% of their clients ‘successfully overcome their addiction’

All good rehabs should be trying to complete studies and surveys amongst their ex-patients, to try to ascertain how many of them have remained sober 6 months or a year after they have completed the programme, to demonstrate that the treatment had a lasting, positive impact. However, this data is known to be unreliable due to the nature of addiction – those people that do well mostly stay in touch, pick up the phone and share their ongoing success, whilst those that relapse go back to their old ways, so it is unlikely that they will answer any calls or emails.

Ultimately, regardless of the location of the rehab, the accommodation, the facilities and to a certain extent the type of treatment programme, like anything, the success of rehab is mainly down to the person receiving the treatment. If you are motivated to stop and really want recovery, you will make it work. If you don’t engage, you don’t ask questions, you’re not honest with the staff – it’s not going to work. You get out, what you put in.

What treatments and activities do rehabs offer?

Most rehab centres will run a structured programme of group treatment activities which patients are encouraged to attend each day. Group therapy is an effective tool in the treatment of addiction, as it allows people to share their emotions with others who are going through similar pain and suffering. Many people in addiction feel like they are alone, and different to ‘normal’ people, but when in a group setting, you soon realise that you are not alone, other people have been through similar life experiences as you have. By being in a group setting, clients can also motivate, encourage and importantly, challenge each other through the process.

All rehab centres should offer a minimum of weekly 1-2-1 counselling sessions, and of course counsellors and support staff are available to residents 24 hours a day, so if someone is having a bad day, staff can be very responsive. If you were having a bad day or a bad moment at home, with no-one to talk to, this could lead to picking up a drink or drug. Counsellors will usually be trained in psychodynamic therapy, person-centred counselling or CBT and some use an ‘eclectic’ blend of counselling models to inform their work with clients. The best rehab centres can also integrate into their treatment programme a range of complimentary therapies such as art therapy, acupuncture and EMDR.

Alongside these more formal, therapeutic treatments, rehab centres may incorporate leisure activities into the programme, such as exercise groups, walks, yoga, chi-gong and music therapy. Rehab can be a tough, emotionally draining experience, so it is important to counter-balance this with fun activities. Many people who have a problem with drugs and especially alcohol, fear that they will not be able to ‘have fun’ and enjoy life without alcohol – by engaging in such activities, rehabs aim to demonstrate to people that life can be rewarding and pleasurable without being under the influence of a substance.

Rehab philosophies

As with all mental health treatment, it could be argued that there is no right or wrong way to treat addiction. Different people require different techniques and approaches at different times, and what might work for one person will not work for someone else. Most rehabs will employ staff from different backgrounds, with different ways of working, to ensure that all patients are treated as individuals. However, for rehabs to work effectively, the staff must have a commonly agreed way of working and belief in what they are doing.

The most common approach used by rehab centres both in the UK and abroad, is the 12-step programme first developed by Alcoholics Anonymous. The reason why it is so commonly used, is because it is very defined in how it works. It could be described as a ‘recipe for recovery’ or an ‘instruction manual for abstinence from drugs’ – the idea is simple – follow the steps of the programme and you should achieve recovery. One of the key components of the programme is ‘giving back’ to others. Many rehab counsellors started off as addicts, got clean, went to University and got a degree in counselling. The fact that most rehab counsellors are in recovery (following the
12-step programme), it makes sense for rehabs to use this approach to teach new clients what worked for their staff.

However, some people do not like the 12-step programme based on their previous experience or their belief that the programme is religious (a common misconception). Therefore, some rehabs choose intentionally to not use the 12-step programme and aim to use methods based around CBT and SMART recovery. Regardless of the rehab philosophy, all programmes will incorporate 1-2-1 and group sessions discussing topics related to addiction such as relapse prevention, mental health, cycle of change, relationships, trauma, codependency and cross-addiction.

Rehab rules

In order for rehabs to work well, there have to be common ground rules in place, which all clients must adhere to.These rules vary, with some rehabs being stricter than others and clients attending rehab will often have to sign a ‘Treatment Contract’. Obvious rules that everyone must follow include no violence, threatening and discriminatory behaviour, as well as zero tolerance to the use of drugs and alcohol.Some rehabs will not allow clients to have their mobile phones for periods ranging from 3 days to 2 weeks.

Some will allow people to bring in laptops, so that people who work can answer emails, some will not allow this. There are often rules on how frequently a client can receive visitors, as well as rules around going out of the rehab centre at certain times. Ultimately, the rules are determined by the philosophy of the rehab, and all of the rules are designed to help the patient.

What facilities does a rehab offer?

All rehab centres will offer either a single or sharing room (which is sometimes offered at a lower rate), either with shared bathroom or en-suite bathroom facilities. The additional home comforts provided alongside the rooms, vary between different services, with some luxury options more akin to a 5* hotel and some more budget options. Ultimately, though it is nice to be in comfortable, luxurious surroundings, the most important thing in determining the quality of a rehab programme is the staff and the therapy on offer. When it comes to additional facilities, not many UK rehabs have gym facilities, but some do – if you want to do rehab in the sun, then facilities abroad will often have swimming pools. All rehab centres will have a Cook on site; all meals are provided – again the quality of ingredients and food on offer is going to affect the price you pay.

What else do I need to know?

We think we have covered most of the key information relating to residential rehab, but if you have any more questions or would like to delve a bit deeper, please do give us a call. Rehab is definitely the most effective way to overcome an addiction and though it may require some investment at the start, it may just save your, or someone you know’s life, which we believe is priceless.

If you have any further questions about residential rehab, please give us a call. We work with a number of very different rehabs across the country and we will advise you on a selection of options so you can make an informed choice about the treatment you need.

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