Rehab - drinking problem treatment works

Published 08/08/2008

Despair can be a terrible and destructive emotion. When a person is in the grip of alcohol addiction, it's easy for them to label themselves a ‘hopeless case'. So rather than reaching out for help, they're more likely instead to reach for another drink.

But research shows that people who enter alcohol rehab programmes have a very good chance of beating their addiction long term. Just ask Karen Fletcher - a little over a year ago, she was so drink-dependent that she'd run her once-successful business into the ground and her house was about to be repossesed.

"I was having regular blackouts and terrifying my family and friends by going missing for days at a time. I knew I was at rock-bottom and needed help," she says. So in July 2007, she used the last of her savings to check into the Linwood Manor Group's alcohol rehabilitation centre in Barnsley, Yorkshire.

What a difference a year makes. These days, Karen's fighting fit and looking forward to the future. "I am teetotal, and as happy and carefree as the day I left rehab. Alcohol would have cost me my life, if not for rehab," she says.
"I'm not tempted to drink," she adds. "Even the smell of alcohol reminds me of those dark days when I was addicted to it. I also feel and look much healthier. I'm fitter, and my skin is no longer pale and pasty. I'm teaching yoga and also training to be a counsellor so I can help others like me."

Of course, a successful rehabilitation like Karen's depends hugely on how committed to recovery a client is and how much effort they invest in pursuit of that goal. But residential alcohol facilities can be a huge help in a number of ways, offering:

• A chance to detox in privacy, with medical supervision, in a completely alcohol-free environment;

• A period to reflect on past habits and behaviours, away from the stresses of daily routine and the negative influence of drinking partners;

• 24-hour access to specialist help from alcohol treatment professionals who are always on hand to offer support through the physiological and psychological challenges involved in rehabilitation;

• A wide range of counselling and therapy options, for both clients and their families, that will help them to re-discover their ‘real' selves and to break negative habits and behaviour patterns.

For Karen Fletcher, as for many others, entering an alcohol rehab programme was the first step on a journey to a new life - a healthy, happy and productive one. "I feel free of my old life, as if the slate has been wiped clean," she says. If you or someone you know would like to feel that way too, don't despair - for rehab help contact Linwood Manor Group for confidential advice and information.

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