The Parents Guide to Confronting Teen Alcohol Rehab

For any parent, it is always distressing to see your son or daughter abusing alcohol. At some point, you will have to consider one of the many rehab clinics throughout the UK as a treatment option. During this difficult time, you will have to deal with many negative feelings. It is important you put these to one side and focus on supporting your teen. With the help of Middlegate.co.uk, we provide you with some guidance on how to deal with this sensitive issue.

Don't let it Wait : Ninety per cent of people who abuse alcohol throughout adulthood started to drink before they were 18. They were still children at the time. This is an issue you should not ignore. If you believe your teen has a problem that cannot be solved with a good talking to, seek out rehab. Convince them this is the right decision for them and that they have a problem.

Never Submit : Studies show that it can often take multiple stints in rehab centers before someone truly recovers. If you find rehab does not work the first time, keep trying. It does not matter how many times your teen has attempted to deal with the problem. It is your job to keep pushing and keep going. Never give up on them or you will lose them.

Early and Quick Action is Crucial : Barely a tenth of teens get the alcohol treatment they need. If treatment is given in the first decade of addiction, it can increase the chances of success by up to 50%. As well as basic rehab, you also need to make sure they get the aftercare they need. This is how you are ultimately going to move them on to a better place in life.

Take into Account Dual Diagnosis : Most teens do not drink because they love the taste of alcohol that much. It is common for teens to be diagnosed with something else, as well. The majority of addictions have links to other mental illnesses, such as depression and ADHD. Self-destructive behaviour often extends further than alcoholism, and may involve having sex with multiple partners, illicit drug use, and suicidal tendencies.

Watch for Addictive Behaviours before and After : Many teens will drink themselves to sleep in the days before rehab, almost as if they are making the most of it before they quit. It is also not uncommon for addictions to appear again even after rehab. As a parent, you need to remain vigilant and step in when these behaviours surface again. Rehab is only part of the process. It is not the ultimate cure.

Teen-Focused Options : Teens have to deal with raging hormones and the fact that they are changing. Extreme feelings are common. This means they have a range of issues that have to be confronted in the right environment. Do not enrol them in any old rehab programme. They need something dedicated to them and them alone. Teen-focused rehab facilities will increase their chances of successfully beating their addictions. By following these tips as a parent, you can help your teen in their journey to becoming clean and sober.

Smart Ways to Be Successful During Drug Rehab

Drug rehab clinics are there to eliminate a self-destructive lifestyle. When taken advantage of, they can lead you into a better tomorrow. This does not mean you can sit around and do nothing and expect it to work. You have to put your best foot forward to maximise your rehabilitation stint. This is why we are going to go through some of the smart ways you can be more successful in rehab centers.

Pick the Right One : How effective rehab is depends on the centre you decide to go with. Aim to choose one that dedicates itself to your age group. You would not send a teenager to a rehabilitation clinic that caters to older men with addictions that have lasted for decades. Everyone has different needs and everyone needs a different treatment programme. You can find lots of information about the various treatment centres in the UK online.

Participate in the Activities : Only a small portion of your day will actually be taken up by counselling and other such treatment methods. The rest of the day will be there to spend in whatever way you like. Treatment facilities realise this is where so many people struggle to function. They have lots of free time and nothing to do with it. This is where so many people turn to drugs. Primarily, the way to beat addiction is to reduce the amount of time you spend idle.

This is why there will always be a range of activities on offer. Increase your chances of beating your addiction by participating in as many activities as possible. Eat up your free time and indulge in a new hobby. It is what you will have to do when you get out into the real world again.

Connect with Others : Drugs and alcohol often take hold when people are not able to express themselves to others in a sober state of mind. Many people feel alone and angry, which is why they feel they have to escape from reality through substance abuse. Rehab centres will involve getting together with all sorts of people from different backgrounds and different life experiences. Counsellors always encourage people to build support networks during their stay. Even if these support networks dissolve when you leave rehab, they will serve you well in the meantime.

Understand that formal counselling sessions are just a part of everything that goes on in these facilities. Some of the greatest work happens when the patients are alone with each other. It is not uncommon to see people talking about deeply personal experiences with a patient before they take it to a professional. It will also help you develop those vital social skills you need to build support networks in your local area. The help of others will ultimately lead you to success.

Overall, making the most of drug rehab is about engaging in the experience. You cannot expect to succeed unless you are willing to let go of your insecurities and participate in what is on offer. Do so and you are much more likely to leave your drug addiction behind forever.

How to Improve Your Self-Esteem after Drug Rehab

Any drug and alcohol rehab clinics will rip into your innermost feelings during your stay there. When you leave, you have gone through a traumatic experience that has struck at the heart of your very being. It is important to remember that you are likely feeling low by this point. Now your goal is not just to beat your addiction. It has to raise your self-esteem. People who feel good about themselves generally will not engage in self-destructive habits. We look at some of the ways people can improve their self-esteem when they leave rehab clinics.

Get Used to Low Self-Esteem : It seems incredibly counterproductive, but the truth is we always expect too much of ourselves. You will have low self-esteem when you take on the real world again. This is something you need to accept. Rehab has broken you down and given you the chance to rebuild yourself again. You need to build that self-esteem continuously over a long period.

Pace Yourself : If you try to take on too much at once, you are always going to have low self-esteem because you are reducing your chances of success. Pace yourself by writing down small and manageable goals every day. Over time, you are going to see progress and this is going to build up your self-esteem. As time goes on, you will be able to beat greater and greater challenges.

Turn a Negative into a Positive : When people leave drug rehab clinics, they find it easy to look at the enormity of a problem. It does not take much for them to find a piece of negativity, and this is not going to do anything for your self-esteem. Try to get into the habit of turning a negative into a positive. Think of something you know is negative and practice finding the positive in it. Rather than complaining about how often you were tempted to drink today, look at the fact you did not drink today instead. Ignore the fact it was so hard to do.

Celebrate Every Success : Even if it was something as small as saying no to going out with your friends who you know take drugs, celebrate every success. You do not have to wait until you are completely clean for you to celebrate. Treat yourself to a favourite meal or something nice that you want to buy from the shops. This way your mind associates success with something good. It shows you are a success, and this is going to build your self-esteem.

Stay Active and Keep Moving : Success improves confidence in every area of your life. This is why we always recommend you keep moving and staying active. It can apply to any area of your life that you want. You can apply it to getting a new job, beginning an exercise programme at the gym, or spending more time with friends and family members. The goal is to distract yourself from your cravings and to make progress in the areas of life that matter to you. It will make you feel like a worthwhile human being again, which leads to further increases in your self-esteem.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Alcoholism Treatment

Treatment for an alcohol addiction is always something that is going to be traumatic. The fact is that many of the obstacles are made by ourselves. We have the power to create them and we have the power to break them. During alcohol and drug rehab, you need to act if you are going to make the most of it. Let uslook at some of the ways you can get the most out of this experience and break your addiction.

Beating the Denial Demons : You have to accept that your alcoholism is a problem. So many people who enter alcohol rehab continue to deny that they have a problem. This is why we recommend everyone who visits rehab should do so voluntarily. They should not have been bullied into it by a family member or their friends because they will not respond to the treatment. If you are still defiant about your current lot in life, this is essentially a barrier. You are not going to take the treatment seriously if you do not believe you have a problem. Honestly, look at yourself in the mirror and learn to understand that you need help and you are negatively effecting everyone around you because of your addiction.

Strengthen Your Motivation : Nobody can force you to stay within counselling sessions and listen to what people are saying. You are free to walk away whenever you like. This is why you need to strengthen your motivation to improve. When the conversations get difficult and drive close to home, you need to be motivated to not walk away and to confront your demons. There are a number of ways you can strengthen your motivation. Some people hold onto inspiring words. They may write down the words a family member says to them. They may also hold a picture of someone close to them. Just find something that inspires you and keep it with you when times get tough.

Include Your Family : Family dynamics are important in the development of any addiction. This does not mean it is the family’s fault. All it means is the family dynamics can play a part in fostering an addiction. Bring the family into the treatment process. They need to know how you feel and where you think your drive to drink comes from. Even if it is nothing to do with your family, you need a support network. By bringing them into your recovery, you can create that support network that is going to drive you to greater and greater heights.

Work with the Program : Anyone can sit in the middle of a counselling session and listen to what people are saying. You are there, but this does not mean you are really taking the messages on-board. Make the most of what rehab clinics have to offer by actively engaging in the programme. Make a point of participating as much as you possibly can. If you are willing to indulge in the programme during every waking moment of the day, you are far more likely to leave rehab with the tools needed to comprehensively defeat your addiction demons.

Drug Rehabilitation Tips for Teens

Drug and alcohol rehabilitation is difficult at the best of times. For a teenager, these negative experiences are compounded because they are at such a tender age. They have not fully developed and it can often mean they experience a far greater range of extreme emotions. This is why teens must enter dedicated drug and alcohol rehab clinics. They need specialist treatment.

As a parent, you must always stand by them and participate in their treatment. You have the power to do a lot of good. In this article, we are going to go through some of the most important drug rehabilitation tips for teens.

Building Self-Esteem : For someone so young to go into drug rehab clinics, it often exhibits a feeling off failure. It leads to a lack of confidence and low self-esteem. The key to success is building self-esteem back up again. Yes, they will receive counselling in an individual and group setting, but they also need help from you the parent. Parents should promote the positive qualities of the teen and keep in regular touch. They need to realise people love them and they have not failed because they have landed in rehab.

Be Active in Support Groups : There is a reason why teens are placed with each other in rehab. Only teens can understand other teens. You cannot expect to be able to connect with them on a deeper level as an adult. They are growing up and they have all experienced different things. Teens should be encouraged to be active in support groups. By talking to other teens, they can build that support network that is vital to their success.

Participate in Activities : Always participate in the activities on offer. Teens should see them as a chance to break out of their shells and distract them from the pain of going cold turkey. Again, it is also a chance to connect with people who hold similar interests. By indulging in something exciting now, they get the chance to develop a hobby that can take them away from drugs. Part of the reason why people develop addictions in the first place is because of boredom. They had nothing to distract them.

Stop Defying the System : Nobody can force someone to take therapy and rehabilitation. Rehab centres need their inpatients to cooperate with them. This is why it is important to make sure this is really what the teen wants. If they are defiant and moody, the chances are they are not going to complete the programme and they will experience a relapse at some point.

Be Open about Your Feelings : Teens need to understand the importance of giving themselves over to counsellors and the various techniques used. Parents need to instil in them the belief that it is not a form of weakness to step aside and speak about what they are thinking. Openness is the only way a counsellor can get to the root of an addiction problem. This is often the most difficult part of the rehabbing process. However, by managing to overcome it, teens drastically increase their chances of success.

The Truth - What You Need To Stop Doing If You Love an Alcoholic

Loving an alcoholic is one of the most noble and difficult things you could ever do. However, the truth is it is going to take a toll on you. It can even make you question whether you are doing the right thing. It does not matter if your loved one is in alcohol rehab left or not, you need to manage your own emotional health at the same time. Here are some of the things you need to stop doing if you love an alcoholic.

Blaming Yourself : It is easy to blame yourself for someone else's problems. You question whether you have done something that drives them to drink in the first place. It is even worse when the other person claims it is your fault they drink. You need to take this on the chin and believe that it is the alcohol talking. You have done nothing wrong, and you should ignore anything they say whilst they are drunk.

Controlling It : Never try to control someone else's drinking. You will run yourself into the ground trying to do it. Your loved one needs a professional drug rehab centre for something like this. The chances are each time you try to control it they will resist and it will only convince them to keep on drinking. Your best option is to let them go and keep trying to convince them to seek help.

Curing It : Even if your loved one is willing to let you help them cure their alcoholism, you must not do this. Helping them can cause additional medical complaints that you will not be able to handle. Are you going to have the power to control someone who is caught in the middle of a relapse? The chances are you will not. Never try to cure alcoholism. Point them in the right direction for where they can get the help they really need.

Don't Accept It : We have discussed the importance of not trying to act against someone who drinks heavily. What we also need to reinforce is that you should not accept abusive behaviour or the fact they want to drink themselves to death. Do not lose hope with them and do not give up on them. Keep trying to convince them to find help. If the relationship does become abusive, you need to consider yourself first. You always have choices available to you and you should not feel obligated to stick around if someone does become abusive. Keep trying to help them, but do not put yourself in harm's way in the process.

Enabling Them : Loved ones often fall victim to enabling the ones they love. Rehab clinics commonly have to educate families on how they should behave around someone who is afflicted with alcoholism. There are many ways you can enable someone. It can be as simple as giving them money to go to the shops to buy alcohol or as serious as actively supplying them with alcohol. You should not actively try to fight someone away from alcohol, but this does not mean you have to start giving it to him or her as a gift. Enabling acts are not done out of love. They are done out of fear and self-delusion. Do not inadvertently become a supporter of alcoholism.

Factors Rehab Centres Take into Account When Deciding if a Programme is Right for a Client

Alcohol rehab clinics are all different because they often specialise. They deal with a range of different patient types. It is impossible to take every sort of alcoholic and put them in together. You cannot have a binge drinking college student together with someone who has been drinking for thirty years. Both these individuals require radically different treatment programmes. To give you some more information on the right rehab clinics for you, we have listed some of the main factors rehab centres take into account when deciding if someone is right for one of their programmes.

How Severe Is The Condition? : Some centres are designed exclusively for people with extremely mild conditions. These people are here voluntarily and decided to come because they wanted to stop an addiction before it really took hold. In most cases, these will be outpatient centres. Someone who has had an addiction for a number of years will have far more complex needs than someone who is simply worrying about a few too many binge-drinking sessions with friends.

The Age : Age is crucial because it will mean the difference between someone who can go cold turkey and someone who requires alcohol tapering. Furthermore, rehab centres want to match you with people of your own age. It is easier for some to recover when they are with people who understand them. A retiree will not be able to provide mutual support as well to someone who is in his or her twenties.

Rehab Intensity : Some programmes are more intense than others are. This is in accordance with the speed of the recovery programme. It also depends on how quickly someone needs to lose his or her alcohol addiction to preserve his or her health. There are drug rehab clinics that are considered ‘last chance saloon’. In these situations, this would warrant an extremely intense rehab programme regulating every hour of the day. Not everyone needs this level of treatment. Some people need a couple of hours of counselling daily and nothing more.

Medical History : Medical history is crucial when considering the right centre for someone to recover in. What many forget is that people rarely come into treatment with alcoholism and alcoholism alone. It is not uncommon for alcohol addictions to be paired with drug addictions. Furthermore, there are often serious medical side effects of alcoholism that have to be taken into account. Treatment centres are essentially like hospitals. They have to monitor other conditions and provide tailored programmes to help manage any other conditions alongside the steady removal of alcohol from the system.

A rehab centre has to be properly equipped to give you the best possible treatment. For example, someone with serious cirrhosis of the liver will need a course of antibiotics and drugs to coincide with their rehabilitation programme. If the centre does not have access to these drugs and medical professionals, it will not be suitable for them. Overall, remember it is not just about whether you are right for a specific centre. It is whether the centre is right for you. Make sure you do your research before making your initial enquiries.

Top Tips for Staying Alcohol Free After Rehab

Many people mistakenly believe that the journey to becoming addiction free ends when you leave alcohol or drug rehab. This is not the case because there are always triggers that remain in your mind. What you need to understand is that even someone who has stayed sober for decades has the potential for relapse. The difference between them and someone at the beginning of their journey is they know how to handle triggers.

After you leave rehab, you will still experience triggers. This is why we have teamed up with http://www.middlegate.co.uk/ to provide you with some top tips for staying alcohol free after rehab.

Keep Busy at All Times : Always stay busy. If you are not doing anything, the only thing you have to do is drink, and your mind is going to tell you this over and over again. The busiest people do not have enough time to think about alcohol or starting to drink again. This is why alcohol rehab will explain the benefits of getting a job, spending time with friends, and finding a hobby you can dedicate your time to.

Stay in Good Health : Believe it or not, other physical issues can drive people to drink. This is why clinics often prescribe courses that include exercise. People who are tired, hungry, or lonely are more likely to drink than those who are in good health. You need to take care of yourself if you are going to have the mental strength needed to beat this alcohol addiction.

Slipping Away : So you have relapsed and you had a drink of beer? You are rightly feeling angry with yourself, but this does not have to become full-blown abuse again. Get back on the horse and pretend that it never happened. This is not a situation where you have to be an addict or completely sober. Even the strongest people have relapsed before. Be honest with yourself about what happened, talk to a professional about it, and come back to your relapse prevention training.

Talk about your Emotions : Your emotions are not something to be locked away. Not talking about yourself can lead you back into the arms of addiction. This is one of the reasons why people start to drink heavily in the first place. Develop open communication lines with your family members and friends. Always make sure you have someone to talk to.

Think About Using Avoidance Strategies : Try to avoid triggers in the real world. Alcohol is particularly difficult to deal with because it is targeted at us on TV, on billboards, and in magazines. It can be as simple as changing the channel when an advert comes on or changing your commute so you do not pass the local bar. Little things like this are great for avoiding temptation. You are not avoiding your problems by doing this. You are doing the right thing by dealing with potential trigger points. Smart people will not go looking for trouble by exposing themselves to temptation. They will look at where temptation is and turn the other way. Doing this gives you the best chance of success.

Self Detoxing for People Who Abuse Alcohol

Someone who abuses alcohol is putting both their physical and emotional at health. Unfortunately, we cannot all afford to get into rehab. If you are using one of the NHS alcohol rehab clinics, the chances are you are going to be put on a waiting list. This does not mean you have to keep drinking until you get the help you need. On the contrary, you should start working towards your recovery right now. Here are some useful pieces of information for people who want to start self-detoxing immediately.

Taper or Cold Turkey? : You can quit completely and attempt to cut alcohol from your life from the beginning or start with tapering. If you have been addicted to alcohol for years, cold turkey is dangerous and can cause more damage. In some cases, it can even kill you. Instead, you should opt for the tapering option. Once you have decided what you want to do, write your goals down clearly. Be honest about what you want to accomplish and put your written goal in a place where you can easily see it, such as on the fridge.

Make it a Priority : Detoxing for anyone is painful. Clear your schedule of any major responsibilities so you do not distract yourself from this process. It is going to need your full and proper attention. This is why drug rehab clinics demand patients focus everything on their recovery. Part of the success is in completely withdrawing patients from the real world first to accommodate a successful recovery programme.

Look for a Mentor : By mentor, we mean someone who will support you emotionally when things go wrong. Forgive us for being pessimistic, but it is a universal fact that something will go wrong at some point. You will hit a wall where you are tempted to go back to your old ways. A mentor does not have to be a professional. It needs to be someone who is willing to dedicate the time to listen to you. A close friend or family should be enough. Make sure they are willing to do this. If you cannot find someone, avoid the self-detox and go the professional route instead.

Obey Your Body : Your body knows best and you are likely to experience feelings you have not experienced fully in years. Listen to it and obey. If you are hungry, eat. If you are feeling angry or lonely, confront these feelings. You have been burying them in the past, and now is the time to confront them. In most cases, talking about them will be enough. The only want you need to ignore is the addiction want.

A Trick to Dealing with Pain : As we already mentioned, you will experience pain. Rehab centres have a range of ways to deal with pain, but the chances are you do not have access to them in the home. A smart trick for dealing with the pain is to take a hot shower. The water on your back is remarkably effective at masking it. It also keeps you busy, which is another reason to distract yourself from drink using it.

5 Alcohol Rehab Tips for Success

Alcohol rehab is never an easy proposition. It involves breaking down barriers that have been built up over the course of many years. The chances are you have looked at alcohol and drug rehab clinics in the past. Whilst you will always get the help of qualified professionals at these locations, you still have to play your part in your rehabilitation. In this article, we are going to provide you with five useful tips for success in rehab clinics. Read on to find out more!

1.Set Little Goals : If your goal is to wake up one morning and stay sober, this is never going to happen. You will only overwhelm yourself with the enormity of the task. No, you have to set yourself smaller goals and accomplish them over an extended period. These little goals could simply involve not visiting the local shop that day, or purposely staying away from the alcohol section. Little things like this can lead to big changes throughout your life.

2.Consolidate Your Support Network : Few alcoholics have ever managed to beat their addictions without outside help. There is nothing wrong with this. It is not a sign of weakness and it is not a burden on others. They are there to help you. They want to see you come out of your addiction as a new person. Your support network should be a circle of friends and family members, along with professionals who have experience in beating addictions. Always make sure you have someone available to see both in-person and over the phone.

3.Find a Source of Inspiration : Inspire yourself and change your mind-set by finding some source of inspiration. This could be a picture of someone you look up to or something from your childhood. It is designed as an anchor point. Anchor yourself to a place where drugs and alcohol do not exist. It is about knowing where you are going during your darkest moments. A source of inspiration will always help you to combat negative thoughts.

4.You Don't Want It : Get used to the idea that you will not succeed all the time. Sometimes you will relapse emotionally. You will want to go back to your old ways again. Alcohol rehab clinics deal with this all the time. They may be relapses, but these relapses are also an emotional relapse. You will not always pick up the bottle again, but you will start to question whether this is right for you. Prepare for it now to increase your chances of success.

5.Rehab isn't the End : Do not make the mistake of seeing rehabilitation as the end of the process. Alcoholism is a lifelong struggle that you will always have to deal with. There will always be the risk of you relapsing again. Moreover, this is not something to be afraid about. Make sure you get local referrals to support groups that can step in when you need it. You can get a list of these from your GP. Even if you do not need them, the knowledge that they are there if you run into trouble is an extremely powerful recovery technique.