Who Will Look After Your Kids While You Are In Rehab?

If you have been struggling with alcohol addiction for a long time and have made the decision to get help, you will probably be advised to enter a residential treatment programme. This type of programme has a high success rate because of the intensive treatment provided. However, for single parents, the decision to get inpatient treatment can be a difficult one, especially if you are worried about who will look after your children.

You may be aware that it is in yours and your children’s best interests to seek help for your addiction, but you may feel as though you are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Your addiction may be ruining your life and having a detrimental effect on your children but you may feel as though leaving them even for a short period could be traumatic. So what are your options?

Think Carefully

Although you may be worried about the effect it will have on your kids, the reality is that leaving them for a while will undoubtedly be less traumatic than them continuing to live with your addiction. Left untreated, your addiction will simply get worse and could have a devastating impact on your health. Imagine how traumatic it would be for your children if they were to lose you to this illness. It is better to get help now than to have them live with the consequences further down the road.

Family Help

If you want to get better then you will need to think about childcare arrangements for the time you will be in rehab. You may be worried about asking family members for help, but you might be surprised at their willingness to lend a hand. It may be that the other parent will be willing to take the children until you are well enough to have them back, or maybe their grandparents on either side could help.

If you have siblings or close friends, they could all take turns helping with looking after the children for you. At the end of the day, they will want to make sure you get the help you need and will more than likely want to do all they can to make this a reality.

Foster Care
If you do not have family members or close friends to call upon to help take care of your children, then foster care may be an option. This may not be something that you want to consider, but you may have little choice if you want to get better. It is important to realise that foster carers in the UK have been very carefully vetted before being approved. Their backgrounds have been thoroughly checked, and you can rest assured that your children will be in safe hands. Both carers and social workers will look them after during their time in care; in many cases, foster care is the perfect solution.

In almost every situation, it is preferable for children in care to return to their birth families, so the foster carers and social workers will work closely with you to ensure that your kids are returned to you as soon as you are well enough to take them back.

Outpatient Treatment

If you really do not like the idea of putting your children in care and have no one else to take care of them, it may be worth looking for a good outpatient programme where you can attend therapy during the day while your children are at school or nursery.

For help and information on the best treatment centres for your requirements, call Middlegate today. We can provide free, independent advice as well as assessments and referrals based on your individual circumstances. We are here to help, and your wellbeing is our priority.

If you need help in the london area, then please contact us for information on the latest information on places in london alcohol rehabs as well as greater lodnon drug rehabs, Through our alcohol rehab clinic.

This article originally published at Middlegate Blog here

How Alcohol Addiction Can Destroy Lives

Alcohol addiction is a major problem in the UK. The global recession has led to a number of people suffering financial hardship and facing growing amounts of debt. This financial strain can be hugely stressful, and, therefore, many individuals are self-medicating with substances such as drugs and alcohol.

What may have started as a glass of wine at the end of a long day could have developed into a bottle of wine every night when the kids are in bed. Some will find that they spend much of their waking hours either drinking or thinking about when they can get their next drink.

Once they have become tolerant to the effects of alcohol, they will require more and more to experience the same feelings; this is when addiction has become a problem. Many people do not even realise they have developed a dependency on alcohol until they try to give it up and start suffering withdrawal symptoms.

Why Do People Drink Alcohol

Alcohol addiction affects individuals of all ages, regardless of gender, background, or race. There are various reasons why people drink alcohol, but it is a socially acceptable vice in most countries. Most drink alcohol in moderation, but there are a number who drink alcohol to excess and develop addictions.

Alcohol addiction occurs when someone loses control over the amount of alcohol he or she drinks. Those affected become dependent on alcohol and cannot function without it. Many drink to blot out the pain of a previous experience or loss. Others drink because it helps them cope with the stresses of everyday life.

How Alcohol Addiction Affects Family Life

As well as having a detrimental effect on the person with the addiction, alcohol addiction also negatively affects their family members. Living with an alcoholic can be extremely stressful, with many family members admitting that they are living in constant fear of how their addicted loved one will behave. They may also be fearful of conflict as alcoholics can often become aggressive and violent.

Children of alcoholics may experience feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, and exclusion. They may be embarrassed that their mum or dad acts the way they do and will avoid bringing friends home for fear their situation will be discovered. These children are often neglected and have to learn to fend for themselves from a very young age. This can cause numerous problems in later life.

Alcohol addiction can also cause a number of health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, infertility, pancreatitis and some forms of cancer. Those with severe alcohol addictions can do irreversible damage to their liver and are unable to get a liver transplant because of their addiction.

Home life is often damaged beyond repair too, with many marriage breakdowns resulting from one spouse’s addiction. Those who suffer from an addiction may become self-absorbed and will have little time for others, including their loved ones. They may neglect relationships with their spouse or partner and with their children.

Alcohol addiction can affect a person’s ability to work and, therefore, financial hardship typically follows, leaving the family in an even more precarious position. It is not uncommon for family life to completely break down because of one person’s addiction to alcohol.

Help is Available

It is important that those with an addiction to alcohol get the help they need as soon as possible. Middlegate is here to provide free advice and support to those who need it. We work with addicts and their families to ensure they get access to the treatments that could turn their lives around. If you or a loved one needs help for addiction, contact Middlegate today.

If you need help in the london area, then please contact us for information on the latest information on places in london alcohol rehabs as well as greater lodnon drug rehabs, Through our alcohol rehab clinic.


This article originally published at Middlegate Blog here