If your alcohol addiction has reached a point where you require help to stop drinking, you may be thinking that an NHS Alcohol Rehab is the answer for you. However, do you really know what happens when you attend an NHS Alcohol Rehab? What happens once you are discharged from an NHS Alcohol Rehab? And will an NHS Alcohol Rehab really provide you with a firm basis to maintain lasting sobriety? These, amongst many other questions, are ones that you may want answers to.

Firstly, it is important to understand that the NHS does not have NHS Alcohol Rehabs as such: what they are able to offer is funding for a private alcohol rehab clinic, a detoxification or outpatient treatment with the NHS services. Referrals and funding for private residential rehab are reserved only for those with chronic alcohol dependency and, even then, the waiting lists are lengthy. Also, those who have incurred a criminal sentence as a result of alcohol abuse may find a period of enforced residential rehab passed as part of a non-custodial sentence. NHS Alcohol Rehab is only available to those that have already tried various other treatment methods on the NHS that have not been successful. Part funding for an NHS Alcohol Rehab is available at some treatment centres but, to gain funding, the individual will also have to undergo a mean test.

Aside from the difficulties faced in gaining access to NHS Alcohol Rehab, there is also the question of will it work? If you are fortunate enough to be funded for a place at a private rehabilitation centre by the NHS, then your chances of success are good, provided you are funded for an appropriate period of time to complete your treatment there. The likelihood is that you will only be funded for a detoxification by the NHS at an NHS facility, or at home, especially in the first instance. Some areas can provide inpatient drug / alcohol detox within an NHS hospital but the beds are few and the treatment rarely successful. Addiction Helper believes that addiction to alcohol is a two-fold illness – one of the mind and of the body. In our opinion, removing the substance from the body rarely suffices to long-lasting sobriety. Private rehabs can provide treatment that isn’t catered for under NHS Alcohol Rehab services. In addition to removing the substance from the body, they also tackle the crux of the problem which centres in the individual’s mind. NHS Alcohol Rehab services are only able to provide treatment for this once the person has been detoxed, and within a community setting. In an ideal world, there would be an NHS Alcohol Rehab service that provided both these treatments within an inpatient setting. Sadly, that is not the case and, if this is the treatment that you need, then private funding or gaining access to NHS funding are your only options. If finances and time are a problem for you, Addiction Helper can advise you on the best course of action to take, according to your needs. The most important thing is that you get the treatment that you require, and within a reasonable period of time before it is too late.