How do I know if I need alcohol rehab?

People typically come into alcohol rehab when their relationship with alcohol has become unhealthy. Some of the signs of alcohol addiction include:

The need to drink increasing amounts of alcohol (tolerance)
Inability to control the amount of alcohol consumed, with regular loss of control
A compulsion to drink alcohol despite negative consequences on health, mental health, social life, relationships and finances
Repeated relapses – trying but failing to stop drinking
Associating with other drinkers over family and friends
Setting aside responsibilities to drink
Drinking alone regularly
Increased isolation from loved ones
Spending more time drinking and recovering than sober

According to Alcohol Change, only 18% of dependent drinkers in England are accessing the care they need.

How long is the treatment for alcohol dependence?

A residential alcohol rehab programme typically last for 28 days, but this may vary depending on your specific needs. Overcoming alcohol addiction is a lifelong commitment and you may require therapy for months or even years. Delamere develops a future-proof plan for all guests leaving their care and 12 months of free aftercare support to ensure lasting recovery.

What to expect in alcohol rehab

Alcohol rehab generally begins with a medically assisted detox to help your body overcome the physical and mental addiction to alcohol. You will be prescribed medication to help you withdraw safely and continuously monitored to keep you comfortable. This usually takes place in the first week of an alcohol rehab programme. Following this, you will be assigned a focal therapist who will help you make sense of your addiction in one-to-one counselling and group therapy sessions.

Rehab programmes at Delamere in Cheshire include:

Initial assessment to understand your personal needs
7 to 10 day medically assisted alcohol detox
One-to-one counselling and group therapy sessions
Expert fitness and nutrition programmes
Yoga, mindfulness, breathwork and meditation
Art, music and equine therapy

What are the stages of treatment?

There are three distinct stages of treatment during alcohol rehab at Delamere in Cheshire:

Stage 1: Stop

The initial phase at Delamere, which we call ‘Stop’, attends to the physical aspects of recovery and provides a light introduction to therapy and addiction education. This phase is about helping guests ‘press the pause button’, stabilise, and settle into our environment. Coming into treatment calls for a huge amount of courage, acceptance and humility; we welcome guests with compassion and celebrate their decision to seek help. For guests requiring a clinical detox, this is managed by our 24-hour medical team. As the addictive fog starts to lift and guests start to feel physically more robust, we introduce light therapy and core assignment work, which prepares participants for later modules. Managed separately from other phases, Stop tends to last around 7 days for alcohol and 14 days for opiates. In their first week, guests are cared for predominantly by our nursing colleagues and are mentored by our Recovery and Wellbeing teams. Our dedicated Stop programme co-ordinator tutors each guest through their first few days.

Stage 2: Start

Once your alcohol detox has been safely completed and your body is free from alcohol, guests join our Start programme, which tends to last 14 days. This second phase focuses on the more psychological aspects of addiction. In short, what is underpinning a problem with alcohol. During the Start phase of alcohol rehab at Delamere, you can expect a combination of workshops, interactive groups, one-to-one therapy and somatic release work.

Processing the work that you will be doing is important and we call on traditional and innovative evidence-based therapies such as dynamic meditation, body scanning, forest bathing, breathwork, drama and ritual. Every activity we offer is hardwired to an evidence base and everything we do is anchored to outcomes.

Stage 3: Grow

Once your stay at Delamere is complete, it is time to return home and start rebuilding your life and repairing relationships. For many this means going back home to family, returning back to work and living a full and busy life, without alcohol getting in the way.

During your time at Delamere, you will have gained tools that will help you to maintain and protect your sobriety. It’s important, however, that you are able to stay anchored to recovery and the people that have helped you along the way. Delamere’s growth stage is about future proofing your investment by staying in touch and connecting regularly with the continued support we offer at Delamere.