Alcohol Rehab

Many people might not even realise the person has an alcohol problem. They may routinely sneak alcohol into work in their coffee mug, may be drunk at a family meal or under the influence whilst driving a car or attending their childs school event. Their body may even require some amount of alcohol on a consistent basis to avoid dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Given the opportunity, and this most often occurs at home at night, the functioning alcoholic will get completely intoxicated before struggling into bed and starting a new day of working and drinking the next morning. The problem lies in the fact they are still functioning. Ironically, their success is a curse that leads to their problem going untreated.
Functioning alcoholics are often heard to deny that there even is a problem or argue that they are not hurting anyone but themselves so what is the problem? It has been argued that some are even proud to be functioning alcoholics; and commend themselves on their ability to balance their alcohol intake with the rest of their life, and have no intention of stopping. Lying and hiding alcohol become a daily part of their life.
The problem lies not only in the physical damage that alcoholism does to the body, but the emotional damage it does the people close to the alcoholic. In addition to this, the functioning alcoholic can affect those who they are not close to; an employer with a less productive employee than a sober one, or an over-the-limit driver with the potential of ruining lives with an accident.
It is not just the violent, open alcoholics who have a negative impact on their family. A functioning alcoholic, although in denial of this, will not carry out their duties as well at home, and their alcoholism often sacrifices a close relationship with their spouse or children as they become emotionally withdrawn. Putting aside the financial strain that alcoholism can cause, the alcoholics partner often finds that they are fulfilling the parental role of two people around the house. Drinking to excess does affect everyone close to the alcoholic, though they are often blind to this point. Someone who sees nothing wrong with their dependence on alcohol is not looking closely enough.
It is often extremely difficult for friends, loved ones and colleagues to gain leverage to convince the functioning alcoholic to get help. Interventions are not so effective when the consequences are not as obvious as the loss of a house, regular violence or the breakup of a marriage. A conversation with a functioning alcoholic persuading them to take help would need to focus on the physical damage to themselves and the emotional damage to others. They need to be aware that one day their luck will run out.
At The Haynes Clinic we follow the 12 Step programmes which were originally proposed by alcoholics anonymous (AA) as a method of recovery from alcoholism. This is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion or other behavioural problems. In summary it involves:
1.admitting that you cannot control your addiction or compulsion; your life is a mess and you have a problem
2.realising you need help and you can get it from somewhere outside yourself
3.asking for help
4.examining past mistakes and looking at positive and negative aspects of your personality
5.admitting these mistakes and characteristics to someone else
6.changing the more negative aspects of your character
7.
8.making a list of people you have harmed
9.making amends for these where possible
10.learning to live a new life with a new code of behaviour on a continuous basis
11.looking at ways to improve your relationships with people
12.helping others who suffer from the same addictions or compulsions; carrying the message and doing your best
The Twelve Steps are now used by other support groups such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Cocaine Anonymous (CA). The original Twelve Steps as published by Alcoholics Anonymous are as follows:
1.We admitted we were powerless over alcoholthat our lives had become unmanageable.
2.Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3.Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4.Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5.Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6.Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character
7.Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8.Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9.Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10.Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11.Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12.Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
At The Haynes Clinic, most people will be taken through the first 5 Steps during their stay with us. However, we take each individual through at a pace to suit their own personal circumstances some people will not get as far as this; others will progress further. We focus on our clients physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.
The Twelve Step Programme is NOT a religious programme. Many people with addictions are spiritually depleted, feeling worthless and demoralised. The Twelve Step Programme is a way of helping people to put the past behind them, make the changes in their behaviour and life that need to be made, and living life on a solid basis that can bring happiness. It has been proven time and time again to benefit alcoholics and addicts. There is no other known way with greater success.