Alcohol Addiction

For many, a healthy relationship with alcohol is a source of pleasure and enjoyment, an incentive or a reward.

For many others, though, the relationship with alcohol leads to negative consequences to our emotional wellbeing, our physical and mental health, and our relationships with ourselves and our loved ones.

The distinction between alcoholism and alcohol dependence is often blurred. Mostly, the line can be drawn when someone finds it hard to stop drinking after one or two drinks, and negative consequences have been, or risk being, experienced.

Do I have a problem with alcohol?

Addiction to alcohol is progressive, and it can begin at a ‘compulsive’ stage where we start to become aware that our drinking is causing problems. However, despite these problems we simply appear unable to cut back.

We may soon find that more alcohol is needed to have the desired effect, and at this stage a change in our tolerance levels occurs.

Wanting to use alcohol begins to take more and more space up in our heads, maybe we begin to think about drinking much earlier in the day, or planning a binge, or a reward to get through a challenge, or even for prolonging a pleasurable experience. This is where we begin to obsess about alcohol.

At this point, our relationship with alcohol becomes impaired, and we find it difficult to stop, or put the drink down for a period of time, particularly without feeling withdrawal symptoms (including cravings or urges).

Around this time, it may have been identified by loved ones that there is a problem and we begin to drink in secret. Maybe we start to lie about the amount we drink to cover up, or we hide it. Drinking alone becomes more appealing as we start to experience feelings of shame and guilt.

Usage increases further, and the relationship with alcohol begins to seep out into other areas of life. Perhaps it impacts on our relationships, or our careers, or our finances, or our morals and ethics, or our health further.

Despite increasing consequences that become more difficult to hide, we continue to use alcohol, simply because once we have started it becomes too difficult to stop and we lose control of sensible and healthy choices.

Alcohol Treatment At Strong Hope

Depending on the level of alcohol dependency it may be necessary to initiate a medical detox before embarking on the psychotherapy part of the alcohol addiction programme – but there is no reason why the two cannot operate in tandem once someone is physically well enough to engage. Through the alcohol addiction programme clients will begin in looking at the underlying causes of their alcohol addiction, which may be related to a genetic pre-disposition, individual life traumas, or early attachment issues. It is vital that these underlying issues are identified and addressed as they are important in preventing relapse.

We explore these through a range of talking and non-talking therapies so that clients understand why they do the things that they do and equally importantly then learn new skills and coping strategies to do things differently in order to remove the need to rely on alcohol on discharge. This we do through individual 1:1 work and group work for those who prefer.

For those clients choosing a 12-Step model of treatment this will be delivered alongside access to external 12-Step meetings on the island.

One aspect of our programme that is key to recovery is for clients to learn to experience “joy” and “pleasure” without alcohol once more. We do this through adventure therapy and using the natural resources that the island has to offer, and as such clients can begin to de-align pleasure from substance.

All clients work to a daily schedule that is tailored for the individual in relation to their treatment plan and consists of a balanced programme of psychotherapy, complementary therapies, adventure therapy, health/nutrition and fitness. Clients will be expected to work on therapeutic assignments based on issues that are identified as part of their treatment, which they do outside of the core face-to-face hours, and present these in their sessions with their therapist. As clients come to the end of their treatment they will work with their primary therapist and therapy team to produce a relapse prevention plan, which Strong Hope will support through the aftercare programme that we offer.

Each client will have an experienced and fully trained primary addiction therapist who will support and coach them throughout their stay even though the client may engage with other members of the therapy team according to need.

Programme Duration

Strong Hope offers a range of alcohol programmes from just 14 days up to 42 days depending on client availability and need. For those clients staying 28 days or more we also offer an inclusive family programme towards the end of the client’s stay.