Alcohol Addiction in the UK: Why Choose a Rehab Abroad

The Stages of Alcoholism

The pathway to alcoholism can be a short, straight road or a long, winding one. It takes different routes for many people, with a range of different stops along the way. It may start with a divorce or childhood trauma. It may include a death in the family or losing a valued job.

Whatever vistas and scenery the road to alcoholism may pass along the way, there are a few destinations that budding alcoholics always visit. Let’s take a closer look at the stages leading up to full-blown alcoholism.

Stage 1: Occasional Consumption/Binge Drinking

The first stage of alcoholism is usually fairly innocuous. It involves drinking with friends or just experimenting with alcohol. You have full control over how much alcohol you consume, but you may decide to drink more regularly if you like the taste or resulting “buzz.”

Stage 2: Abusing Alcohol

During this stage, you may start drinking more frequently and in larger amounts. In this phase, people often start consuming more than the recommended amount at regular intervals. 

Alcohol may also become a crutch used to solve emotional and mental problems. For instance, you may use it to stop you from feeling negative emotions like stress and anxiety. You may also use it to help you feel happier.

Often, this leads to a thought pattern where you reach for alcohol as a solution rather than dealing with the underlying problems.

Stage 3: Problem Drinking

By the third stage, you start developing a problem with alcohol. You’ll not be choosing to drink so much as fulfilling a behaviour that has become a habit. Your drinking habits may affect various parts of your life, impacting things like work and interpersonal relationships.

You may also undergo mood swings for alcohol-related reasons and irregular sleep patterns. However, for the most part, you’ll likely still find alcohol enjoyable.

Stage 4: Alcohol Dependency

By the time you reach this stage, you will be physically dependent on alcohol in order to accomplish day-to-day tasks. You’ll have developed some level of tolerance to alcohol, and similar amounts will have less effect. 

If you don’t consume alcohol in this phase, you may encounter a range of symptoms, including arrhythmia, nausea, tremors, and even intense sweating. Your body has become so used to the presence of alcohol that it requires it to function.

Stage 5: Full-Blown Addiction

Addiction is the logical successor to dependence. This stage means that you have built such a dependence on alcohol that you require it to function properly. You’re no longer consuming alcohol for the purpose of enjoyment or simple desire but because you crave it. These cravings may interfere with your ability to live a fulfilling life. Additionally, your consistent need for alcohol will interfere with your ability to manage health, finances, and your relationships.

Even if you’re aware that your alcohol consumption is a problem, you may be powerless to stop.

Types of Alcohol Rehab Centres

Once you realise you need alcohol addiction help, it’s time to start looking at different alcohol rehab clinic options. Now, when looking at rehab options, there are many different types to consider.

Virtual Rehab

One modern way to get help with alcohol addiction is to visit a virtual rehab. This type of system allows you to undergo the rehabilitation process from the comfort of your home.

Unfortunately, that comfort is exactly the thing that might be problematic when you’re trying to recover from alcoholism. Being in familiar surroundings may be a hindrance rather than a help since you’ll be surrounded by all your friends and family who may not understand what you’re going through. Having the support of loved ones is fantastic, but recovery from addiction is largely a personal journey. 

Another problematic aspect of virtual rehabilitation is that you don’t have the support of medical professionals in your immediate vicinity. If anything goes wrong with the recovery process, this can leave you vulnerable.

Residential Alcohol Rehab

A residential alcohol rehab is typically one of the most effective ways to get alcohol addiction treatment. It has many different advantages and no major disadvantages.

Some of the benefits of this type of rehabilitation include the following:

• Complete removal from your general surroundings. This removal from the places where you would go to buy alcohol, consume alcohol, or stash alcohol makes refraining from drinking easier.
• Temporary separation from your coworkers, family, and friends. In some cases, those closest to us can unknowingly contribute to the problem or have problems themselves. This makes a residential alcohol rehab clinic the ideal option for social alcoholics.
• Most alcohol rehab clinic programs have medical professionals on staff. If something goes wrong with the recovery process, you’ll be well tended to.
• You won’t encounter any of the stresses of your day-to-day existence. Many of the underlying emotions and stress points that might trigger a drinking spree will be removed from the equation.

Other Rehabilitation Options

Over the years, people requiring alcohol addiction help have found many different techniques that are effective for different types of people. Some of these include the following:

• 12-step programs: Programs that rely on peer support to help people who need help with alcohol addiction refrain from drinking.
• Faith-based programs: This type of support program allows people from different religious backgrounds to come together and rely on faith to help get through the rehabilitation process.
• Day-rehab/Dayhab programs: This type of program caters to people who can’t, don’t need to, or don’t want to commit to a full-time inpatient program. They cater daily, but only on weekdays and only within specific timeframes.

How Rehab Works

As seen above, there are many different types of rehab programs. However, even with their many differences, they typically adhere to one of a few main treatment options. Let’s take a closer look.

As a whole, the rehabilitation process can typically be divided into a few steps:

1. The intake interview, during which the rehab centre establishes the severity of your condition.
2. The detox process, during which you go through the initial phases of leaving the alcohol.
3. Therapy helps to deal with the underlying causes of the condition.
4. Aftercare, which helps the patient stay sober, even after leaving the facility.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a modern treatment option that has shown great success. It works by targeting the behavioural patterns that lead to drinking, replacing them with healthier behaviours instead.

Rather than trying to change the behaviours themselves, however, it tries to uncover the underlying thought patterns leading to the behaviours. By dealing with the core beliefs and underlying issues, it’s possible to break the cycle of addiction and dependency.

Group Therapy or One-on-One Therapy

General therapy may take the form of either one-on-one therapy or group therapy. Attending some sort of therapy is a useful tool for helping you to deal with underlying issues. 

Group therapy, in particular, can help give you an additional support system that consists of people who have experienced the struggle for themselves. This is why 12-step programs are often successful.

Medically Assisted Detox

In certain cases, when the addiction to (or dependency on) alcohol is severe, it may result in medical complications. With medically assisted detox, the patient has consistent access to a team of medical professionals. 

Rather than being removed from the alcohol and being expected to cope with the results, patients receive mild medications that help manage the withdrawal symptoms.

In the case of certain drugs, it’s also possible to wean the patient from a very strong drug using weaker or less addictive drugs.

Why Choose a Rehab Abroad?

One of the best ways to get treatment is to attend a private alcohol rehab clinic abroad. There’s a range of advantages to this, above and beyond the standard advantages of residential rehab.

Some of these include the following:

• Greater privacy – When attending a rehab program abroad, you don’t have to disclose where you’re going to your loved ones. This makes it a lot easier for you to maintain privacy about where you’re going and what you’ll be doing.
• A change of surroundings – For many people with an alcohol addiction, location is a massive factor. Your surroundings may enhance your cravings or make it easier for you to consume alcohol. Attending rehab in a different country gets you away from your typical surroundings, allowing you to reset entirely and get a new outlook on life.
• The psychological rewards – Since alcohol use disorder is a mental illness, it stands to reason that your brain plays a significant part in your recovery. Attending rehab in a different country helps you to ‘reboot’ and get away from stressful elements of your life. It also has a range of valuable psychological aspects attached to it. 
• International rehabs offer excellent value – When you attend a rehab abroad, you often pay considerably less than you would when attending a rehabilitation centre locally. Due to the low cost of living in many Asian countries, you often get the same services and value at a fraction of the cost.
• Holistic treatment options – When attending rehab internationally, you often get access to programs with a far more holistic approach. Many traditional rehab clinics offer a fairly limited approach to alcohol rehabilitation. If you attend a rehab in Thailand or a similar country, you’ll benefit from a holistic approach that caters to mind, soul, and body.
• Top-quality facilities and professionals – When you attend a rehab abroad in Thailand or somewhere similar, you can have access to some of the highest-quality facilities in the world. Alongside this, the on-staff personnel are generally the cream of the crop.

As you can see, there are many advantages to attending rehab abroad. If you require alcohol addiction help, this is definitely an option worth considering.

Get Alcohol Addiction Help at Dawn Rehab Thailand

If you’re ready to take the next step on your road to recovery, The Dawn Rehab is an excellent choice.

Based in sunny Thailand, The Dawn Rehab offers a host of advantages and benefits. From expert medical staff (highly trained in their fields) to incredible affordability, there are plenty of good reasons why you should consider using our service. 

We’re also conveniently located so that you can easily take a trip to see the sights and experience Thailand once your recovery is well underway. This will allow you to discover new things, relax, and feed your soul with new and exciting experiences.

We take a holistic approach to recovery from alcohol addiction, incorporating new skills and experiences to help renew your outlook on life. From yoga to meditation, elephant rides to relaxing hikes, temple tours to kayaking excursions, there’s something for everyone.

You can even learn new skills like pottery, leatherwork, and batik painting. All of these things help ensure that you don’t just recover from addiction. Instead, you step into a new life as a whole person, allowing you to thrive.

When you finally leave the facility, we have a world-class aftercare support service that can help you stay on track no matter where you are. The group and individual online sessions will help you process life in the real world.

From start to finish, Dawn Rehab Thailand has everything you need to get alcohol addiction help. For more information about our programs and pricing, please feel free to contact us. We’ll be happy to hear from you.