10 to 14-day, medically assisted detox in North London
If you’re struggling with an addiction to alcohol or drugs, you might need to go through a detoxification or ‘detox’ process, before you start therapy. During detox, all traces of alcohol and drugs will be removed from your system, while helping you to manage your withdrawal symptoms. Detox at North London lasts for 10 to 14 days and is led by our specialist team. You’ll have access to round-the-clock mental health nursing care for the duration of the detox process. In addition, we can offer medical intervention and prescribe medication during detox if this is needed, in order to ensure that you’re physically stable in preparation to start addiction therapy.
Residential addiction treatment
Once all traces of alcohol and drugs have been removed from your body during detox, you’ll be ready to start your intensive inpatient (residential) treatment and therapy. Inpatient treatment provides you with much-needed structure, 24-hour monitoring, and also takes you away from your day-to-day life in order to remove any negative influences or temptations that may be contributing to your addiction. Inpatient treatment involves regular meetings with your consultant psychiatrist, which take place twice a week for the full 28-day programme, and you will also benefit from continual input from a team of therapists, as well as 24/7 nursing care.
North London’s residential addiction treatment programme consists of a range of therapeutic methods, as well as access to a number of 12-Step support groups that take place on-site. One of the main areas of focus during the addiction treatment programme is to provide you with coping strategies to improve your lifestyle and ensure a positive and fulfilling future.
At North London, we understand that the thought of residential treatment can be overwhelming. It can be one of the hardest decisions that you ever have to make, not only on a personal level but also within the competing demands of family, work and your daily routine. However, you can be assured that we have successfully treated many people and we are committed to ensuring you receive the care and attention that you need, in order to fully address your addiction.
Day care addiction treatment
Day care addiction treatment can be used as a step-down in treatment intensity once you have completed your 28-day inpatient programme. This form of therapy consists of you attending North London for a set number of days each week, depending on the intensity of the support that you need. During day care, you’ll take part in addiction therapy groups alongside current residential patients. However, unlike our residential programme, you won’t stay at the hospital overnight and will return home following a day of therapy. Day care is useful for people who still need some structured support for their addiction, but no longer need intensive 24-hour monitoring.
Trauma reduction programme
We also offer a 5-day trauma reduction programme during addiction treatment, which can either take place during the residential addiction treatment programme or as part of day care. This workshop has been designed to address traumatic childhood memories and issues, which are quite common in the backgrounds of addicts.
Childhood trauma (which doesn’t need to be sexual or physical), can result in people developing a condition known as ‘co-dependency’, as adults. Co-dependency can cause people to develop dysfunctional relationship dynamics such as excessive reliance on other people and an obsession with gaining the approval of others. This has been found to be common in those who struggle with addictive behaviours. The purpose of trauma reduction therapy is to address a person’s traumatic memories and their resulting co-dependency, reduce the impact of this on addictive behaviours, and crucially, help to prevent relapse.
While trauma reduction therapy at North London is primarily a component of our addiction treatment programme, it can also be used as part of our general mental health treatment programmes, as this form of therapy has also been found to be effective in alleviating the symptoms of conditions such as depression.