Beginning recovery
Excessive or addictive use of alcohol or drugs can be
devastating. If left untreated it can destroy your physical and
mental health, your relationships and your career. However, the
good news is that treatment works. As well as improving your mental
and physical well-being very rapidly, treatment is likely to
improve your overall quality of life and your future prospects
substantially.
If you are using alcohol or drugs in an excessive or addictive
way, then the first step is to recognise that you have a problem.
This requires a great deal of courage and honesty.
Recognition
Ask yourself these questions:
- Have you ever felt you ought to cut down on your drinking or
drug use?
- Have people annoyed you by commenting on your drinking or drug
use?
- Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking or drug use?
- Have you ever had a drink or used drugs first thing in the
morning to steady your nerves, to reduce other withdrawal symptoms
or to get rid of a "hangover"?
- Has your drinking or drug use led to any negative consequences
for yourself or others?
- Do you have a strong compulsion or craving for a particular
drug or for alcohol?
- Do you use drugs or alcohol to self-medicate the way you
feel?
- Is your use of drugs or alcohol becoming more frequent or is
the amount used increasing?
If you answer YES to just one of these questions it can indicate
a significant alcohol or drug problem and one that would benefit
from professional help. If you answer YES to more than one question
then the chances of you having a significant alcohol or drug
problem increase greatly.
Taking the next step
Whilst we recognise that self-help is vitally important in
recovering from alcohol and drug problems, the scientific evidence
clearly shows that professional treatment increases the chances
substantially. If you think you may have an alcohol or a drug
problem then we advise you to seek professional help
straightaway.
You can contact Winthrop Hall at any time and speak in
confidence to a clinician. This can be done by telephone, or by
email. The clinician will listen to your situation and be able
to offer advice and explain what to do next.
Call us on 0845 260 1313 any time day or night, or email
whhelp@winthrophall.co.uk,
or fill out the form on this website at 'contact us'.
We recognise that accepting help can be very difficult, and that
it may take time for you to decide that treatment is the right
choice for you. We can help you with this process by giving you
good information about how treatment works, and how it can benefit
you in the short and the long term. Our aim is to support you all
the way.
We have recently published a 'Beginning Recovery Guide' that
includes practical advice and assistance. The guide is useful to
anyone seeking more information about alcohol and drug addiction,
its causes, treatments and how to seek help. For a free copy of the
guide email us at whhelp@winthrophall.co.uk.,
or fill out the form on this website at 'contact us'.
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