Alcohol Addiction & Dependency

Do you feel like your relationship with alcohol is ruining your life?
Do you feel your relationship with alcohol is out of control?
Are you concerned about the impact of alcohol on your life?
Are you looking for an understanding of the harm associated with alcohol misuse?

How we can help

Addiction or dependency on alcohol can become part of our lives for many different reasons. Alcohol is a substance that causes chemical and physical changes in the body, which in turn affects our emotions, behaviour and psychological well-being. The effects of alcohol misuse can often become harmful long before we realise it, making it hard to change unhealthy drinking patterns on our own. Additionally, emotions such as guilt and shame, associated with misuse, can make it difficult to open up about challenges with alcohol and seek support.

Accessing support from people who understand addiction and dependency is a crucial part of the recovery process. We can enable you to replace unhealthy drinking patterns with positive habits, develop strong coping skills, feel happier and healthier, and regain control. With the right support, long-term physical and mental recovery is possible. We are also able to support young people in areas of misuse or if they have been exposed to parental substance misuse.

We support you via a range of therapeutic methods and these are discussed with you after we have carried out an initial assessment. Your treatment plan is developed with your needs and expectations at the forefront. We believe that by building a transparent trusted partnership you are enabled to take control and move forward.

Addiction & Dependency – Adults

There are varying degrees of alcohol dependence and if you find it difficult to enjoy yourself or relax without having a drink you may have developed an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. You may find yourself sharing a bottle of wine most nights or going for a few pints after work just to unwind, which potentially means you may be drinking to a level that could affect your long term health and impact your professional and social life.

A dependency on alcohol is often followed by a physical dependence; that is when your body shows withdrawal symptoms, such as sweating, shaking and nausea, when your blood alcohol level falls.

Addiction & Dependency – Young People

Alcohol misuse can have a big impact on the mental health and well-being of young people. Whether it is Alcohol misuse on the part of the young person, or parental substance misuse that is impacting your child, there are different forms of support they can access to help them overcome the adverse effects.

Parental substance misuse is the prolonged use of alcohol by a parent/carer. This use of alcohol may result in:

Neglect:

Parents who abuse alcohol may struggle to be present for their child, stay organised and give them consistent support. They may struggle to keep the family home clean and safe. They may not be able to recognise or respond to their own or their child’s physical needs. They may struggle to pay for food, clothing and bills if their money is primarily being spent on alcohol. They may leave harmful substances or equipment such as syringes lying around/ in reach of children. Parents may become unconscious after consuming alcohol leaving the child at risk.

Emotional Abuse:

Parents/carers who consume alcohol may struggle to be emotionally available and present with their children. A mother who is struggling with an alcohol problem may be less responsive to the needs of their baby, may be less willing to engage in meaningful play and may be less able to respond to their baby in ways that encourage further interaction. In addition to this, parents/carers who abuse substances can behave in unpredictable ways.

Physical Abuse:

Parents/carers who abuse substances can struggle to manage their emotions. This can lead to angry outbursts and physical violence.

Impact on brain development:

Experiences of parental abuse and neglect are known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). When children experience adverse childhood events it can have an impact on the development of their brain. This can lead children to have poor impulse control, difficulties with learning and memory and a weakened immune system. The more adverse childhood experiences that occur the greater the risk of physical health conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, in adulthood.

Psychological Effects:

Parental substance misuse can have a big psychological impact on young people. Some of the effects are:

They may constantly think about their parent/carer’s substance misuse
A young person may blame themselves for their parent/carer’s substance misuse
They may have a lot of absences from school which can lead to poor educational attainment and a lack of confidence in themselves
They may struggle to develop healthy relationships with others
Young people who have been exposed to parental substance misuse may develop behavioural, emotional or cognitive difficulties.

Other effects:

Young people whose parents/carers abuse substances may be separated from them for their own safety as a result of an intervention

from social services. A parent may be in prison as a consequence of their substance misuse or may end up hospitalised as a result of it. Depending

on the young person’s stage of development, health, personality and relationship with their wider family, these separations can have various

different levels of impact. Indeed, a young person may end up taking on the role of carer in their family which may include doing housework,

cooking and looking after younger siblings. Some parents/carers may turn to crime to fund their addictions and this could leave their children

exposed to unsafe adults or could end up involving them directly in illegal activities.

Binge Drinking

Drinking large volumes of alcohol in a short space of time or drinking with the sole purpose of getting drunk is generally how binge drinking is defined. We can support you by helping you to identify and recognise emotions and triggers.

Family & Friend Support

Supporting people with alcohol addiction and dependency often takes its on toll your own mental well-being. Understanding addiction and implementing healthy boundaries between you and the person you are supporting is extremely important. We can provide you with the tools and support you need. Read More…

Aftercare

The impact of long term drinking may lead you to feel that you need support even when you have achieved abstinence. We provide you with the tools and support to help prevent relapse.

Detox

We will support you individually or alongside other social/health professionals to maintain abstinence following detox.

Psycho-Educational Support

We provide support to enable change once you have achieved abstinence. This could be via native language support therapy or help to access relevant pathways supporting change.

Alcohol Related Training

We can deliver tailored workshops that enable understanding of alcohol addiction and dependency according to your needs of those of your organisation.

Useful Links:

Alcoholics Anonymous