RedChair

Addictions Counselling & Treatment

Freephone: 0800 530 0012

Category: In The News

  • From A Dark Place. Tony & Paul Husband

    From A Dark Place. Tony & Paul Husband

    From A Dark Place goes beyond words to a place that is beyond words in this emotive share of a family visited by addiction.

    It was my privilege to visit and support this family. Tony Husband shows his skills in conveying the hell and heaven visited upon them all by addiction and then emergence into recovery and freedom.

    The book is available this week on Amazon. Order it here.
    From A Dark Place: How A Family Coped With Drug Addiction

    Thank you Tony for showing the day I came to help. Well done Paul for accepting the help.

    Thankyou for being part of Paul’s recovery you came at our lowest point and started the process. (Tony Husband 2017)

  • Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD)

    Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD)

    human mind

    Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD)

    There are numerous references to the insanity of alcoholism. Denial, repression, euphoric recall, minimisation, maximising, knocked off, irrational rationalisations etc etc. For those of us working to help people with alcohol problems get better, we realise more than most that it can take weeks for seemingly “normal thinking” to awaken in the client after they have detoxed.

    Alcohol Concern – All In The Mind

    A recent report, “All In The Mind” by Alcohol Concern highlights the impact of alcohol on the human brain and just how damaging this process is. Long term effects of regular alcohol use is known to be damaging to both psychological and physiological aspect of the person. This public health challenge comes from physical and mental health impairment caused by alcohol consumption. An insidious process, the problems creep up and often go unnoticed until some major incident occurs. This could be mental breakdowns, liver damage, anxiety, psychotic disorders,

    Intervene Now

    It is never to early for a Family Intervention. When a person continues to drink despite having developing problems in life, then they may already have developed psychological damage that means they genuinely can not connect mentally and therefore emotionally with their own reality. They will alibi and avoid the issue, not out of bloody mindedness, but early stages of alcohol induced mental health issues. Being alcohol induced, it is imperative that Family members intervene with this person now.

  • AfterCare – Continuing Care – Take Care!

    AfterCare – Continuing Care – Take Care!

    Relapse Or Recovery

    Rehab to Relapse, or Rehab to recovery? The difference is active participation in purposeful and active aftercare programs. Aftercare groups, 12 step meetings, recovery coaching? All improve chances of gaining long term recovery, which in turn is a strength in it self.

    With many years experience of recovery on a professional and personal level I have always been sad to see anyone return to their addiction. There are many factors and influences involved in a relapse. There are patterns and high risk times and situations. I noticed that relapse often occurs soon after completing residential treatment and a person returns home. With so many people now travelling far and wide for their detox and rehab, the after-care package was often not in place for them, and I wondered if this was a factor in the relapse.

    Claire Calland works part time for RedChair. When presented with this observation she went to work researching this observation. She put together a professional high standard report on this.

    We are pleased to see that her efforts have been reward with publication of her work in the leading industry magazine Addiction Today

    After-care is a crucial step that should be a seamless part of moving out of residential recovery. RedChair provide an independent therapist led after-care group on a Wednesday evening in South Manchester. This is a practical consideration for anyone returning to the North West. We hope that treatment centre staff will double their efforts to ensure clients have a door to door experience as they leave treatment.

    You can read the article here. Please pass this link on to any counsellors or therapists who advise clients on what to do when they leave treatment.

    Aftercare is a fundamental tenet in maintaining long-term recovery but is too often overlooked – we bring you research on its effectiveness. Read today.

     

  • 13 Drink Drivers Arrested Every Day In Manchester Area

    13 Drink Drivers Arrested Every Day In Manchester Area

    13 Drink Drivers Arrested Every Day In Manchester Area

    M.E.N. Article Link

    Punish The Behaviour or Treat The Condition? We think BOTH!

    AlcoScan Breathalyser AL7000
    AlcoScan Breath Test

    There are more background stories and reasons as to why someone will drink drive than pebbles on a beach, and for anyone who has lost someone to a drink driver, not one reason is good enough.

    As an experienced specialist addictions counsellor I applaud the efforts to reduce the amount of drink induced death and injury. A police cell is a great time to honestly admit to oneself that you have a problem. Often the drink/drive is the final rock bottom for a progressive relationship with alcohol that has left the good times far behind. The problem drinker needs good treatment.
    I have found that a small percentage of drink drivers have just taken their last drink at the point of being arrested, because with the right balance of legal intervention, honest family and friends and a court / probation who are willing to work with an experienced independent therapist, then an abstinent based care plan can be put in place.
    No one ever got drunk if they never took the first drink. I often work with individuals who have had long standing problems. The drink drive is the perfect opportunity for family, friends, society and the law to say enough is enough, but punishment is not a treatment for the psychology of dependence on drink or any other addiction for that matter. Good treatment is essential. Bill Stevens Addictions Counsellor & Family Interventionist at www.redchair.co.uk

    How We Can Help

    RedChair will meet with a person facing a drink drive for a therapeutic assessment with a view to assisting in a care plan where the person is Genuinely and Honestly willing to pursue a treatment for their condition. A formal assessment, a court report and working with probation can result in a sentence that supports a clear abstinence based change supported by effective therapy. The sentencing can then be quite tough if the person fails to remain sober and represents with an alcohol induced criminal outcome. This velvet glove approach understands that addiction to alcohol is a treatable condition when the individual is able to consistently engage in a program of personal change.

    Of course, sober persons will never re-offend.

  • Ex-EastEnders Star Jodie Latham – Fear of Prison is Not Treatment

    Suspended Prison Sentence – Less Effective Without Specific Treatment

    Today’s headlines show former EastEnders and Shameless star, Jodie Latham, has pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence for growing cannabis in Lancashire. Latham explained that he grew the cannabis through concerns about buying from local drug dealers and risking his celebrity status.

    It seems the threat of prison is being used as a deterrent but this is rarely successful – if it was the prisons would be empty, would they not?  Take the history of Jodie Latham himself as an example of how this type of sentencing as flawed.

    The talented actor has previous convictions, two of which are related to cannabis. Giving a two year suspended sentence to someone who has repeated drug related offences is clearly not treating the problem.

    RedChair agrees with giving suspended sentences to people convicted of these types of offences however there has to be some kind of treatment in place to prevent it happening again.

    A person that has an ongoing relationship with drugs will not be able to simply stop through fear of being sent to prison. If that were the case, people would simply not take the drug in the first instance.

    RedChair’s solution to this is to ensure the criminal justice system signpost individuals to attend good quality treatment facilities.