Our Ethos
So, you have a drug problem! There are various reasons why you might have one and it may or may not be your fault in some sense, but as far as we are concerned, you have a problem now and you need help. We are not about to make a moral judgement on your problem; we are just interested in finding a way for you to go forward. The first objective will be to get you stable, functional and legal. Naturally, the best option is usually to get drug-free if you can but if it is not practicable in the short term or you can not contemplate it, then maintenance is a good option for now.
Don’t procrastinate. It is important to be in treatment; - don’t wait until matters are worse; e.g. a law suit, impending prison, ill-health, broken family, losing your employment or – and it can happen – your life.
You may be worried about people knowing and maybe nobody knows so far. They don’t have to - if you’re an adult we can treat you in confidence. It is often helpful to involve other people but that’s a decision you can make at leisure.
Our aim is to reduce the impact of your addiction on your life and get your employment, social and family situation, health and psychological wellbeing back to normal or as near as possible. Our treatments include some of the most innovating, forward thinking approaches available and give the best possible results. Amongst other things, we can provide quick access to maintenance treatment with a rapid titration to the right dose, if necessary, or a quickly arranged detox. We pride ourselves on being very accessible to our clients. We want you to stay in employment if you have a job and will do our best to arrange treatment around your work, not the other way around.
If we can get you clean we will, and that is always our primary aim; but if we believe your chances of success are very slim, we will tell you. There is no point in setting yourself up for failure at great expense. It is often better to wait for the right time when you are prepared and stable and likely to succeed.
So, you have an alcohol problem! An underestimated drug, probably responsible for more injury, illness and social chaos than any other drug. It can often be treated as an outpatient with dramatic improvement. The initial aim will be abstinence and only at a later stage will controlled drinking be assessed. The same general principals about privacy, accessibility and treatment delivery apply as for drug problems above.
Drug and alcohol problems are personal and individual things in the way they start, how they continue, and what treatment approach works. This is why we treat you as an individual and tailor the treatment option to your needs. We do not use a ‘one size fits all’ or ‘take it or leave it’ approach. We try to be flexible, eclectic and sensible in our approach to your problem. Your life may have caused you to take drugs or the drugs may have caused you life problems and this web may need to be untangled and general life issues discussed and advised upon. ‘Timing is everything’, and you will change with time and so will your needs. We like to maintain regular contact with our patients and offer a forum to discuss just about anything that may have a bearing on the drug or alcohol problems.
We do not take an autocratic, dogmatic or punitive approach to our clientele. That is probably a strange statement to make from a medical service but a veiled approach is so often encountered.