Geoff Mascall is the manager of Primrose Lodge, a UKAT residential addiction treatment centre in Surrey. In this blog, we ask Geoff about supporting people intensively, as they break free from their addictions. A Primrose Lodge client said in July 2018, “I could not have received better care, advice, understanding and above all the hope to recover.” How does your addiction treatment programme offer people hope? There are so many things I could talk about – but I’ll give you one example...

46 year old Dave came into residential alcohol treatment at Primrose Lodge in 2017. Six months after his alcohol treatment with UKAT, we caught up with Dave to find out how he’s getting on. In this blog, Dave describes his experience in our Guildford addiction rehab, a full-service clinic which offers medically managed alcohol and drug detoxification, addiction rehabilitation and recovery therapies. Why did you choose alcohol treatment at Primrose Lodge? I knew I had a problem with alcohol f...

Those who drink excessive amounts of alcohol are at risk of developing physical dependence, swiftly followed by addiction. However, it can be hard for many to see alcohol as being a harmful substance, particularly when it is legal and socially acceptable in modern society. So admitting that your use of alcohol has spiralled out of control can be a tough ask. Due to the stigma still attached to addiction, most of those finding themselves in the grip of alcoholism will practice denial to some e...

Addiction treatment is necessary for those who have developed a problem with drugs or alcohol or who are compelled to engage in certain behaviours such as gambling, sex or shopping. It is difficult to admit when your use of a particular substance has reached problem stages or when you no longer have control over a certain activity. Nevertheless, unless you can admit to having a problem, you will never be in a position to overcome it. When it comes to addiction, there are various treatments av...

Drug addiction is a complex illness of the brain that requires treatment in almost all instances. Although most people assume that drug addiction is something that affects only those who deliberately abuse illegal drugs for recreational purposes, the reality is that drug addiction can happen to anyone who uses a mood-altering substance and allows its use to spiral out of control. Even those who have never used illegal drugs can develop a drug addiction to prescription medication. What all dru...

Most people see alcohol as a substance to be enjoyed in social situations. Others like to have the odd glass of wine or a whisky in the evening to help them relax after a long day. But when that glass of wine progresses to two or three each evening, you have crossed the line from social drinking to problem drinking. This is often how an eventual alcohol addiction develops. In England alone, around 7% of adults regularly drink more than the recommended guideline amount of fourteen units per we...

While most of us eat too much from time to time and then complain about feeling ill, for others this is a regular occurrence. Compulsive overeating is actually a mental health disorder that can have a negative impact on the lives of many people. The term ‘eating disorder’ typically conjures up images of waif-like individuals with protruding bones as our minds automatically turn to anorexia. The reality, however, is that compulsive overeating or binge eating disorder is far more common the...

Addiction to any mood-altering substance is difficult to overcome; it typically involves a programme of detox and rehabilitation to break both the physical and psychological addiction. If you are addicted to drugs and have been considering a programme of recovery, you might also be wondering what happens after drug rehab? Are you expected to simply go back to your old life and carry on as normal? This is a question that many individuals contemplate before starting a programme of recovery. Man...

If you are struggling with addiction but are ready to get your life back on track, you will probably be interested to know what your treatment options are. You will be pleased to know that there is plenty of choice here in the UK in terms of both inpatient and outpatient programmes. If your addiction is not severe and you are keen to recover while going about daily life, an outpatient programme might be the perfect choice for you. But what is outpatient addiction treatment? Moreover, what does i...

There are many factors that can prevent individuals from getting the help they need when they have a drug addiction. While some may be in denial and unable to see how serious their situation is, others are consumed by the question of who pays for drug treatment and believe that they could never afford to get their life back on track because of their financial situation. If the question of who pays for drug treatment has been holding you back from getting the help you need to overcome a drug a...