Frequently Asked Questions: Addiction Treatment

The cost of rehab will depend on the duration of your rehab programme.

At the Lighthouse we keep our costs very affordable, yet still offer very comfortable accommodation, clean and spacious rooms, a high standard of decor and extremely effective, evidence-based rehab treatment.

Our rehab programmes run from 1 week detoxes up to 12 weeks primary care, 6 months secondary care and 12 months sober living accomodation. Addiction aftercare is free and available for as long as you wish to attend.

Please call our friendly team to discuss the most suitable detox and treatment programme for you or your loved one.

Booking your place at our Lighthouse Rehab in Essex is as simple as picking up the phone and speaking to one of our trained admissions team. From there we can arrange everything needed to ensure a place is booked for you and held open on an agreed date of admission. We try to keep the process as simple and stress free as possible for you and your family. You can self refer, or a family member or friend can book a place on your behalf.
The length of time you need to stay in rehab will be dependent on what your treatment needs are. Those that require a detox will need to allow for additional time to cover the detox. Ideally you need to be clear of all detox medication then allow for your rehabilitation treatment time. As a guideline, 8 weeks is the optimum treatment time. However, some do require longer. Those that do not have a good support network at home or require help with housing or ongoing mental health issues, should consider 12 weeks primary care, secondary care and supported living. Relocation is possible as we provide 3rd stage supported living houses that follow on from inpatient treatment.

Detox is the process by which a chemical dependence to alcohol or drugs is treated through a withdrawal. Certain drugs and alcohol are extremely dangerous just to stop suddenly. Detoxing yourself can be very uncomfortable and very few achieve it alone due to the overwhelming compulsion to continue using.

The Lighthouse rehab clinic effectively manages detoxes by providing suitable replacement medication prescribed by our registered rehab psychiatric doctor. The medication alleviates withdrawal symptoms and drastically reduces the chances of any serious or life threatening withdrawal symptoms from developing.

Once the rehab doctor has prescribed a detox regime, the medication will immediately replace the alcohol or drug and then safely be reduced over a period of time until the detox is complete. You will then be alcohol and drug free AND detox medication free.

During your stay in the Lighthouse rehab you will undergo a number of evidence-based treatments to treat the root causes of your addiction. It is imperative that rehabilitation is delivered by qualified practitioners who have substantial experience in treating those suffering from addiction and its common co-occurring mental health illnesses.

The Lighthouse rehab boasts a multidisciplinary team consisting of a Consultant Psychiatrist doctor, Clinical Lead, Registered rehab manager, Counsellors, Recovery workers, a qualified full time chef and cleaning staff. Each of our employees bring passion, experience and skill that perfectly compliments our addiction treatment programme.

Each patient will be walked through the entire process of detox and person centred rehabilitation. A timetable is printed so everyone knows exactly what is happening and when. Our programme is very structured but also allows for plenty of holistic healing, mindfulness, exercise, fun and rest.

You will need to bring any medications that you are taking, whether prescribed or un-prescribed, comfortable loose clothing, alcohol-free toiletries, tobacco if you smoke and money or a credit or debit card for personal items during your stay. For a full list please see our admissions page.

Family and close friends are allowed to visit you during your stay at the Lighthouse rehab clinic at the weekends. There are allocated times that allow for this to take place. All visits will need to be requested during the weekly community group meeting so that our staff know and can make arrangements.

Our friendly team will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding family visits to rehab.

A good rehab should offer a flexible and personalised approach to treatment; where ideally all treatment including detox and rehabilitation can be carried out within the one vicinity. It should also be CQC registered and staffed around the clock by fully qualified and trained staff, who are passionate about helping addicts to recover. We believe that we offer this and much more at Step By Step Recovery.
A medically managed detox from alcohol or drugs is not painful, as the medication we prescribe will alleviate and minimise the withdrawal symptoms to a comfortable and manageable level. You will also receive 24/7 support from our counsellors, medical staff and therapists.
Rehab offers a safe and compassionate environment that is recovery focused and specifically designed to help you heal and recover. In the community it can be extremely difficult to get and stay abstinent due to temptation being all around, the stresses of daily life and the consequences you will have suffered a result of your illness. Rehab gives you a far higher chance of becoming alcohol or drug free and staying that way on your return back home.

There are pros and cons to attending a rehab close to home. Only you can really decide based on how you want to experience recovery. If you are extremely motivated to get and stay clean then staying local means that your family will be able to visit easily. You will also be introduced to the local recovery meetings and support network within your area.

The cons include the temptation to walk out and relapse could be higher as you will be familiar with your surroundings. This particularly applies to drug addicts, as local dealers will be within easy reach.

If you have an alcohol problem, it doesn’t matter where you go, as alcohol is always available in most shops and many bars all over the UK. You may however want to keep your anonymity, which means staying in the local area may not be advisable if this is the case.

If you are local to our Lighthouse Rehab Clinic in Essex and would prefer to undergo treatment further away, we do have other centres placed in different locations, so please call us to discuss this.

Family, loved ones and friends can visit the Lighthouse at weekends during allocated visiting times. All visits must be requested previously, so that we can ensure that the visit is safe.

Once you have finished your detox and proved yourself dedicated to our programme, you and your family will be able to go off site and explore the local area and seafront during visits.

We do not give out ANY information regarding who is in our rehab unless you have first given us SPECIFIC permission to do so. Any individual enquiring must be on your contact list. Your safety is paramount at all times, so we will protect your anonymity as you wish. We will require a contact for your next of kin, but will only contact them in the event that you self discharge or if we have substantial concerns for your health.

In order to keep all of our clients safe within our treatment centre there is a contract of treatment that you will need to adhere to. This will include basic rules that do not permit active engagement in addiction, bullying, colluding or harassment. You are also required to engage in the daily programme. All rules are dedicated to the safety of you and our other patients.

We appreciate that the early days back within your home environment can be hard to adjust to sober and clean; you can therefore attend aftercare straight away without delay.

The only condition is that you are clean and sober.

For obvious reasons we cannot have intoxicated individuals within our aftercare group, as this would be counterproductive to the others attending and put their recovery at risk.

You have the option of extending your treatment with us at any time during your stay. Our counsellors will also advise you if they feel that an extension is necessary. They will base this according to how you have responded to your treatment and the progress made whilst within our care.

If this is something that you wish to do, we will help you to take care of all of the necessary arrangements.

If you are not working due to your illness, and you qualify, housing benefit can be obtained to pay for your supported living accommodation.

We do recommend supported living, as it provides an extended and stable foundation for many of our patients once they finish inpatient treatment. We also assist and support you in integrating back into independent living.

We work with you rather than dictate what will work best for you. We will advise based on our knowledge and experience, but ultimately understand that you need to be happy with your treatment in order to fully engage and reap the benefits.

Any issues you have with regards to detox and rehabilitation can be discussed with our medical staff and counsellors, who will make adjustments to your personalised programme of care where there is a genuine need.

Addiction, sadly, is not a medically curable disease. However, the good news is that it can be successfully arrested and, with the application of detox and rehabilitation, and the continuation of recovery practices, abstinence from active addiction can be maintained.

If you have any questions that we have not covered within this section or within our website, please do call us. No question is unwarranted if it puts your mind at ease.

Start your recovery today

Why choose Step by Step?

Treatments