"Alcohol Detox and Abstinence"

Over the years alcohol (particularly wine in the evening) became a daily part of my life and was seriously affecting my health, including the onset of type-2 diabetes.

After trying to cut back or take days off from drinking wine I realised that it was no longer achievable through will power alone. In other words I needed help and support.

Fortunately my GP also recognised this and pointed me towards a self referral to CGL (Change Grow Live).

From the moment I contacted my local branch (Tameside) and arrived for my initial consultation I knew that I was in the right place. The greeting was warm, friendly and supportive.

I suppose at first I felt like I was wasting their time and that mine was a minor issue compared to some of the people coming and going through the waiting area. However, the councillor I saw explained that everybody's journey with alcohol addiction was different but also very real, and help was available as long as I was prepared to be honest to myself and those supporting me.

That short conversation convinced me that I could do this and regain control over my spiralling weight and declining health, so I made the commitment to myself there and then to take control.

There are a number of options for managing alcohol dependence, and the team at Tameside are fully supportive in exploring the option that works best. There's no 'one cap fits all' approach. Each case is personal, and interestingly CGL is not anti-alcohol, but more about alcohol management and recognising that alcohol is a part of our social society.

For me though - my choice after exploring all the options was to detox and take a break completely from drinking so that I could re-set my system and hopefully further down the line reintroduce drinking wine at a moderate and sensible level.

A complete detox is a medically supervised arrangement where you are given medication over 3, 5 or 7 days to help with the effects and symptoms caused by withdrawing from alcohol. Ordinarily a support nurse would call each day to monitor your health. Unfortunately, when I did my detox it was at the height of the Covid lockdown so house calls were not permitted.

However, the team at Tameside stepped up to the challenge with twice daily telephone contact including a support nurse, clinician and mental health councillor.

I honestly couldn't have felt more supported.

Even after the week long detox the support still continued throughout the abstinence period until I'd developed my own coping strategies, and even now (months into abstinence) the support is still there.

I can't thank CGL enough, and particularly the team at Tameside for their advice, support and dedication, especially given the unprecedented times we are currently in and the restrictive working conditions.

Many thanks.

P. s. I mentioned at the start that my thoughts were to one day hopefully reintroduce alcohol at a sensible and moderate level. As time has gone on my thoughts are now that I don't need it in my life anymore, and therefore it's very unlikely alcohol will have any importance or hold any sway in my life ever again.