Residential Treatment for Alcohol Addiction
Residential treatment for people who feel their drinking is no longer something they can control on their own.
Last updated by:
Michael Williams
Residential treatment gives people time away from drinking, with medical and therapeutic support around them while the body settles and the reasons behind the drinking are worked through.
At Abbington House, this takes place through a residential stay, bringing assessment, detox where needed, therapy, family support and aftercare together in one process.
When Drinking Keeps Coming Back
When Drinking Keeps Coming Back
Most people do not look for help the first time they worry about their drinking. They usually come after trying to manage it themselves for some time.
Cutting down. Stopping for a while. Drinking only at weekends. Switching to something weaker. Promising that next time will be different.
For some people, drinking has become visible and hard to hide. For others, life still looks mostly intact from the outside, but the day is being planned around alcohol: when to drink, when not to, how to recover, and how to keep things looking normal.
If you are still trying to understand whether drinking has become an addiction, our alcohol addiction page is a better place to start. This page is about how treatment works.
Why Alcohol Is Harder to Stop at Home
Alcohol presents difficulties that shape how treatment works. Withdrawal can be medically serious. Drinking can sit behind a functioning life for years. Alcohol is also woven into ordinary life more than many other substances.
That last part is often underestimated. Alcohol is easy to buy and treated as normal: with dinner, after work, at weekends, at celebrations or as a way to switch off. For someone trying to stop, it’s even harder with alcohol inside the home and part of the routine.
This is one reason residential treatment can help. It removes that exposure long enough for the early work to begin, with structure and support around the person instead of the next drink.
Alcohol detox, where it’s needed
Some people need alcohol detox before the therapeutic work can properly begin. Whether detox is needed depends on the drinking pattern, withdrawal symptoms, physical health and clinical assessment.
Alcohol withdrawal can be medically serious for someone who is physically dependent. If you’re drinking heavily every day, or you’ve had withdrawal symptoms before, speak to a GP or call NHS 111 before stopping on your own.
If you need a detox, it takes place here as part of your stay, with medical support throughout. But detox is only the beginning. The real work is understanding why alcohol became so difficult to stop in the first place.
You can read more about how detox is managed at Abbington House on our alcohol detox page.
How alcohol treatment fits into the residential programme
At Abbington House, alcohol addiction is treated as part of a residential stay. That means the person remains at the centre while the medical, therapeutic and practical parts of treatment are brought together around them.
Treatment may include:
- Medically supervised detox where it is needed and clinically appropriate
- Nursing support available day and night
- One-to-one therapy
- Group therapy
- CBT and trauma-informed work
- Family support
- Relapse prevention and planning for life after treatment
- One year of aftercare, with ongoing access to the Abbington Community
Most people stay for around 28 days, though some stay longer where more time is useful or clinically appropriate. The centre is intentionally small, supporting up to twenty-one people at a time.
How the wider residential stay works day to day is explained on our residential programme page.
Family Support
Alcohol addiction affects more than the person drinking. Families and partners often carry confusion, fear, exhaustion and hope at the same time.
Family support is part of treatment at Abbington House. It's not about blame. It helps the people around someone understand addiction, communication, boundaries and their own wellbeing.
You can read more about this on our family support page.
Aftercare following treatment
Leaving treatment means returning to ordinary life, where alcohol may still be present in shops, homes, social situations and old routines, and this part requires planning.
During treatment, people work on relapse prevention, support systems, routines, work, family, triggers and what needs to be different after leaving.
After residential treatment, Abbington House provides one year of aftercare, with ongoing access to the Abbington Community.
You can read more about what continues after the stay on our aftercare page.
Costs and admission
Treatment at Abbington House is arranged privately. Before admission, the team talks through what’s been happening, whether residential treatment may be appropriate, whether detox may be needed, availability and cost.
Costs are discussed clearly before admission, including what is included in the residential stay. You can read more on our rehab costs page.
If you already know you want to speak about coming in, our admissions page explains how assessment and admission work.
Common Questions
How long does treatment last?
Most people stay for around 28 days, though some stay longer where more time is useful or clinically appropriate. The right length depends on the drinking pattern, physical health, detox needs and how someone responds to treatment.
Will I need an detox?
It depends on the drinking pattern and withdrawal risk, which the assessment establishes. Where a medically supervised detox is needed, it is provided as part of the stay.
Can I come to treatment if I am still drinking?
Yes. Many people are still drinking when they first make contact. Stopping safely is part of what treatment is for, which is why assessment and, where needed, supervised detox come first.
Do you treatment alcohol and drug addiction together?
Yes. Many people who come to Abbington House are affected by both drugs and alcohol, not one or the other. Cocaine and alcohol in particular are often used together, and treating one while ignoring the other tends not to work. Assessment looks at everything someone is using, and residential treatment addresses alcohol and drug addiction together as part of the same stay, including medically supervised detox where either requires it.
Is treatment only for people who drink every day?
No. Daily drinking is one pattern, but binge patterns, weekend drinking that has become hard to control, and drinking that keeps returning after attempts to stop are also reasons people come for treatment.
Can I call about someone else?
Yes. Many people make contact for a partner, parent, adult child, friend or colleague. A confidential conversation can help you understand whether treatment may be appropriate and what the next steps would be.
Speaking to Abbington House
You don't need to know exactly what treatment is needed before calling. Many people call unsure, some for themselves and some for someone close to them.
A confidential conversation can help you understand whether treatment may be appropriate, whether detox may be needed, and what admission would involve.