Dual Diagnosis: Treating Mental Health & Alcohol Addiction
At Abbington House, we specialise in dual diagnosis treatment where co-occurring disorders like depression or anxiety are treated alongside alcohol use disorder in an integrated, trauma-informed way. This integrated treatment approach is essential, as you can’t truly recover from one without addressing the other.
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What is Dual Diagnosis?
Dual diagnosis is when a person has both a mental health condition and a substance use disorder at the same time. In this case, we’re referring to alcohol addiction occurring alongside issues like:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- PTSD or complex trauma
- OCD
- ADHD.
Many people use alcohol to self-medicate their symptoms, sometimes for years before they ever receive a diagnosis. Others find that regular drinking worsens their mental health, creating a cycle that’s hard to break alone.
Dual diagnosis isn’t as rare as you might think. In fact, it’s the norm for many of the people we treat.
Why Dual Diagnosis Requires Specialist Care
Most people with alcohol addiction don’t just need to stop drinking. They need help untangling the complex emotional, psychological and neurological drivers behind their drinking.
At Abbington House, we don’t isolate symptoms; instead, we look at the whole picture. That means treating the causes of your addiction, including underlying trauma, long-term stress or untreated mental illness.
Dual diagnosis care combines:
- Psychiatric assessment and medication support
- One-to-one therapy that addresses both alcohol use and mental health issues
- Group therapy with themes like anxiety, trauma or emotional regulation
- Ongoing relapse prevention tailored to mental health triggers.
Learn more about our residential alcohol rehab programme
How Alcohol and Mental Health Interact
Many people with depression or anxiety start drinking to cope. But over time, alcohol can amplify mental health issues, not relieve them.
For example:
- Depression and alcohol both affect serotonin levels, increasing fatigue, low mood and suicidal thoughts.
- Anxiety and alcohol create a rebound effect where drinking lowers anxiety in the moment but worsens it long-term.
- PTSD or trauma may be triggered by social environments involving alcohol or worsened by blackouts and memory loss.
Without specialist dual diagnosis care, many people are misdiagnosed or treated for only one aspect of the condition.
See also: Alcohol and Mental Health: The Connection You Shouldn’t Ignore
What Dual Diagnosis Treatment Looks Like
We believe in personalised treatment that accounts for the full scope of your needs, not just your addiction.
Here’s what you can expect at Abbington House:
Comprehensive Psychiatric Assessment
Pre-admission and on arrival, our clinical team conducts a psychiatric evaluation to understand your history, diagnoses and how alcohol may be affecting your mental health.
Integrated Therapy
Our dual diagnosis programme blends multiple modalities, including:
- Trauma-informed CBT and DBT
- One-to-one psychotherapy
- Group therapy focused on managing anxiety, mood, relationships, and trauma
- Family therapy, if needed.
Therapists are trained to recognise how symptoms overlap and how to help you build coping strategies for both conditions.
Medication and Stabilisation
If you take psychiatric medication, our consultant psychiatrist will support you throughout treatment. We closely monitor all medication during detox and beyond, with an emphasis on stability and long-term management.
We’re here to help you find balance, not to push medication, and not to leave you unsupported.
Holistic Recovery
Alongside therapy, we support your mental health through:
- Sleep hygiene and circadian rhythm resets
- Nutrition and gut-brain health
- Mindfulness, breathwork and grounding techniques
- Structured routines and low-pressure environments.
Mental health recovery isn’t linear. We provide you with space to heal and tools to help you keep going.
Why Choose Abbington House?
Why Choose Abbington House?
- Warm, homely setting in Hertfordshire
- Medically-supervised alcohol detox
- Staff with lived experience of alcohol recovery
- Quality meals cooked by expert chefs
- Tailored care that fits your pace
- Help available for both you and your family
- Range of holistic therapies and evidence-based treatments
Common Challenges with Dual Diagnosis
Many people with dual diagnosis struggle with:
- Late diagnosis or misdiagnosis
- Feeling like they’re “too much” for standard treatment
- Fear of stigma from mental illness or past behaviour
- Disrupted treatment paths (e.g., being turned away from NHS mental health services because of alcohol use).
We understand how challenging that can be. That’s why Abbington House was built as a place where you don’t have to fit a mould. You’ll be met with honesty, kindness and clinicians who see your strength, not just your symptoms.
Outcomes: What Alcohol Recovery Looks Like with Dual Diagnosis Support
Recovery doesn’t mean never struggling again. It means having the right support, structure and skills to manage both your mental health and your relationship with alcohol without shame, without fear and without having to do it alone.
With dual diagnosis treatment, our clients often leave with:
- Clearer understanding of their diagnoses and behaviours
- Reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, or PTSD
- Stronger boundaries and communication tools
- Confidence in relapse prevention strategies
- A renewed sense of identity, purpose, and agency.
Some continue their healing with outpatient therapy or community-based services. Others enter aftercare with us directly. Either way, we ensure you’re not discharged into silence. You leave with a plan and a team that’s advocating for you.
Explore Alcohol Rehab Aftercare at Abbington House
Alcohol Rehab FAQs
What’s the difference between dual diagnosis and co-occurring disorders?
Can you treat mental health without addressing alcohol?
Do you provide detox as part of dual diagnosis treatment?
Yes. If you require alcohol detox, we provide 24/7 medical supervision, medication support, and trauma-informed care throughout. Your mental health needs are considered from the very start.
Do you offer women-only support for dual diagnosis?
Yes. Many of our clients are women dealing with stressors like domestic abuse, postnatal mental health, or menopause—all of which are supported through group and individual therapy.
🔗 See Alcohol Rehab for Women