Depression and Addiction Treatment
Dual diagnosis care that supports your whole self, not just your symptoms.
When Depression and Addiction Overlap
If you feel like you’re stuck in a cycle of low mood, isolation and substance use, just trying to get through the day, you’re certainly not alone. Depression and addiction often show up together, feeding off one another in ways that can feel impossible to untangle. Maybe you drink or use to numb the sadness, or maybe the sadness started after the substance use, and now you’re no longer sure where one ends and the other begins.
When you’re suffering from depression, stopping substance use is essential, but it’s just one part of the solution. That’s why, at Abbington House, we offer dual diagnosis treatment: care that addresses both addiction and mental health, side by side. Because treating one without the other is ineffective, and often leaves people feeling like they’ve failed treatment when really, treatment has failed them.
Why Depression and Addiction Are So Closely Linked
Why Depression and Addiction Are So Closely Linked
Alcohol, drugs, even prescription medications can offer temporary relief, but over time, they make the lows lower, the disconnection worse, and the emotional pain harder to sit with. It becomes a cycle that’s incredibly hard to break:
- You feel low or hopeless
- You use something to cope
- The substance temporarily numbs the pain
- But it throws off your brain chemistry, your sleep, your relationships
- You wake up feeling worse and start all over again.
What Dual Diagnosis Means and Why It Matters
Dual diagnosis means living with both a substance use disorder and a mental health condition, in this case, depression. It’s more common than most people realise. Research suggests that around half of people with addiction also live with a mental health disorder, and vice versa.
But despite how common it is, not all rehabs are equipped to treat both at the same time.
Some programmes take a rigid, addiction-only approach. You’ll often hear phrases like “Just focus on the recovery” or “We’ll deal with the depression later.” But here’s the truth: if the depression isn’t addressed during treatment, it doesn’t disappear. It lingers in the background, making it harder to engage, harder to stay, and much harder to maintain sobriety after discharge.
That’s why proper dual diagnosis care is non-negotiable. When you’re living with depression and addiction, both need to be acknowledged and treated together. Anything less can lead to relapse, shame, or a belief that you’re somehow beyond help, when that’s not the case at all.
How Abbington House Supports People with Depression and Addiction
How Abbington House Supports People with Depression and Addiction
At Abbington House, we’ve built our entire programme around the reality that addiction often coexists with mental health struggles. Many of our staff have lived through it themselves. We know how exhausting it can be to keep showing up when everything inside you feels flat or hopeless, and we don’t expect you to put on a brave face or force yourself into positivity.
Here’s how we support people with depression and addiction at the same time:
Individual therapy
You’ll work one-to-one with a qualified therapist who understands the relationship between mood and substance use. There’s no pressure to open up straight away, just consistent, gentle support.
Psychiatric input and medication management
If medication might be helpful, we’ll ensure you’re assessed by a medical professional. Whether you’re already taking antidepressants or need support exploring that option for the first time, we’ll help you navigate it safely and thoughtfully.
Trauma-informed care
Many people living with depression and addiction have a history of trauma, even if they don’t call it that. Our team is trained to work with people who’ve experienced emotional neglect, loss, abuse, or other deep wounds, always with sensitivity, never with judgement.
Small group sizes
Our intimate clinic setting means you won’t be lost in the crowd. If you’re someone who finds large groups overwhelming or draining, you’ll likely find comfort in our more intimate and personalised approach.
Space to rest and recover
You don’t have to be “on” all the time here. We understand that depression can make even the simplest tasks feel hard, and that healing isn’t always loud or dramatic. Sometimes, it’s just getting through the day with support and kindness.
Aftercare planning with mental health in mind
Before you leave, we’ll work with you to create a personalised aftercare plan that includes ongoing emotional support. Whether it’s continued therapy, community mental health services, or referrals to trusted professionals, we’ll help you keep moving forward.
“At Abbington House, we don’t expect you to leave your depression at the door. We meet you where you are, and walk with you from there.”
Common Signs You May Be Dealing with Both Depression and Addiction
Some people arrive at rehab knowing they’re depressed. Others have never had a formal diagnosis but they just know something isn’t right.
Maybe you’ve been told you’re lazy or emotionally distant. Maybe you’ve even started to believe it yourself. But even so, the truth is, these can all be symptoms of depression. And when those symptoms are mixed up with substance use, they can be even harder to recognise.
You might be living with both depression and addiction if:
- You use drugs or alcohol to escape feelings of sadness, worthlessness, or numbness.
- You often feel exhausted, even when you haven’t done much.
- You’ve lost interest in things that used to matter to you.
- You feel disconnected from the world, like you’re going through the motions.
- You find it hard to ask for help because part of you believes nothing will change.
- You’ve tried to stop using before, but the emotional crash that followed was unbearable.
- You’ve thought about giving up entirely - not just on sobriety, but on everything.
At Abbington House, we see these signs not as failure, but as evidence that you’re in pain, and we can help you through it.
You don’t need to know whether your depression caused your addiction or the other way around. You just need a place that’s safe enough to start figuring things out.
What to Expect in Treatment at Abbington House
We understand that if you’re depressed, even the idea of coming to treatment might feel like too much. You might be thinking, “What’s the point?” Or, “What if I get there and I still feel the same?”
That kind of thinking isn’t resistance, it’s a symptom of how heavy things have become.
We don’t expect you to show up full of energy and optimism. Honestly, most people don’t. Some arrive shut down. Some are angry. Some cry during the admission. Some don’t speak at all. All of that is okay.
What matters is that you come, and that you’re met with compassion when you do.
Here’s what your time at Abbington House might look like:
- On arrival, you’ll have a full assessment with our clinical team, including questions about your mental health, medical history, and current emotional state.
- You’ll be matched with a therapist who will support you throughout your stay — someone who understands how depression interacts with addiction, and who won’t expect you to perform “recovery” in a certain way.
- Group sessions are small and supportive. You’re never forced to share, but if and when you do, you’ll be heard.
- There’s time for rest, reflection, and self-care. Some days, healing looks like deep conversations. Other days, it looks like showing up to group even when you don’t feel like talking. Both are valid.
- If medication is part of your care, we’ll help you manage it safely and stay in close contact with you about how it’s working and how you’re feeling.
- Staff are available and present, and many have lived experience, not just clinical knowledge, which means they really do understand what it’s like to live in your skin.
What we won’t do is punish you for finding it hard.
We won’t treat you like you’re a problem or accuse you of not trying hard enough. At Abbington House, our job is to approach each client with patience and understanding, even on your hardest days.
Long-Term Recovery for Depression and Addiction
When you’re living with both depression and addiction, recovery is rarely quick or linear but it is possible. And with the right care, it can be lasting.
At Abbington House, we don’t promise instant transformation. What we do promise is that we’ll help you build something real: a foundation that supports both your emotional wellbeing and your sobriety long after you leave us.
That might mean ongoing therapy or mental health support. It might mean medication, a support group, or simply a deeper understanding of your own patterns. For some people, recovery includes making peace with the fact that they’ll have good days and bad days, but they’ll no longer face them alone, or stuck in the cycle of numbing and regret.
Before you leave Abbington House, we’ll work with you to create a tailored aftercare plan that reflects your mental health needs as well as your recovery goals. That might include:
- Continued one-to-one therapy
- Support with transitioning into community mental health services
- Referrals to trauma or ADHD specialists
- Information for your GP or psychiatrist
- Peer support groups or addiction recovery fellowships, if that’s something you choose.
We’ll never rush you out the door. And we’ll never assume that your journey ends the moment you complete your programme. Long-term recovery takes time, patience, and ongoing care, and we’re here to help you build all three.
If You’re Struggling, We Can Help
If you’ve felt like no one really sees the full picture, the low moods, the exhaustion, the alcohol or drugs you use to get through it all, please know this: we see it. And you are not broken.
You’re not lazy. You’re not failing and you’re not beyond help. You’re someone who’s been trying to cope with deep, painful feelings, and you deserve a kind, competent team who can hold space for all of that. At Abbington House, we don’t ask you to pretend you’re fine. We don’t expect you to be hopeful, energised, or even convinced this will work. We just ask that you show up, and let us meet you with patience and care.
If you’re living with depression and addiction, you are not alone. There is a way forward, even if you can’t see it yet.
We’d be honoured to walk it with you.