Opioid Rehab

Opioid rehab at Abbington House provides private residential treatment for people who have become dependent on opioids, including prescription painkillers, over-the-counter codeine and substitute medications.

Treatment takes place at our CQC-regulated rehab in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, and brings together medically supervised detox where needed, therapy and ongoing support within one residential stay.

For many people, opioid dependence doesn’t begin with recreational drug use. You may have been prescribed painkillers after an injury, operation or for a long-term health condition, and taken them exactly as you were told to. The problem can develop gradually, sometimes to the point where taking the medication no longer feels like much of a choice.

Others already know that their opioid use has become a problem but have found that stopping is much harder than expected. Withdrawal, cravings and the immediate relief that comes from taking another dose can make it difficult to get beyond the first few days.

However you reached this point, treatment starts with understanding what you’re taking, what happens when you try to stop and what support you need to move forward safely.

When opioid use starts with aprescription

Taking an opioid regularly can cause your body to become physically dependent on it. You might notice that you feel unwell when you miss a dose, need more than you once did to get the same effect, or struggle when you try to reduce the amount you’re taking.
Physical dependence on its own isn’t the same as addiction. Plenty of people take prescribed opioids long-term, become physically dependent and still take their medication exactly as directed.
The picture changes when opioid use becomes difficult to control.You may be taking more than intended, running out of medication early, worrying about your next prescription or repeatedly deciding to cut down and finding yourself back where you started.
If you’re still working out whether your opioid use has become a problem, our guide to opioid addiction looks at these signs in more detail.

Which opioids do we treat?

Opioids are a group of drugs that include prescription painkillers as well as medications used in the treatment of opioid dependence. At Abbington House, we can assess and treat dependence involving opioids including:

Codeine and co-codamol

Dihydrocodeine

Tramadol

Oxycodone

Morphine

Fentanyl

Methadone

Buprenorphine

You may also see the words opioidand opiateused to describe these drugs.

Opiates are drugs derived naturally from the opium poppy

while opioid is the broader term used for both naturally derived and synthetic drugs that act on the body’s opioid receptors.

Heroin is also an opioid, but we cover treatment for heroin separately because the circumstances around its use and treatment can be different. If heroin is the main drug you’re using, you can read more about treatment on our heroin rehab page.

It’s also common for opioids to be used alongside alcohol, benzodiazepines or other drugs. You don’t need to work out which substance is the “main problem” before asking for help. This can be looked at properly during your initial assessment.

Why are opioids so difficult to stop?

When opioids are taken regularly, the body gradually adapts to having them there. This can lead to tolerance, where the same amount no longer has the effect it once did, and physical dependence, where reducing or stopping the drug causes withdrawal symptoms.

Opioid withdrawal can involve

sweating

restlessness

anxiety

difficulty sleeping

muscle

joint aches

stomach cramps

nausea

diarrhoea

and strong cravings. The exact experience varies depending on the opioid you’ve been taking, how long you’ve been taking it and how much your body has become used to.

That cycle can be exhausting, particularly when you’re trying to manage it at home with the medication still within reach. It also means that struggling to get through withdrawal isn’t a useful measure of how much you want to stop.

What makes stopping particularly difficult is that taking another opioid can quickly relieve those symptoms. You might start the day determined not to take anything, only to find that several hours later you’re feeling increasingly unwell and know exactly what will make it stop. It’s one of the reasons people can go through repeated attempts to cut down or stop without getting very far.

Residential treatment gives you a different environment in which to do it. If you’re physically dependent, the first step is an assessment followed by a medically supervised detox where appropriate, so you’re not left trying to manage withdrawal and make decisions about what to do next on your own.

Medically supervised opioid detox at Abbington House

If you’ve become physically dependent on opioids, detox may be the first stage of your residential treatment at Abbington House. The aim is to help you come off opioids in a planned and medically supervised way, rather than trying to manage withdrawal by yourself at home.

Before detox begins, you’ll be assessed so the clinical team understands which opioids you’re taking, how much and how often you’re using them, how long you’ve been taking them and what has happened during previous attempts to stop. They’ll also need to know about any other medication, alcohol or drugs you’re using, as these can affect how detox needs to be managed.

Will I be given medication for opioid withdrawal?

Medication can be used during detox where it’s clinically appropriate. What you’re given and how your withdrawal is managed will depend on your individual assessment, rather than following exactly the same plan for everyone.

You’ll be monitored throughout, which means the clinical team can see how you’re responding and make changes where needed. You won’t be expected to simply stop taking opioids and get through the symptoms without support.

How long does opioid detox take?

There isn’t one set opioid detox timeline because it can vary depending on the opioid involved, how long you’ve been taking it, the level of physical dependence and your wider health.

Detox at Abbington House is provided as part of residential treatment rather than as a standalone service. Once the physical withdrawal has settled, you remain in treatment and begin working on the reasons opioid use became difficult to control in the first place.

What happens after opioid detox?

01

Getting through withdrawal is an important part of treatment, but it doesn’t necessarily change the reasons you’ve been relying on opioids. Once you’re feeling physically more settled, treatment turns towards understanding what has kept the use going and what might pull you back towards it when you leave.

02

That will look different from person to person.Opioids may have started as pain relief but gradually become something you relied on to sleep, manage anxiety, switch off or simply get through the day. For someone else,the biggest difficulty may be cravings, stress, trauma or a padfttern of returning to opioids whenever life becomes difficult.

03

Therapy at Abbington Housegives you the space to understand those patterns and start changing them. Treatment can include individual and group therapy, with approaches such as CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing and EMDR used where they’re appropriate to your needs.

04

You’ll also work on the practical side of staying well: recognising your triggers, managing cravings, dealing with difficult emotions and preparing for situations where you might previously have turned to opioids.

05

The point isn’t to assume that everyone who becomes dependent on opioids needs the same treatment. It’s to understand what role they’ve come to play in your life, because that gives you something much more useful to work with once they’re no longer there.

What if you’re takingmethadone or buprenorphine?

Being prescribed methadone or buprenorphine doesn’t automatically mean you need to come off it, and it doesn’t make your recovery any less valid. These medications are widely used in the treatment of opioid dependence, and some people remain stable on them for long periods.

You may, however, reach a point where you want to review your use of methadone or buprenorphine, particularly if you’ve tried to reduce it before and found the withdrawal difficult to manage. You might also be taking a substitute medication while still struggling with other opioid or drug use and feel that you need more support than you’re currently receiving.

If you’re considering residential treatment while taking methadone or buprenorphine, the first step is to speak to our admissions team. We’ll need to understand your current prescription, your wider opioid use and what you’re hoping to achieve from treatment.

From there, we can explain what Abbington House can safely offer in your circumstances and whether residential treatment is the right next step. You shouldn’t stop or change a methadone or buprenorphine prescription before admission unless you’ve been advised to do so by the clinician responsible for your care.

What if you’re stillliving with pain?

If your opioid use started with treatment for an injury or long-term pain, the idea of stopping can bring an obvious worry: what happens to the pain?

The fact that you’ve become dependent on opioids doesn’t mean the pain wasn’t real, or that it has simply disappeared because the medication has become a problem. For some people, fear of being left in pain is one of the main reasons they’ve struggled to reduce their opioid use, even when they no longer feel comfortable with how much they’re taking.

This is something that needs to be understood as part of your assessment. Your opioid use can’t be looked at in isolation from the reason the medication was prescribed in the first place, particularly if you’re still receiving treatment for an ongoing condition.

Residential treatment can address the dependence and the patterns that have developed around opioid use, while any ongoing physical health or pain needs should continue to be managed with the appropriate medical professionals. The aim isn’t to dismiss your pain or expect you to simply put up with it because you’re seeking help with opioids.

Staying well after opioid treatment

Leaving treatment means returning to the same life in which opioid use became a problem, so part of your time at Abbington House is spent preparing for what happens when you go home.

That includes understanding your own triggers, recognising when cravings are building and having a plan for the situations that are most likely to put your recovery under pressure. If opioids became your way of coping with stress, pain, difficult emotions or certain situations, you’ll need other ways of dealing with those things when they come up again.

There’s also an important physical risk to understand. After a period without opioids, your tolerance can fall. If you return to using the amount you were taking before treatment, your body may no longer be able to tolerate it in the same way, which increases the risk of overdose.

This is one reason support doesn’t end when you leave Abbington House. Aftercare gives you continued contact and support as you adjust to being back at home and start putting what you’ve worked on in treatment into practice.

Recovery isn’t based on never having another craving or difficult day. The work is in knowing what to do when those moments happen, and having people you can turn to before returning to opioid use feels like the only option.

When someone you love is dependent onopioids

It can be difficult to know when prescribed opioid use has become a problem,particularly when the medication was originally given for a genuine medical reason. You may notice prescriptions running out earlier than they should, increasing anxiety when medication isn’t available, changes in mood or repeated attempts to cut down that don’t last.
If you’re worried,you don’t need to convince someone that they’re “addicted” before you can have a useful conversation. In fact, arguing about the label can easily take attention away from what’s actually happening.
Try to focus on the changes you’ve noticed and why they concern you.That might be how much medication they’re taking, the effect it’s having on them or the fact that they’ve told you several times they want to stop but haven’t been able to.
You can also contact Abbington House yourself if you’re unsure what to do next.Our admissions team can listen to what’s been happening, explain what treatment options may be appropriate and help you understand how to approach the conversation with the person you’re worried about.
Families can also be involved in treatment where appropriate, helping everyone begin to understand what’s happened and what support might be useful when their loved one returns home.

Is residential opioid rehab right for you?

Not everyone who is physically dependent on opioids needs residential addiction treatment. If you’re taking prescribed medication as directed and want to reduce or stop it, your GP or prescribing clinician may be the right place to start.

Residential treatment becomes more relevant when stopping has become difficult to manage on your own, or when opioid use is beginning to affect other areas of your life.

You might consider opioid rehab if you’ve repeatedly tried to cut down or stop but haven’t been able to, withdrawal keeps taking you back to using, or you’re taking more than you intend to. You may also be using opioids alongside alcohol or other drugs, finding that your mental health is getting worse, or seeing an impact on your work, finances or relationships.

Previous attempts at treatment don’t rule you out either.If you’ve stopped before and returned to opioids, it’s worth looking at what happened rather than assuming treatment simply doesn’t work for you.

If you’re not sure whether residential treatment is necessary, an assessment can help establish what level of support you actually need. If Abbington House isn’t the right option for you, we’ll tell you.

How long does opioid rehab last and what does it cost?

There isn’t one length of stay that’s right for everyone, but the recommendation will depend on your opioid use, whether you need a detox and what you need from the therapeutic part of your stay.

28 days

is common for residential treatment at Abbington House.

The cost of treatment will depend on how long you stay. Your residential fee includes your accommodation, meals, therapy and the day-to-day support you receive while you’re here, with medically supervised detox included where it’s needed.

Our admissions team will explain the cost clearly before you make any decisions, so you know what your stay will involve and what you’re paying for.

You can also read

Our rehab costs in the UK

Current pricing for residential treatment.

Finding a treatment option

If private residential treatment isn’t affordable or isn’t the right level of care for you, there are other routes to getting help. What matters is finding a treatment option that’s appropriate for your situation rather than assuming residential rehab is the only way to recover.

Getting help at Abbington House

If opioids have become difficult to stop and you’re not sure what kind of help you need, you can speak to our admissions team about what’s been happening.

That first conversation doesn’t commit you to coming into treatment. We’ll ask about the opioids you’re taking, any other medication or substances you’re using, previous attempts to stop and anything else that could affect your treatment. From there, we can explain whether residential treatment at Abbington House is appropriate and what the next steps would look like.

If you do decide to come to Abbington House, we’ll arrange your admission and make sure the clinical team has the information they need before you arrive.

You don’t need to have worked everything out before you call. If you’re ready to talk about your opioid use, or you’re calling because you’re worried about someone else, we can help you understand what your options are.

Contact us