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Three ways to help someone stop their cocaine use
A loved one is using cocaine – and you want to help them stop. Here’s our advice on doing it safely, decisively and effectively.
How do you know if someone is abusing cocaine?
Worried about a loved one doing cocaine? Unsure if they are? Read our article on common symptoms and facts on the drug itself.
In denial of reality: Another three damaging excuses made by addicts and substance misusers.
Three final excuses easily made to justify substance abuse.
Letting it out: Admitting to loved ones your alcohol and drug use is getting out of hand
Drug and alcohol use getting out of hand? Here’s how to open up.
The illusion of control: Three more excuses abusers of drugs and alcohol make.
Three more excuses commonly made by people misusing substances.
Ketamine: How to help a loved one stop using this dangerous drug.
Ketamine use is dangerous. If you’re trying to help a friend or loved one quit, read this.
Hurt, relief, identity: Four excuses abusers of drugs and alcohol make.
Drug and alcohol misuse changes us. As dependency grows, excuses develop in a bid to justify the continued abuse of substances – and they’re more common than you might think. Here are four of them and the danger they pose to recovery, health and wellbeing.
Ketamine: How to understand the dangers and symptoms of its use.
Ketamine is a powerful and widespread drug in the UK. In this article, we discuss the dangers of its use – and how to spot symptoms of addiction and dependency.
Loved one leaving drug and alcohol residential rehab? Here’s why aftercare matters.
Worried about relapse as you or a loved one leaves residential rehab? Aftercare can stop it. Here’s how.
Non-medical cannabis, skunk and addiction: What you need to know.
Non-medical cannabis can be addictive and dangerous.
Cocaine, alcohol and the rising dangers of both across Britain
London alone consumes over 23kg of cocaine a day. Combined with binge drinking, the danger is severe and immediate.
Self-isolating? Alcohol use increased? Read these three points of advice.
Worried about your recent alcohol use? Click here for our advice.
Want to help an addict and not hurt them? Don't make these six mistakes.
Common mistakes to avoid when helping a person struggling with addiction and substance misuse.
Anger, trauma and their ties to problematic drug and alcohol use
How anger and trauma can lead one towards alcohol and addiction.
Understanding alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic
What you need to know about alcohol and COVID-19.
How to support a loved one who is in rehab or fighting addiction
How you can best help a loved one in their fight against addiction.
Seven common causes of problematic drug and alcohol use
In this article we explore common challenges that can lead to addiction.
Online substance misuse treatment: Does it work?
Does online rehabilitation work? Who is it best for?
Recovery is changing. Addiction stays the same.
Recovery can happen, even if you're alone or at home.
Lucy's story of addiction recovery
Lucy, a member of Help Me Stop, shares her personal story of recovery.
Relapse: Common causes and prevention techniques
How relapses occur - and how we can learn to better avoid them.
Understanding alcohol addiction: Alcohol cravings
The reality of how alcohol cravings work - and how they can be managed.
Addiction In The Workplace - A Help Me Stop Whitepaper
17 million days of productivity are lost each year due to drug and alcohol use. Our whitepaper investigates the effect on businesses and the economy in the UK.
The media and substance misuse: How they get it wrong
The media's portrayal of addiction causes harm. Here's how.
Digital Dayhab - Online Drug and Alcohol Treatment
London Dayhab Help Me Stop has now launched an online treatment service for people struggling with drug and alcohol problems. It will deliver intensive treatment for existing clients unable to leave their homes during the COVID-19 crisis and new clients who wish to take advantage...
How isolation fuels and affects addiction
Isolation is harmful and can enable destructive behaviour.
The link between compulsion and addiction
What causes compulsive behaviour? How does it affect addiction?
Help Me Stop: COVID-19 Statement
Help Me Stop is working within the governments' guidelines to help stop the spread of COVID-19. While we remain open, Help Me Stop is committed to infection prevention and control.
Negative mental narratives: A threat to recovery
Our minds can be unkind to us - and it holds back recovery.
Understanding cross addiction
An explanation from the team on the dangers and reality of cross addiction.
Simon's story of alcohol addiction recovery as a client of Help Me Stop
Follow Simon's journey as he deals with addiction and mental health issues.
Handling insomnia during drug and alcohol treatment
Our guidance on handling insomnia during rehab and recovery.
Alcoholism & Alcohol Use Disorder: A disease, not a choice
Alcoholism and alcohol use disorder are genuine diseases - not decisions.
Tom's story of alcohol addiction recovery
Today we share the story of Tom, a successful client of Help Me Stop.
Hidden risk: How drug and alcohol use costs employers and employees
Substance misuse damages employers and employees both. Here's how.
Habits that keep you succeeding in recovery
Our advice on how to maximise your likelihood of successful recovery and sobriety.
How to return to work after residential rehab
When done right, returning to work can help your journey of recovery after rehab. This article explores how.
How and why to conduct a family intervention
This article discusses how to best conduct a family intervention.
The stigma of alcohol and drug addiction and its consequences
The stigma of addiction is damaging. This article explains why.
How Help Me Stop differs from traditional residential rehab
Our revolutionary Dayhab programme differs from traditional treatment models. Here's how.
One Directioner Liam Payne Talks About His Addiction
Liam Payne opens up about problematic alcohol and drug use and why he chose treatment.
The importance of exercise in alcohol and drug treatment and recovery
Exercise is massively beneficial to treatment and recovery. Here's how.
Help Me Stop - Start Your Recovery
The flexible Help Me Stop programme in London is designed to fit around work, study or family commitments. Watch our introductory video to learn more.
Is alcohol addictive? How do you get addicted to it or dependent on it?
This article talks about how alcoholism and dependency begin and progress.
How our breakthrough Dayhab model works – and signs a loved one may need it
How dayhab works - and the signs a person close to you may need it.
Misusing alcohol and working? Here’s what you need to know.
This article talks about problematic alcohol use and work.
Cross addiction: What it is and what you need to know
In this article we discuss the dangers of cross addiction.
Do I need rehab? When is the right time to seek treatment?
Are you ready for rehab? This article answers common questions on the subject.
First steps: How to effectively start helping a loved with problematic alcohol and drug use
In this article, the Help Me Stop team will describe to you several key points that will help you act in a positive and productive manner during this challenging time.
First steps: Understanding emotions and family when loved ones have problematic alcohol and drug use
Understanding emotions and the family in helping a loved one with problematic alcohol and drug use.
Our staff in the newspapers - 'I thought I knew what a heroin addict looked like, then I became one'
Our own Lucy published her story in the Metro this week 'I thought I knew what a heroin addict looked like, then I became one', openly discussing her own journey through addiction to encourage other sufferers to reach out. Here's what she said.
How to tell if friends or family members have a drinking problem
It’s sometimes difficult to tell whether someone has a drinking problem or whether they’re simply a social drinker who occasionally over-indulges. However, there are some questions you can ask yourself to determine whether or not a person has a drinking problem.
Top tips to help your employees stay sober
Drinking culture in UK workplaces is prolific. Young graduates trying to impress managers and colleagues in the workplace are channelled into taking part in evening social activities. Here are four top tips to support your employees with a sober lifestyle.
Help Me Stop's Official Launch
Help Me Stop launched its first Dayhab centre last month. Branded “rehab in the real world”, Dayhab has shown to keep two in three participants abstinent nine months after completing in the US.
Supporting recovery through religion
Having been in recovery for several years, I was seeking a way to connect my personal journey of battling addiction with teachings from my religion. Subsequently, last month I attended the Gurmat Sikh retreat in the outskirts of London.
Addiction Therapists, our Recovery Guides
Once addicts, then on a recovery journey, and now guides to others.
Is Dayhab the answer for professionals suffering addiction problems?
Dayhab treatment is breaking many of the barriers to receiving addiction treatment for many people in full time roles, by launching a service that is both flexible and affordable.
Resilience Within and Purpose
Over the course of nearly 30 years of battling addiction and ongoing mental health issues, resilience buried within a strong meaning and sense of life purpose, have helped me to survive.
The Joys of a Spiritual Recovery
Being in a spiritual recovery means that I follow a way of life guided by principles such as honesty, perseverance, trust, humility, integrity, self-acceptance, steadfastness, willingness, patience and self-forgiveness. It also allows me to be of service to others. I help people who are unwell...
Increase in drug deaths is no surprise
This week I was invited onto Sky News for an interview with Kay Burley. She wanted to talk to me about the recent increase in drug-related deaths. According to the Office for National Statistics. The number of drug-related deaths in England and Wales reached record...
Chip Somers: Dayhab offers a solution to the alcohol and drug 'epidemic'
The recent research findings from Kings College London do not come as a surprise to me. What do we expect when there have been such massive cuts to alcohol rehab services? As the report shows, since the withdrawal of funding in England for essential services,...
Removing Stigma
Mental illness is one of the most common disorders worldwide. 355 million people suffer from depression globally making it more common than aids, diabetes and cancer combined. Yet there is still so much stigma around it. And this has a negative impact on recovery.
International Drug Day
Wednesday 26th June is the UN's International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking It's been observed annually since 1989. Senior Addiction counsellor, Warren Vinciguerra talks about his own history of drug use and his experience of recovery.
Serenity; the by-product of addiction recovery
Serenity is the state of mind that comes from a surrendering of the will, letting go of the daily fight with circumstances and accepting life on life’s terms.
The Art of Kindness
Experiencing the kindness of a fellow human being is one of the most transformative experiences I’ve ever had. When new to the prospect of recovery, what I felt about myself and my life was utter devastation.
Compassion
Compassion is the most important tool when helping someone recover from alcohol and drug problems. Psychotherapist Warren Vinciguerra discusses how it works.
Using meditation to overcome addiction and prevent relapse
Today we’re constantly bombarded with fast fixes, instant access, high-speed Internet, fast food, mobile phones that ping; a constant streams of emails and an ethos of busy-busy, work-work, bang- bang. And a desire for not only instant coffee but instant gratification: I want what I...
The importance of involving family in addiction treatment
One of the major benefits of running a day programme is connection with family members who can quite often be the instigator of treatment, they can be the 1st point of contact to our service, coming into our service for support, education and advice. Family...
We are the most addicted society ever to have walked the planet
Addiction is the inability to have a causal relationship with addictive substances. We are the most depressed, medicated, obese, disconnected - even though we are so privileged to live in Western society a first world country.
Addiction is an epidemic that some people don't want to cure.
Recently I heard somebody talking about how much money could be made if scientists invented a cure for addiction. And I thought how very naïve, as there are many corporate scientists out there trying to create more addictive processes. At no time in history has...
Chip's Story
Help Me Stop's Clinical Adviser, Chip Somers tells how he went from a middle-class family, to boarding school, prison and the streets. He suffered sexual abuse as a child and lived the life of an addict for many years before going into rehab and coming...
Rehab or Dayhab
Help Me Stop's Head of Treatment talks about why he believes Intensive Outpatient Programmes are the way forward for addiction Treatment. Until now, there has been no intensive Dahab, like the U.S model, available in the UK. Help Me Stop is a breakthrough in addiction...
Prescription Drugs: A script for life?
The historical case of Dr. Conrad Murray, and his relationship with Michael Jackson, highlights how easily a straightforward process can become confused in a way that most patients find hard to understand.In an ideal world one would like to think that getting a prescription from...
Addiction: Challenging Beliefs
“Once a junkie, always a junkie”. “What’s the point in spending money on addicts, they never get better anyway”. These are just some of the conflicting and judgemental comments that you will hear if you introduce the subject of addiction in to most normal conversations....