A new Dayhab treatment centre sets out to make recovery available to everyone who needs it.
W:www.helpmestop.org.uk T: 020 8191 8920
Read the full article in DDN Routes to Rehab
Vernon Hartshorne, head of treatment at Help Me Stop’s new ‘dayhab’ service explains why he believes recovery should be part of everyday life, and how Help Me Stop’s new ‘dayhab’ treatment service can offer recovery to more people.
“I believe there’s only one thing that matters about addiction treatment; that it works. And once you’ve worked out what works, you make it available to as many people in need of help as you possibly can. Like most people in recovery, I’ve always believed in helping the many not just the few.” Vernon Hartshorne
For Vernon Hartshorne, that dream was the starting point for Help Me Stop ‘dayhab’ treatment service and began with a series of ‘what ifs’; What if there were a model that allowed people to recover at their own pace at an affordable cost? What if they could continue to live at home, work and look after their children while in treatment? What if centres were located in modern, well-equipped premises on the high street, as easy to walk into as a corner shop? What if we combined the interventions we know contribute to successful treatment as recognised by the World Health Organisation: CBT, mindfulness, art therapy, one-to-one counselling underpinned by a 12-Step approach?
Help Me Stop is a flexible Dayhab programme that enables people to recover in the real world, instead of taking them away from their homes, families and jobs. And at £2,500 for a five-week, 160-hour programme, it’s a fraction of the cost of most residential rehabs. Similar models have become the norm in many parts of the U.S, and have success rates that are as high, if not higher, than residential rehab.
Hartshorne says Help Me Stop’s approach is “built on solid foundations of experience and expertise in addiction, commenting that, “At Help Me Stop we know what works because all our therapists have had personal experience of addiction and recovery. We understand what saves lives. We know how to flip anger and resentment into love and compassion for self and others, to bring about a sense of purpose and inner contentment. By taking the best treatment approaches and leaving the rest, we deliver effective, high-quality treatment.”
Help Me Stop’s founders knew from their own experiences in addiction therapy that what works has, until now, been only available to the very few. And they felt that wasn’t good enough. Hartshorne said: “Thousands of addicts die every year never knowing recovery is available. If your problem is addiction we have the solution.”
The first Help Me Stop centre opens May 2019 in West London. Located in a former bank, the airy, light-filled premises are comfortable and welcoming. Having worked in high-end treatment centres all over the world, Hartshorne says he’s “Immensely proud that we’re bringing rehab to the high street. Addiction is a common problem affecting people from all walks of life – it’s about time recovery became commonplace too.”
Although more interested in people than stats, Hartshorne knows his facts and figures commenting that; “According to Eric Bowman, a lecturer in psychology and neuroscience, 22% of people who drink alcohol will become dependent. Almost everyone will know someone, or know of someone with a drink or drug problem, but do they know how and where they can get help?”
Hartshorne points out, “Alcohol and drug problems wreak devastation and destruction. They are not a problem waiting to happen. They’re here with us, right now, tearing lives and families apart.” But, he says, “Help Me Stop has a solution that works. Our Dayhab programme is recovery in the real world.”
Designed to fit around daily life, clients can take their 160 hours of treatment at times that fit their schedule. So, for example, clients who work or study can create a schedule where they attend during the day, early mornings, evenings or weekends. Or a parent with young children could come in during school hours, or whenever they have childcare available. It’s flexible enough the make sure everyone can find a way to make treatment part of their lives.
If you have a problem with alcohol or drugs, or you know someone who does, Help Me Stop could be just the solution to help you stop the cycle of addiction and start to live life to the full again.
The first Help Me Stop centre opens in West London in summer 2019.
Help Me Stop plans to open five centres in London and the south east of England over the next year.
020 8191 8920 • lucyc@helpmestop.org.uk • www.helpmestop.org.uk