Alcohol dependency affects 4% of the population in England and Wales aged 16-65 years old. This is approximately 1.1 million people. The World Health Organization have defined alcohol dependent individuals as those exhibiting a range of behaviours including the strong desire to drink alcohol to the point that it takes precedence over all other behaviours and, persistence to drink despite negative consequences, and physical withdrawal symptoms.

Alcohol dependence was once considered a problem that was associated with middle age. However, figures from the department of health show that alcohol dependence is now more common among younger people. For women, alcohol dependence is highest between ages 16-24, whilst for men it is highest between ages 25-34.

The symptoms of alcohol dependence can vary from person to person, however, common danger signs include:

•  A compulsive need to drink and a loss of control over the amount consumed in one sitting.
•  Basing all social events around alcohol anf worrying where your next drink is coming from when it’s closing time.
•  Suffering from withdrawal symptoms, like sweating, tremors, nausea, and then drinking alcohol to make these symptoms stop.
•  Developing a tolerance to alcohol which means you have to drink more to get the desired effect.
• Drinking alcohol, or having a strong desire to, when you wake up.
• Realising that your professional and personal relationships are suffering because of alcohol, but not being able to stop.

When someone you know and love suffers from drug addiction, everyone in their circle of life becomes affected. Quality of life and physical well-being begin to suffer, and the person you know and love begins to change and fade. Drug abuse mainly destroys lives not only for the addict but for those that love and care for them. However, addiction can be treated with our treatment programme and the development of a support network for the client and their families.

The alarming fact is that the abuse of prescription drugs and other opiates such as heroin appears to be on the rise in the UK. For one, opiate painkillers carry great potential for abuse and addiction. Addiction to opiates is a serious matter and the effects can be devastating. Heroin addiction treatment is vital in preventing the potential escalation of the abuse while minimizing the risk of addiction, overdose, and death. At Achilles, we are experts at helping you through a enjoyable recovery from drugs.

When someone has a Prescription drug addiction, it means taking a prescription medication that is not prescribed for you, or taking it for reasons or in dosages other than as prescribed.
Abuse of prescription drugs can produce serious health effects and damage.

Within today’s society, addiction to prescription drugs is an ever increasing problem. While many people avoid drugs like cocaine and heroin, they assume prescription drugs are safe. This makes identifying a prescription drug addiction very difficult. Addicts can easily hide or deny they have a problem because the drug they are addicted to comes from a doctor. Some of the most commonly associated drugs within Prescription Drug Addiction are Tranquilisers, Benzodiazepines, etc…….
Prescription medications are often prescribed by doctors to treat specific conditions – such as; central nervous system depressants (for anxiety or sleep disorders), antidepressants (for depression), opioids (for pain relief), stimulants (for narcolepsy or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), .
Long-term use of opioids or central nervous system depressants can lead to physical dependence and addiction. Opioids can produce drowsiness, constipation and, depending on amount taken, can depress breathing. Central nervous system depressants slow down brain function; if combined with other medications that cause drowsiness or with alcohol, heart rate and respiration can slow down dangerously. Taken repeatedly or in high doses, stimulants can cause anxiety, paranoia, dangerously high body temperatures, irregular heartbeat, or seizures.

A workaholic is a term that we widely use to our drive and determination to achieve success in the workplace, usually with negative influences on ourselves and our families.

The term generally implies that the person enjoys their work; it can also imply that they simply feel compelled to do it. Some forms of stress, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder can be work related.

Workaholism is not the same as working hard. Despite logging in an extraordinary amount of hours and sacrificing their health and loved ones for their jobs, it is possible that workaholics can be widely ineffective employees.

Anxiety and Stress is caused by external and internal factors alike. Increasing problems and pressure at work or at home can push the individual to breaking point but one’s physical well being and psychological make up can also play a part.

At Achilles, we offer therapy designed to examine the root of stress with a team of professional therapists who have extensive knowledge of the issue and will determine the correct type of action necessary. In the first instance, the individual needs to explore whether their feeling of stress is something that needs combating at a professional level.
If your daily pattern is being interrupted by such problems as loss of sleep or appetite, unexpected emotional outbursts or periods of nervous tension, guidance should be sought. If you are trying to eradicate these difficulties with an increased intake of alcohol or general drug misuse, this will only serve to make matters worse. Treatment is advised before the problem escalates

There are several types of depression. Most of them share similar symptoms such as sadness, a lack of concentration and/or a lack of interest in normal daily activities It is common for people suffering from depression not to seek treatment in spite of the fact that the majority would respond positively to so doing.

Depression can filter through to every area of one’s life until there seems to be no escape and no safe haven. Work may be strongly affected and family members can also suffer as a result. That is why treatment is such an important step.

Here at Achilles, we aim to provide a range of counselling and treatment programmes so the patient can choose which would be most appropriate for their needs.

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a persons thoughts, behavior, feelings and physical well-being. Someone suffering depression may feel sad, empty, hopeless, worried, helpless, worthless guilty, irritable, or restless. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable; experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions; and may contemplate or attempt suicide.

Burnout – Occupational / job burnout can be characterized by exhaustion, lack of enthusiasm and motivation, feeling ‘drained’ and also may have the dimension of frustration and/or negative emotions and cynical behaviour. More accurately defined as:

“Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress”.

In today’s society, many of us are vulnerable to burnout. Many of us are strongly motivated, dedicated, and highly successful in our line of work.

As work for some of us can be the source of importance in which a meaning in life is reached, it is significant that many of us find a meaning by achieving challenging goals and expectations. Occupational burnout is a type of stress condition and as such results in concentration problems or decreased problem solving abilities. Therefore,the desire to achieve our high goals and expectations may collide with a physical, emotional and mental exhaustion and inability to achieve our goals. This can lead to a type of burnout that we at the Achilles Programme will be expertly able to help.

Occupational burnout also affects our social relationships and our attitudes making interactions at home difficult either because many of us experience social withdrawal as a result Withdrawing is a type of defence mechanism but in fact this has a negative effect because of the importance of social interactions for one’s well being. Burnout problems may lead to general heath problems because of the stress becoming chronic, symptoms like headaches, colds, insomnia may appear together with overall tiredness. At this point there may be attempted self-medication like drinking alcohol, smoking, taking sleep pills, stimulants like coffee, mood elevators, etc. which may pose a further risk for our health.

It can be very difficult for someone experiencing a type of eating disorder to actually recognise the problems and tough to seek help.

Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake which can have a detrimental impact on physical and mental health. Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa and Binge Eating disorder, are the most common specific forms in the United Kingdom. Though primarily thought of as affecting females (an estimated 5–10 million being affected in the U.K.), eating disorders affect males as well with an estimated 1 million U.K. males being affected.

We believe that eating disorders are symptomatic of addictive disease. The compulsive relationship with food, distorted self-image and self-hatred associated with anorexia, bulimia and overeating characterise the discomfort that drives other addictive behaviours.
We provide a nurturing, contained and friendly environment in which sufferers can learn to live free from food-obsession. We put strong emphasis on providing healthy nutritious food for our patients.

Therapeutic process is at the centre of our programme. We find this works on multiple levels. It increases self-awareness, promotes the ability to communicate and interact successfully with others, heals shame and increases self-esteem.

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder which can be characterised by binge eating and purging, or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time, followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed (purging), typically by vomiting, taking a laxative or diuretic and/or excessive exercise, and commonly accompanied with fasting over an extended period of time. Bulimia nervosa is considered to be less life threatening than anorexia, however, Bulimia nervosa is nine times more likely to occur in women than men. The vast majority of those with bulimia nervosa are at normal weight.  Patients who have bulimia nervosa are often linked with having impulsive behaviors involving over spending and sexual behaviors as well as having family histories of alcohol and substance abuse making the Achilles Programme a superb method of seeking help.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by excessive food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body self-perception. It typically involves excessive weight loss. Anorexia nervosa usually develops during adolescence and early adulthood. Due to the fear of gaining weight, people with this disorder restrict the amount of food they consume.
The diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa are a BMI of 17.5 or below and amenorrhea (absence of the menstrual cycle) for up to 3 months.

Overeating generally refers to the long-term consumption of excess food in relation to the energy that an organism expends, leading to weight gaining and often obesity. It may be regarded as an eating disorder.

Compulsive eating disorder can very often be misdiagnosed as obesity. This can be extremely stressful on the individual. People within normal weight range can too suffer from compulsive eating disorder.

This term may also be used to refer to specific episodes of over-consumption. For example, many people overeat during festivities or while on holiday

Compulsive over eaters depend on food to comfort themselves when they are stressed, suffering bouts of depression, and have feelings of helplessness.

Individual therapy, and group therapy are often beneficial in helping people keep track of their eating habits and changing the way they cope with difficult situations, here at the Achilles Programme, we can expertly, confidentially and safely support your needs.

Binge eating is a pattern of distorted eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of food. Most people who have eating binges try to hide this behaviour from others, and often feel ashamed about being overweight or depressed about their overeating. Although people who do not have any eating disorders may experience episodes of overeating, frequent binge eating is often a symptom of an eating disorder.

Dual Diagnosis is the term used to describe when addiction, simultaneously or sequentially, occurs with another psychiatric condition which encompasses bi-polar disorder, psychosis, anxiety and depression among others. Co-morbidity also implies interactions between the illnesses that affect the course and prognosis of both.

As these conditions can aggravate each other, a carefully planned comprehensive treatment programme, which addresses both the mental and substance misuse problems, is an essential part of successful and full recovery. Generally, mental health disorders may act as triggers in those individuals who are predisposed to addictions or the substance abuse may worsen or alter the path of the psychiatric condition as well as causing other psychological symptoms. Moreover, individuals may also turn to substance abuse to manage their psychiatric symptoms or self medicate as an attempt to escape their suffering, causing further damage to their mind and body.

The Achilles programme, under the expertise of a multidisciplinary network consisting of doctors, psychiatrists, nurses, therapists, interventionists and other specialists, focuses on the assessment and treatment of co-occurring disorders to relieve individuals of both the substance abuse and the psychiatric problem together.

To treat co-occurring disorders, we look beyond the reported symptoms, investigating deep into the underlying causes of these symptoms whilst considering the complex and essential needs of our clients.