Over many years of using The Sanctuary Six Week Programme to treat clients with alcohol dependence, I am now seeing that there has been a dramatic change in lifestyles. The pandemic made the family dynamic much more in focus, and often with negative consequences. On top of that, because of circumstances home drinking has increased, and in my opinion, this will continue to be the norm. It’s not only the fear of infection or even having the get up and go to make the effort, but also the huge financial cost of a night out. Although the prices of food and fuel are going up, alcohol remains cheap, affordable in supermarkets considered to be an essential part of the weekly shop. I would like to say this has been organic, but that sounds too clean and positive. Many restaurants, bars and clubs will tell you that even with all the restrictions lifted, business will not be the same as pre pandemic for many moons to come.
The Sanctuary has formulated a new programme, post pandemic. This takes all that lies behind the drinking, and piece by piece begins to put it into order. Chaos of the mind lets alcohol take control. Rather than starting with the drinking, we are finding solutions that caused it in the first place. This centres on the use of alcohol in the home, not on a night out. The main aim is to reduce harms, to oneself and others.
Our Six Week Programme is still an option, where we concentrate one to one with calling time, the Sanctuary Solution Programme involves not only the person who drinks too much, but those who are within their family. It may seem complex, but it makes sense quite simply by getting behind the scenes and giving confidence to clients to be able to talk and communicate about the reasons behind the misuse, giving understanding and joining up families through openness, kindness and realising a joint enterprise approach can be very powerful. Family matters more than ever
