Programmes - Liberation from Alcohol Abuse
The Six Week Programme
The Six Week Programme is unique to Harrogate Sanctuary. 42 days is an intensive detox, and during this time, my clients have access to me and my advice on a daily basis. I treat misusing alcohol as a symptom, not a disease. The whole premise is based always on gain and never loss. I work until late into the evening, seven days a week and always try to be on hand for my clients when they need me.
First of all we organise a Discover meeting, lasting approximately and hour via Zoom and other platforms, in which we discuss the background of drinking, and the issues that surround it. This meeting is free of charge, there is no point having any therapy unless you click with your therapist, and visa versa. In the programme we have two face to face or virtual meetings a week communicate via email on a daily basis, and through this contact I will offer coping mechanisms and tools for the client to be able to trivialise alcohol, and reset reward patterns that have been created because of seeing booze, most especially wine as a deserved pleasure. For those of us who have been concerned about our drinking, it’s obvious that it is not doing us any favours. At the end of the six weeks, control and choice is the clients again. We reset your lifestyle choices and mindset. This is a long term solution.
The Maintenance Programme
The Sanctuary always sees a long term goal, and because of this, some clients prefer an ongoing approach.
Care For Couples & Families
Up until now, as is well known, I have been entirely female specific with the Sanctuary, but over the years have been asked if I could help couples, who are enabling each other to drink too much. I did engage in The Six Week Programme in November for one couple who were just at the end of the line with the constant, habitual sharing of a bottle too many of wine or spirits in the evenings, with a good outcome for both. Our work in this area has become a best kept secret for many couples and families.
So, from April, I am opening a new strand to the Sanctuary, that will help those who are in this position. My method is unique and so flexible works for all sexes. There has been an increase in divorce, 70% over the last five years blamed on the rise of alcohol consumption, mainly in the home.
In 2016 The Telegraph featured The Sanctuary on this subject.
It is very sad for anyone to be in the grip of any dependence, but when families are torn apart by it, when it could so effectively, nipped in the bud. There is no doubt men and women are not only biologically different but have a completely different mindset when it comes to their use of alcohol. We will naturally see if possible the couples together, but they will do their diaries, and daily contact completely separately, and if they wish to share a problem that they both feel would be beneficial to write together, that too can be part of the programme. All of us who have been in a relationship do have subjects that we do not want to raise between each other and we will respect that confidentiality completely.
I do hope that using our unique and very non-disruptive method in this way will save marriages or partnerships that are on the rocks due to this cruel substance and give those involved the opportunity to start with a fresh and happy slate.
Another new chapter for both the Sanctuary and the Sober Revolution.