sober services articles

Denial, Deceit and Deflection of Addictive illness.

The first thing we naturally do when we see a loved one with a problem like an emerging addiction, is we will try to talk to them about it. But unfortunately, anyone with addictive illness is going to be resistant to your attempts to eng...

Is there really no substitute for abstinence?

The question of how best to deal with drug addiction is much debated among professionals. Here former addict Ian Young argues the only way to stop taking drugs is to stop taking drugs, while Yasmin Batliwala of the Westminster Drug Proje...

Drug Death Rise Taking Its Toll On Scotland

Scotland's latest statistics for drug related deaths have been released and seen yet another increase on the previous year. Scotland has recorded its highest number of drug death poisonings since records began in 1996. There current stat...

Spice Drug Is Causing Prison Nurses To “Pass out” In Smoke Filled Prison Cells

The Royal College of Nursing has stated that they feel their NHS healthcare staff are being exposed to “unacceptable” conditions in prisons whilst treating inmates that are using the highly dangerous drug Spice. This follows reports ...

Is legalising sale of alcohol in South Africa’s schools a good idea?

Is legalising the sale of alcohol in South Africa’s schools a good idea? Cape Town's ANC has recently slammed the DA’s plans to sell alcohol within schools. South Africa's DA (Democratic Alliance) the principle governing body, have p...

Treatment Advisory Service

For anyone seeking private alcohol or drug treatment, also known as rehabilitation, or rehab for short, Sober Services can assist you in accessing the very best options available to you based upon your budget from around the world, inclu...

What is a Sober Companion

Sober Services provide specialist recovery support and addiction treatment services, including Sober Companions, Recovery Coaches, Sober Guardians, Sober Coaches, Sober Transporters and Sober Bodyguards / Guides (they have many names, th...

Interventions

Do you have a family member or loved one that you feel would benefit from an experience in a rehab for their alcoholism but refuses to stop drinking? Or perhaps they have a drug abuse problem or even a drug addiction and are refusing to ...

What to look for in a Sober Companion

When we meet with families and concerned parties, one of the questions we ask is “What would be your very best possible outcome for your loved one or colleague?”...

Intervention – A professional view – Q&A with Ian Young

Letting the Light in ran a Questions & Answers Interview with Ian Young about his style of Interventions for families...

Talk Business – Concerns business owners might have with employing someone who had an addiction to drugs and alcohol

Talk Business Article – Published 21/09/2016 Concerns business owners might have with employing someone who had an addiction to drugs and alcohol     Unfortunately, there is a great deal of negative connotation and stigma associated with...

Alloa Advertiser – Organisation helping to beat gambling addictions

Published on 21st September 2016 in Alloa Advertiser     SOBER Services is highlighting the reality of gambling addiction following the BBC Panorama investigation into fixed odds betting terminals. The organisation aims to help individua...

Q & A with Ian Young

Best You Expo 2016 talk Q & A with Ian Young...

7 Proven Steps to Permanent Happy & Healthy Addiction

1) Positive Rewards and Negative Consequences 2) Frequent Random Drug Tests 3) Abstinence based therapeutic Programmes 4) Recovery based Role Models, Recovery Sponsors (Mentors), Sober Coaches (AKA Recovery Coaches) and a safe...

5 Ethical Principles of a Sober Interventionist

– Do no harm – Improve the situation for better for all – Respect all those involved – Be fair to all – Be compassionate...

Sober Intervention & the 3 Core Components

The planned process of confrontation by people who are important to the addict. Its purpose is to allow the addict to see the destructive nature of their addiction on the people they love. The result of a Sober Intervention? Right there,...

How to give tough love to a drug addict

The sooner you realise that it’s never going to go back to the way it was, the sooner you can move forwards. Understand that your loved one will always remain active in their addiction while you continue to permit them to have it. Ther...

Codependency and being an enabler

Codependence – a person is “addicted to the addict”; they assume responsibility for meeting the addict’s need and neglect their own Enablers – people who knowingly or unknowingly protect addicts from the natural consequences of their...

Angry addict or pleased addict

If the Addict is pleased with the help you’ve given them, you’re probably enabling them. If the Addict becomes angry, agitated or restless with the help you’re giving them, then you’re probably helping them beyond how you can ever imagine....

“I can’t stop cutting myself “

Someone once told me that when you start cutting, you can’t stop. I didn’t believe them. I recently started cutting and now I can’t stop. I love the feeling of it. I love the blade against my skin And you know what? I don’t care if it...

Examples of controlling an addict and their addiction

1.Silent Treatment 2.Lying 3.Making Threats 4.Accommodating their demands 5.Cancelling plans 6.Assuming responsibility 7.Pretending 8.Lecturing 9.Avoiding 10.Relocating 11.Hiding or destroying or dumping (alcohol / drugs /...

Spotting addiction

If there is even a small concern, then in most cases there is a problem, that given time will only develop and become a bigger problem. There could be many hidden addictions and there’s rarely no smoke without fire, no matter what stor...

How addiction affects families

Addictions affect everybody from any class, culture, race, religion, gender, sexual preferences, etc It happens to so many families, that 20% – 1 in 5, of British families have some sort of concern, which they normally hide because of fe...

What is the relationship between recovery and relapse

Number One Cause of Relapse: Underestimating the Disease The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are....

Addiction = Selfishness

Therefore a full lifestyle change including an adoption of a Spiritual lifestyle (thinking of others rather than remaining selfish and self centred) is required for success. The continuation of remaining vigilant and being aware of peopl...

What is addictive disease

Someone with an Addiction can be cured permanently given sufficient motivation and encouragement through coaching and / or other external pressures and influences. Someone with Addictive Disease will never stop their addictive patterns, ...

What are the solutions of addiction

Addictions come in various guises; and so may the solutions for an individual. First of all we need to assess them to discover if they have: 1) An Addiction e.g. smoking / drinking or other bad habit 2) Addictive Disease e.g. this person...

The only way to stop using drugs is to stop using drugs.

I’m prompted to respond to the news yesterday of President Obama’s visit to Atlanta to discuss drug policy, specifically heroin addiction and alternate prescribing such as methadone and suboxone. Obama: Addiction is a preventable disease...

Dry January – 7 ways to be a successful “DryAthlete”:

I’ve noticed a good many of my friends posting on Facebook and Tweeting about how they are attempting to remain Sober throughout January and then I saw that Cancer Research UK have launched a publicity drive for themselves and in an eff...

6 ways to convince an Alcoholic / Addict to accept help

Over my professional career as an Addiction Consultant, I’ve talked with thousands of family members about their loved one, who more often than not doesn’t have the same desire to change their drinking or drugging habits as the rest ...

12 Step Meetings – uncovered

There are few places in the world where you’ll find more honesty, vulnerability, courage, and mutual support than in a 12-Step Fellowship Group meeting. The 12 Step meetings are an extremely important resource of someone’s recovery for...

Go Sober for October

Macmillan Cancer Support have launched a social project that is currently doing the rounds called “Go Sober For October”. As someone who’s life has been significantly affected by Cancer within my close and extended family, and as an e...

Early Recovery Suggestions

I've been speaking to a good number of clients recently who've been struggling with some of the aspects of their own expectations in early recovery, so I’ve compiled this list of goals and reminders for people with addictive disease ...

10 Suggestions for a Healthy Recovery

I’ve been working One-On-One with a gentleman with full blown addictions to drugs and alcohol recently and after my recent post titled 10 Recommendations For A Healthy Future referencing how to beat an addictive compulsion when you've no...

10 Recommendations For A Healthy Future

I have often been asked to work with individuals with personal challenges for whom discretion due to their public profile is of immense importance. This means that traditional rehabilitation treatment and mixing with other patients, or a...

Robin Williams R.I.P.

I awoke this morning to learn of the very sad passing of Robin Williams, apparently from suicide due to his depression. It was widely known that Robin Williams found recovery from his own addictions (cocaine and booze) after John Belushi...

3 common excuses addicts / alcoholics use to justify avoiding addiction treatment.

Witnessing a family member or someone you care about succumb to an addiction of any kind – alcohol, narcotics, gambling, shopping / spending, sex / love / food, etc can be one of the most heart breaking things to witness, leaving you...

Residential Alcohol or Drug Rehab Centre Questions

The Sober Services Team have been researching and evaluating residential rehab centres for alcohol and drugs all over the world for well over 10 years, and we only work with clinics that we’ve visited and approved based on......

What You Need To Know About an Alcohol Detox

It is crucial that you seek advice from a medical advisor when you are going through a detoxification practice so as to guide you in the correct path and helping you get rid off alcohol. It is understood that a detox program is just the ...

7 Reasons for a Sober Intervention

Sober Interventions use a Tough Love model, which is explained here

Using Tough Love Tactics to Help Treat Addicts / Alcoholics In a world moving closer to nurture and farther away from nature, concepts like unconditional love are being shelved and replaced with things like tough love, with many so-calle...

Staying sober – with a little help from my companion

Staying Sober with a little help from my companion - The Telegraph discussing Sober Companions with Ian Young of Sober Services....