Frequently asked questions

Drugs
What do I do if I have a health problem?
If you have a problem with your prescription or your health, the first thing that you should do is contact your doctor. Don’t panic - speak calmly and clearly to the receptionist.

How do I contact my Swanswell worker?
If you need to contact your Swanswell worker outside of your appointment you can telephone 0121 233 7400. If your worker is not available, leave a message and they will contact you when they return. When telephoning, it is important to know the name of your Swanswell worker, your doctor and GP surgery.

What if I miss an appointment?
If you miss an appointment it is important that you speak to your Swanswell worker, so they can discuss with you what needs to happen next. If you are with Swanswell as part of a probation order, you may be required to attend as part of this order. In this case, if you miss an appointment the worker will let your probation officer know. Missing appointments that you are required to attend may lead to probation taking further action.

Alcohol
Am I an alcoholic?
The label alcoholic means many different things to different people and it is more useful to look at the effects of your drinking rather than give yourself a label that does not give you any useful information or options.

You may find it helpful to write down the reasons why you have asked this question, and then think about what the answers mean for you. For example:

• Are you worried about how much you drink?
• Has someone else said they are?
• Are you missing significant events or deadlines?
• Are you spending more than you intended to?
• Are you having a drink rather than eating a meal?
• Have you felt you needed alcohol and could not manage without it?
• Have you recently wanted to cut down or stop using alcohol but could not?
• Have you behaved in ways that you would not have done if you were not drinking?

Any of these issues should prompt you to seek advice.

What is a unit?
All alcoholic drinks can be counted in UNITS.
There is one unit of alcohol in:
½ pint of ordinary beer or lager (3 – 4% strength)
1 single pub measure of spirits (whiskey, vodka, gin etc)
One small (125ml) glass of wine in a pub

Sensible drinking limits: how much is too much?
"Current medical evidence shows that men should not regularly drink more than three to four units a day and women not more than two to three. ‘Regularly’ means drinking every day or most days of the week". (NHS Choices, www.units.nhs.uk/unit.html, 2008) To stay healthy, you should have 2 days a week alcohol free. It is not advisable to save all of your units up for one or two nights a week and ‘binge’ drink them all in one go. Remember, the guidelines are not targets to drink up to. There are times and circumstances when it makes sense not to drink at all. These guidelines don’t apply to young people who haven’t reached physical maturity.

You can see if your drinking is within recommended limits by answering our drink check questions.

What is a binge?
A binge is when someone drinks 8 units or more of alcohol at one time, or drinks with the intention of getting drunk.

What is a hazardous drinker?
A hazardous drinker is someone who drinks over the recommended limits, either on a regular basis or through infrequent binges. A hazardous drinker will have so far avoided significant alcohol-related problems but may benefit from brief advice about their alcohol use.

What is a harmful drinker?
A harmful drinker is someone who is usually drinking above recommended limits, very often at higher levels than most hazardous drinkers. Unlike hazardous drinkers, harmful drinkers show clear evidence of some alcohol-related harm.

What is a dependent drinker?
A dependent drinker is someone with an increased urge to use alcohol and difficulties controlling alcohol use, despite negative consequences. Severe dependency is usually associated with physical withdrawal when drinking stops.

What will happen if I have been drinking heavily for some time and stop?
You may find that stopping or drastically reducing your drinking leaves you with some symptoms caused by withdrawal from alcohol. This is because when the body is used to a regular dose of alcohol and no longer receives it, a chemical adjustment takes place. We call the effects of this adjustment withdrawal symptoms. Whilst most people experience some symptoms, these effects vary from person to person, and the safest way to consider making changes in your drinking is to seek advice and support from Swanswell or your GP.

If I come to Swanswell, will I have to sit in a group?
No. We offer one to one appointments. We also offer people the opportunity to join small groups for ‘auricular acupuncture’ or group support. It is the person's choice to access group activities or not. We do not operate a ‘one size fits all’ service. We offer tailored services to meet the needs of individuals.

If I decide to come to Swanswell, how much will it cost?
Swanswell alcohol services are free services.

Who will know that I’ve been to Swanswell?
We have a clear confidentiality policy which we will explain to you when you first visit.

Will you make me stop drinking?
No. We will advise you as to whether you are drinking at a hazardous or harmful level, and will give advice on cutting down. If you decide that you want to stop drinking we will help. We will work with you to set goals that are right for you; we won’t try to make you do anything.

How long will I have to attend?
This is difficult to answer. We won’t set any time limits or prescribe a certain length of time, but we may initially offer you six sessions. It’s a good idea to review your treatment with you every six sessions or so, to ensure that you are getting what you need from the service.

If I find it difficult to leave the house, can you visit me at home?
Occasionally we can visit people at home, however this is when the person has great difficulty leaving the house, perhaps due to mobility problems or a mental health issue. We also see people in GP surgeries and other community settings, which may be easier to get to. We can provide telephone help where that is most appropriate. If you think that attending the office may be difficult for you, please contact us to discuss how we may be able to help.

If I am drinking all day and couldn’t come to Swanswell without a drink, can someone visit me at home?
We understand that there may be times when you need a drink. All that we ask is that you visit us in a reasonably sober state. Perhaps there are certain times of the day when you would be less likely to need a drink - we can try to arrange a suitable time.

What is a detox?
Detox (sometimes called managed withdrawal) is a planned procedure, during which a person who is physically dependent on alcohol stops drinking. During the detox period you take medication for seven to ten days, to help minimise withdrawal symptoms. You can do this in an inpatient setting or in your own home, depending on circumstances. Following assessment, a GP or Consultant will prescribe the medication, working with the nurses at Swanswell alcohol services. In order to give the best chance of success, it is important to prepare for detox, and to plan what support will be needed after the detox with a Swanswell worker.

If I recognise that I have a drink problem do I have to stop drinking forever?
Not necessarily. Some people find that they can cut down to a safe level that they’re happy with. Some make the decision to have a period of not drinking before starting to enjoy alcohol within low risk limits. Others stop drinking forever because they feel that it is safest for them, or because their health would be seriously at risk if they continued to drink at all.

General
What is 'auricular acupuncture'?
Auricular acupuncture is a specialised treatment, used with great success when treating problems of substance misuse. This treatment is widely used in Britain as part of a recovery process for individuals. The treatment involves the insertion of 5 very fine sterile needles into each ear, at specific points. The client then relaxes for 40 minutes. This helps the body to cope with the process of withdrawing from substances. We will only offer this to clients who indicate that they want it and only trained Swanswell workers can offer this treatment.

• traditional rehab units with programmes to suit the needs of different service users. Different units have different approaches, for example therapeutic communities and the 12-Step programmes used by Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous
• crisis intervention units (usually in urban areas) that help people in drug-related crisis. These are generally shorter stay units
• residential treatment programmes for specific client groups (e.g. pregnant women, people with liver problems and clients with mental illness). These may require joint initiatives between specialist drug services and other specialist inpatient units
• "second stage” or “move-on” supported accommodation, where some clients go to after rehab
• other supported accommodation, with the rehabilitation interventions (therapeutic drug-related and non-drug-related interventions) provided at a different nearby site(s).

As with inpatient treatment, clients will generally access rehab through community services. People entering rehab will usually have gone through detox before entering. This detox could be somewhere else – for example in a hospital, or in the community – or at the rehab itself, if it has an attached detox unit.