City & Hackney Alcohol Service provides a range of treatment services to meet the needs of people in these four different categories. Below is a rough guide to what might be the most appropriate service intervention for people in each category.
Advice, Information and Guidance
Advice, information and guidance is essential for someone at the early stages of developing an alcohol problem. It enables the person to make an informed choice about his or her drinking. Frequently, a brief treatment intervention is sufficient to help a person to change his or her drinking pattern.
Alcohol counselling can help someone who may be developing an addiction. Between six and twelve counselling sessions are provided during which the person is able to look at his or her drinking habits and receive support to implement change.
Counselling for partners, family and carers
People who live or care for a drinker sometimes need someone to whom they can talk to in confidence. Counselling is a safe place where family and carers can discuss issues, explore ideas and gain sufficient perspective to resolve problems.
The aftercare is for people wanting help to maintain abstinence and to develop skills for leading a fuller life, counselling will enable an abstinent person to explore in-depth the underlying events that led to his or her problem drinking.
