Getting started
To start the ball rolling, you can just drop in to one of our services. We are available Monday to Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm. If you're unsure about coming in, you can call us first to talk through what we offer and find out whether Swanswell is right for you.

Assessment
When you drop into our alcohol services, a qualified and experienced Swanswell worker will see you on a one-to-one basis, in a private room. They will ask some questions about your drinking, health, social circumstances, etc. This is so that they can get a good idea of what's happening and what's important for you.

Your options
Once you've gone through the assessment, the Swanswell worker will offer you some advice and information about your drinking, after which you can decide whether you want to continue to work with Swanswell, or whether you feel one session is enough for now.

If you decide that you want to return, the worker will discuss your options with you. These may include working towards reducing your drinking, stopping completely, or reducing some of the risks posed by your drinking.

When you and the worker have decided the best way forward, they will book you in for another session. This may be with a different worker than the one who you have seen on your first visit, so that you can come back at a time that is convenient for you. However, once you have been assigned a Swanswell worker, that is the person you will work with whilst you continue to come to Swanswell.

Brief intervention
You may need some information and advice about your drinking, perhaps to find out if you might be drinking too much or to get some ideas for cutting down. If this is what you decide you would like from Swanswell, we can provide this kind of help during your first, and perhaps second, session.

If you and your Swanswell worker feel that you need more input than this you may be offered what is known as a brief or extended brief intervention. This would involve attending for up to six sessions and working on your goal of cutting down or stopping drinking. Brief interventions can particularly help you to:

• reduce binge drinking (drinking 8 or more units for men and 6 or more for women, at one time)
• stop alcohol from becoming a problem again once you have reduced or stopped your drinking

The next step on from this is to decide to have ongoing careplanned work. You and your Swanswell worker will put together a plan that looks at what you want to change and how you can achieve your goals. Once you have put this together, you will meet on a regular basis (probably weekly) to work toward your goals. This may include a plan to gradually reduce the amount you drink or to start what is commonly called 'detox'.

Detox
Detox (short for detoxification) is when a person who is physically dependent on alcohol stops drinking and is given medication to help lessen the withdrawal symptoms. This can be done in the person's home or, occasionally, in a hospital. People who detox at home are seen by a nurse every day for a week in order to ensure that they are ok. Detox in hospital takes place over seven to nine days.

Detox is not a treatment that is started unless necessary. It is a full-time process and someone who is going through a detox will not be able to continue their usual everyday life at the same time. So it is important that anyone who decides with their Swanswell worker that detox is the right treatment for them is assessed properly and that they do some planning work for what they will do when the detox has ended. Swanswell will provide support following detox.

Click here for answers to common questions about alcohol.