Our Philosophy

Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Philosophy

Shardale programmes recognise that there are differing recovery treatment models. Our ‘choice theory’ model does not refer to people as ‘alcoholics’ or ‘addicts’, but maintains that behaviour is always chosen, either consciously or unconsciously.

This model purports to the development, misguided and sometimes irresponsible behaviours of individuals in vain attempts to meet their needs - behaviours that have negative and destructive consequences not only for themselves but also for the lives of their loved ones. 

To support people on their recovery journey, Shardale programmes provide the right environmental conditions for change: warmth, acceptance, trust, empathy, together with straight talking and of course humour when the situation dictates.

Our goal at Shardale is to support those people who have already made the decision to stop being dependent on mood altering substances and addictive behaviours and who now want to rebuild their lives by making healthy, constructive, and need-satisfying choices.

Essential for these choices to be effective are appropriate and healthy relationships with other people who have similarly decided to undertake a journey of recovery. The programmes delivered at Shardale would traditionally be defined as a ‘Non Hierarchical Democratic Therapeutic Community Model’, where staff consider themselves members and part of the daily process, not detached from how the community operates and functions.

Change occurs when there is a belief and confidence in a better future - this is the role of the therapeutic community, a living breathing experience that is as near to real life as possible taking into consideration of course the very nature of the rehab environment itself.