Pioneering New Alcohol Recovery Method
February 2026
At Turning Tides, we believe that everyone deserves access to recovery. That belief has driven our Recovery Project to take a bold and ambitious approach to alcohol recovery, one that is now achieving outcomes that quietly outperform national averages.
The program was launched over 10 years ago by Turning Tides as the team saw the people who were most heavily dependent on alcohol were excluded from treatment. Head of Operations, Niall Read explained “At the time, the main treatment providers would not assess people who couldn’t blow under the drink drive limit, which is .35 on a breathalyser. Because some of the clients we work with are so highly alcohol dependant, the first thing they do when they wake is drink due to severe withdrawal symptoms. There was no kind of treatment option for them.”
For people who are alcohol dependant, stopping drinking alcohol suddenly brings on severe withdrawal symptoms such as seizures and unlike any other drug, it can cause death. A new treatment method was needed if we were to help those suffering with alcohol dependency.
The MAW Program
The Managed Alcohol Withdrawal (MAW) program gradually and safely reduces alcohol, under close clinical supervision, within a trauma-informed residential setting.
Turning Tides’ Recovery Project was the only service in the UK to support people to recover from alcohol addiction using alcohol itself, rather than replacing alcohol with addictive medication such as benzodiazepines. This treatment method has both the benefits of less withdrawal symptoms and not introducing another additive substance.
Following Turning Tides’ success, others are now launching this method into other settings and our work was picked up by ITV. Watch the latest coverage here where they talk to Recovery Project’s manager, Grant Purser, and past client Mark Hounsome about his journey and how he loves his sobriety
Person-Centred Care That Works
The MAW program is carefully tailored around each individual. Only one person completes the programme at a time, allowing for intensive, round-the-clock support throughout the process.
Before entering the program, clients work with our Substance Misuse Nurse and their GP to assess medical history and physical health. They complete a drinks diary, sometimes using bottle tops to calculate amounts if a diary feels overwhelming, so that reduction can be planned safely and realistically.
Once in the programme:
- Alcohol is provided in measured amounts across the day in a clinical setting
- Only one type of alcohol is used, agreed with the client
- Reduction happens gradually over 20 days
- Withdrawal symptoms and wellbeing are constantly monitored
As Louise Slaney, Turning Tides’ Substance Misuse Nurse, explains:
“Alcohol is the most dangerous substance to withdraw from. It has to be done slowly, with constant monitoring. By reducing alcohol itself rather than replacing it with medication, we often see fewer severe withdrawal symptoms and a better psychological experience.”
This is person-centred care in action, meeting people where they are, listening to their needs, and building recovery with them, not for them.
Clients who complete the MAW program move into the main Recovery Project house, staying between 9 months and 2 years. From there, they are supported into Turning Tides’ lower-support accommodation and, ultimately, into their own homes.
Recovery is not a single moment; it is a journey which is not always linear.
Accountable, Evidence-Led Results
The program has been running successfully for over 10 years, with extremely rare drop-out rates. Since 2019, 34 people have completed managed alcohol withdrawal through the Recovery Project:
- 79.41% remained sober for at least three months
- 41% achieved long-term sobriety of a year or more
By comparison, national data suggests that only around 46–47% of people exit alcohol treatment successfully and long-term sobriety rates are significantly lower for people with complex needs, including homelessness.
It has been developed in collaboration with local GPs, addiction specialists and independently reviewed by respected clinicians, including Dr Marian de Ruiter MB BS MRCPsych.
This reflects our commitment to accountability, continually reviewing, refining and validating our work to ensure it is safe, effective and genuinely life-changing.
Why This Matters Now
Demand for homelessness and addiction services continues to rise across the Southeast, while pressure on NHS services grows.
We need to ensure that recovery is possible for all those who want it.
As Niall Read says:
“It’s about using an approach that actually works for people who are usually written off as ‘too difficult to treat’. We would love to reach more people and open up more Recovery Projects like this across West Sussex.”
With the right support, investment and collaboration, this model has the potential to save lives and to change the national conversation around addiction, homelessness and recovery.
MAW Case Study by Charlotte Mernagh, Recovery Project Deputy Manager
The Recovery Project is unique project within Turning Tides in that it is the only project that is actively working with people on their recovery. It offers a safe, supportive home for people experiencing homelessness and living with drug or alcohol addictions who are ready to take steps toward change.
Angie has agreed to tell me the background to her coming to the Recovery Project for a Managed Alcohol Withdrawal. (MAW). She had a full assessment and was deemed to be a good candidate for our project and is likely to be resident for between 1-12 months dependent on her continued motivation and ability to work within the house rules and therapeutic ethos.
From Angie’s Point of View…
This is a condensed version of Angie’s’ journey to the Recovery Project.
Up to the point we met her, Angie had lived a challenging life that left her feeling trapped in an abusive marriage where, as far as she believed, there was no real escape—except at the bottom of a bottle. She had become dependent on alcohol, both physically and psychologically. She had reached a point in her life where she wanted things to be different. She was sick and tired of waking up in the morning and being scared—scared of withdrawals, scared of her husband and the violence he often directed towards her. Scared she would not have a roof over her head by the end of the day. Fear had been a part of her life for far too long. She stood at a crossroads, exhausted by the life she had been surviving; saddened by the loss of her children to foster care, she was ready to start living a different life.
Where could she start? She had to leave town, go somewhere her husband would not find her. Sadly, this meant going somewhere no one knew her, and she knew no one. She had to start anew and learn to trust new people—a skill she had not used for a very long time. She had heard that many of the services that worked with alcoholics were mainly for men, and she would not have felt safe living with a lot of men, especially if they were drinking or using drugs. She had been drinking heavily for over twenty years, and on the few occasions she had tried to stop. The shakes and sweats were so bad she thought she would die.
After spending a few months in a new town, going from squat to squat, still drinking and feeling hopeless, she heard about a day center in town that could help people. She decided to at least try this. Once at the day center, she met a worker who told her she understood where she was coming from—Sally. Over the months, they built a rapport. Trust was a foreign language to Angie. Every time she tried to trust someone, it had ended in pain or disappointment. Sally was different. She listened. She didn’t judge. For the first time in years, Angie felt a flicker of hope.
Angie was homeless but had now lived in a hostel for a few weeks. The hostel was dirty, crowded, and she never truly felt safe. So, she kept her head down, avoided eye contact, and tried to disappear. The staff talked down to her, like she was nothing. She ignored them; she had survived worse.
Angie had almost given up hope of being clean and sober. Every option she knew meant going cold turkey—facing seizures, terrifying withdrawals, and the fear of failing again. Then Sally told her about a project—detox from alcohol, using alcohol. It sounded impossible, but for Angie, it felt like a lifeline. She wouldn’t have to be abstinent before getting help. Help would come first. She didn’t fully understand how it worked, but she knew one thing: this might be her best chance to take her life back. So, she agreed with Sally to send a referral.
After Sally made the referral, Angie was invited for a first assessment. She arrived at the project feeling anxious, carrying the weight of uncertainty and apprehension. Her initial responses suggested a lack of confidence in the process ahead. However, as the session unfolded, she began to engage more openly. The supportive environment and clear communication helped ease her concerns. At the end of the assessment, she left with a genuine smile, feeling relieved and reassured.
When she returned for the second assessment, the contrast was striking. Gone was the anxious uncertainty; instead, she felt confident and determined. Her words captured this shift perfectly: “This is happening.” She demonstrated a clear understanding of the process and its implications, articulating how these changes would positively impact her life.
On moving into the Recovery Project, Angie felt anxious and unsure. However, for the first time in years, she was met with warmth, not suspicion. The staff didn’t ask her to prove her worthiness for help. They met her where she was, with compassion and understanding. She began the Managed Alcohol Withdrawal (MAW) process. This wasn’t like the detoxes she had heard horror stories about. Here, the approach was different—gradual harm reduction.
Over the space of twenty-one days Angie was supported to reduce her alcohol intake gradually and safely, using a structured and clinically overseen alcohol tapering plan. She felt the reduction moved at a good pace and even one day when she was feeling agitated, she was to keep the dose the same from the day before. Although Angie acknowledges the reduction was not a “walk in the park”, she says it was so much better than anything she had tried before.