Outpatient vs Inpatient for Alcoholism There are many types of approaches to treatment for addiction, which range from self-help to outpatient to inpatient programmes. Each has its benefits and downsides. Inpatient treatment, and the rarer intensive outpatient treatment programmes, are the most effective forms of treatment. But there are a number of reasons that outpatient […]
Addiction Resources
Why Can’t Alcoholics Stop Before They Lose Everything?
Alcoholism is a chronic illness that takes over the mind, and sometimes the body as well. It is extremely tough to control one’s behaviour with any addiction and alcoholics find it harder to stop than most. Sometimes, an alcoholic has to lose everything before they decide to get help. Sometimes, even hitting rock bottom is […]
How Does Long-term Alcohol Misuse Affect the Brain?
For many people, alcohol is a part of their regular life, be it drinks with dinner or catching up with friends over a Friday night cocktail. In low to moderate amounts, alcohol has its benefits – it makes people more happy, more social, and more relaxed. It is also believed that responsible drinking carries […]
Feed Me – Sugar, Greed & Addiction. (A film displayed at the HOOKED Exhibition)
Feed Me by Rachel Maclean plunges you into a sickly sweet dystopian journey in a world of hardcore contrasts. Walking into the showing you are greeted by soft yellow bean bags, candyfloss pink shag carpeting and baby blue walls. At first, I admire how from the very moment you enter the room you are plunged […]
HOOKED – An Exhibition on Addiction at the Science Gallery, London
I watch a rather world-weary woman reading aloud – a ‘goodbye letter to alcohol’. It is an exercise that I often use when working with patients at Castle Craig Hospital and will be familiar to anyone with experience of addiction therapy. It is an effective recovery technique. Nothing new there. But this is an artwork, […]
Teenage Substance Misuse
Ireland has one of the highest rates of underage binge-drinking in Europe, ranked fifth, and drug use among young people has been steadily rising. Binge-drinking is the most harmful type of drinking, and it doesn’t take much to get there – for young women, it means four or more drinks in one sitting, and for […]
Can Ireland Learn from Britain’s Drinks Lobby?
There’s a useful lesson that Irish politicians can learn from Public Health England, the policy-making body of the NHS: watch out for the drinks industry lobby. In the British media there is a furore over the drinks industry’s influence over Public Health England’s policy on alcohol. Professor Ian Gilmore, Public Health England’s adviser on alcohol, […]
Hip-hop Teaches Millions About Recovery From Addiction
According to Phil Grant, an addiction therapist at Smarmore Castle, an Irish rehab clinic, “music is universal, whether it’s hip-hop, blues, rock, traditional Irish or ancient. Music is a way of communicating that doesn’t need words.” And writing about music is a good way to celebrate Recovery Month. Phil facilitates a drum circle at Smarmore […]
The Importance of the Word “Recovery”
For the latest information on Recovery Month 2021 visit our Recovery Month webpage. You would be forgiven for not knowing that September is Recovery Month — not just in Ireland but all over the world. Part of the problem is that the word “recovery” means different things: to those of us in the rehab sector it means […]
Recovery Month – Recovery Check-Up?
Welcome to Recovery Month Now in its 29th year, National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) is held every September to demonstrate to people that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life. It was started in the United States in […]
What Happens to Your Brain When You Blackout from Drinking?
You may have had the experience of waking up somewhere unsure how you got there. Blackouts are common during episodes of binge drinking. The more frequently you drink, the more likely you are to black out. And while heavy drinkers tend to blackout more, anyone can blackout while binge drinking. It’s alarming to not know […]
Why is Cocaine so Bad for Your Brain?
All psychoactive drugs affect your brain, by definition. Habitual use will cause change neurotransmitter levels, making you physically dependent so you need more to feel the effects. Long term use of many drugs causes cognitive impairments, including poor memory, poor focus, and lack of coordination. If you quit, many of the withdrawal symptoms affect your […]