
Safe & Expert Addiction Treatment & Detox
Smarmore Castle Private Clinic, near Lisburn, is a residential rehab clinic providing treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, gambling addiction, dual diagnosis and behavioural addictions.
Residential Rehab Treatment Clinic, near Lisburn
Smarmore Castle rehab centre is located very close to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, in County Louth, just a one hour drive from Lisburn. We receive patients from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, the UK, the EU and further afield. We offer many different options for referral and admission.

Reaching Out
Lisburn Alcohol and Drug Abuse
In Northern Ireland, a fifth of the population drank above the recommended weekly allowance in 2015/16. In 2011, 78% of people surveyed said that they had drunk up to or over the weekly recommended limit at least once in the previous week. In the Southeastern region of Northern Ireland, including Lisburn, there was the third highest rate of alcohol-related deaths in 2009, compared to other regions.
In the Lisburn region, among the people accessing treatment for addiction, 62% were seeking help with alcohol abuse. Over-consumption of alcohol has dangerous consequences. In 2011/12, roughly 12,000 people were admitted to hospital because of alcohol-related emergencies. Alcohol use in Northern Ireland killed almost three times as many people as drug use in 2014.
Of people seeking treatment for drug use, over half of those in the Lisburn and South Eastern area had used benzodiazepines. In 2014, 1.5 million prescriptions for tranquilisers and sleeping pills given out in Northern Ireland. For Lisburn and the surrounding areas, only a third of these patients had tried stimulant drugs.

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Admissions for Patients from Lisburn and the Rest of Northern Ireland
Patients from Lisburn and the rest of Northern Ireland can access drug detoxification and addiction rehab treatment at Smarmore Castle Private Clinic in the following ways:
- By paying privately
- Through private healthcare insurance
Contact us for more information on our admissions process.
Our Treatment Programme
The addiction treatment model at Smarmore Castle has been developed over 30 years by a world-renowned team of doctors and psychologists. Our residential rehabilitation programme is based on the clinically proven rehab treatment model pioneered by Castle Craig, our partner establishment in Scotland. We provide an intensive rehab programme which follows the 12 Steps Model, and includes:
- A rapid admissions process,
- A thorough medical assessment and full physical examination on arrival,
- Detoxification from alcohol and drugs, managed by our medical team.
The specialist addiction therapies making up our core treatment programme include:
- Individual therapy, group therapy,
- CBT, Trauma therapy, grief therapy, and family therapy,
- Dual diagnosis treatment including eating disorders and depression.
This is supported by a range of complementary addiction therapies, including:
After discharge, patients receive a two year continuing care plan to help ensure their sustained abstinence.
Our Location, One Hour from Lisburn
Smarmore Castle is situated just one hour from Lisburn, in a stunning, countryside location in County Louth, Republic of Ireland. Patients will find both comfort and privacy in a renovated 14th-century castle, housing excellent facilities including:
- Gym,
- 22 metre, heated swimming pool,
- Sauna and steam room,
- 15 acres of scenic landscape, which patients are able to explore in their leisure time.
Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous in Lisburn
We recommend you begin your journey to abstinence by seeking self-help through attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings in Lisburn. They provide an invaluable network of support for those suffering from alcohol and drug addiction in Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
Contact Us for Addiction Advice
The team at Smarmore Castle is always available to answer questions about our rehab treatment programme or admissions. If you are from Lisburn and are thinking of entering rehab or if you are the family member, friend or employer of someone who is suffering from an alcohol or drug addiction in Lisburn, please contact us for advice.
Free Confidential Addiction Assessment
Reaching out for help can feel daunting, our team is here to guide you.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment near Lisburn
In addition to our core programme of individual and group therapy, patients at Smarmore Castle are given the option to engage with a range of complementary therapies. Our patients will soon be able to experience hyperbaric oxygen treatment, a therapy which is not offered at any other rehab centre in Ireland. This treatment involves the patient breathing in pure oxygen for a short period of time. This has the effect of increasing the level of oxygen in a patient’s blood, and stimulating the renewal of damaged organs, including the liver and the brain. Research supports the effectiveness of this treatment for repairing damaged cells across the body. This treatment will help patients through the detox stage of their programme and ensure their body the best possible conditions to recover from a period of alcohol or drug abuse.
- How to Access Rehab With Health Insurance
For those experiencing existing mental health conditions in Ireland, there are private medical insurers who can help you cover treatment. As addiction experts, we know that receiving the appropriate care and support when you have a mental health disorder is pivotal to attaining long-lasting recovery. Below, we will go through the various health insurance options to help you understand your options when it comes to seeking private residential care for substance abuse. Please note that there is no guarantee that you can be covered for all addiction problems as policies are always assessed on a case-by-case basis. Find Out More
- My Loved One Doesn’t Want Help, What Do I Do?
You can’t force someone to go to rehab. At the end of the day, it needs to be their decision because they are the ones that need to be open to turning their lives around. There are ways in which you can encourage someone to enter treatment, one of these ways is via an intervention with a trained interventionist, who facilitates an honest discussion between family members and the addict. This is something Smarmore Castle can arrange – contact us today.
- Which Drugs Does Smarmore Castle Detox From?
We can detox people from any drugs whether they are illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, ketamine; or prescription drugs such as benzodiazepines or zopiclone, oxycodone, zolpidem, klonopin, methadone, cannabis; and legal drugs such as alcohol.
- How Long Is the Treatment Programme?
Our treatment programme starts at 4 weeks and is flexible in length, giving you the opportunity to extend for a longer period if you need it.
- Do You Treat Dual Diagnosis?
All patients are reviewed by a consultant psychiatrist in the first week and we can diagnose and provide treatment for a number of co-occurring mental health conditions.
- Do I Need to Be Abstinent Before Admission?
Our medically managed detoxification with 24/7 medical cover means that we can perform complete and complex detoxes at Smarmore Castle. You don’t need to be abstinent before arrival.
- How Do I Get To Rehab Safely?
Smarmore Castle is one hour north of Dublin international airport and we can arrange a driver to collect you and bring you straight to us for free.
We can also arrange a ‘sober transport’ service with a trusted driver, from anywhere in Ireland or Northern Ireland, at an additional cost.