Europe’s Leading Rehab Treatment Centre
Welcomes Patients from the Republic of Ireland
For an overview of our internationally renowned rehab centre see our short presentation video:
Castle Craig Hospital, the leading residential addiction treatment clinic in the UK, welcomes citizens of Ireland who are suffering from addiction.
Castle Craig is a private hospital located in 20 hectares of beautiful Scottish countryside. We specialise in the treatment of alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction and related mental health disorders.
During treatment, patients are helped to understand their addiction as an illness from which recovery is possible. With the help of highly experienced staff, patients learn to understand and confront the causes and consequences of their addictions and are helped to recover.
The goal of treatment is abstinence, and our Irish patients will learn the skills that help them prevent relapse and maintain their recovery for the rest of their lives.
Castle Craig is a medically managed rehab clinic. There is a full time medical staff including psychiatrists, doctors and nurses. The backbone of treatment is our therapy programme and we employ a team of 28 addiction therapists. All treatment is conducted in the English language and we welcome English-speaking patients from Ireland and all over the world.
We have a long history of working with employers, GPs, clinicians and occupational physicians – and we are keen to establish connections with Irish referrers and organisations that could benefit from our services. Our quality of treatment is demonstrated by our ISO 9001 accreditation, our excellent inspection results and independent outcome studies.
Castle Craig is recognised by major insurers in Ireland for the treatment of addictions. The costs of our treatment may be covered by private insurance, and people with private health insurance, such as VHI, LAYA or Glo-Health, should feel free to contact us for further advice. Patients and families can also pay for their own treatment privately. Admissions to Castle Craig for Irish citizens can be arranged rapidly and without unnecessary delays.
Addiction in Ireland
The Steering Group of the National Drugs Strategy for the Republic of Ireland concede that a key issue in tackling long-term drug use is ‘the lack of detox facilities’ and this concern leads to one of their Strategic Aims: ‘To enable people with drug misuse problems to access treatment and other supports and to reintegrate into society’.
Since the mid-1990s to 2004, alcohol-related mortality almost doubled to 7.1 deaths per 100,000. In terms of alcohol abuse, in 2003 approximately 36% of road traffic accidents resulting in a fatality were reported to have alcohol consumption as a contributory factor. Alcohol is accepted to have a negative effect on the family with increases in domestic violence and child neglect; for society at large. In broader terms, there are noted increases in: accidents, injuries, chronic illness, public safety, violence, marital problems and a loss of productivity.
According to GambleAware in the Republic of Ireland, fewer than 1% of those needing treatment for gambling addiction receive it, while approximately 12% of all adults in Ireland make at least one trip to the bookmakers per week; 10,000 Euros per minute is gambled in Ireland (5 billion Euros per year). It is also reported by Ireland’s Institute of Public Health that adolescent gambling is on the rise, and currently 2-3 times the rate of adults. (Source: National Drugs Strategy, Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, 2009-2016.)
We are proud of our close ties with Ireland, having treated many patients from Ireland over the past 25 years. Our Managing Director, Dr Margaret Ann McCann, studied in Dublin and comes from Northern Ireland and worked in Belfast hospitals before working in the field of addiction treatment. If you are from Ireland, you can either enter treatment as a private patient, or apply for funding for inpatient treatment at Castle Craig.
How We Treat Addiction
At Castle Craig we treat alcoholism and drug addiction as a chronic and primary illness and we promote abstinence as essential for long-lasting recovery. We help patients recover through an intensive, personalised addiction programme that combines medical treatment (for alcohol and drug abuse), group therapy, 12 Steps facilitation, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and other proven therapies. An introduction to Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Gambling Anonymous is a key component of the programme, and is encouraged as an essential part of a patient’s aftercare.
Our addiction treatment programme helps patients to leave behind the addiction that has dominated their lives and to avoid the behaviours and triggers that can lead to relapse. At Castle Craig, each patient is given their own programme of individual, group and specialised therapies, and additionally: exercise, a healthy diet, a busy daily programme and a comfortable bed in a single or shared room. The goal of treatment is to ensure a fulfilling life without the addiction.
Confidentiality and Privacy
At Castle Craig Hospital the privacy of all of our patients is a key working principle. In our policies and in practice we help patients to protect their identities and feel secure during treatment and after they leave.
What makes our treatment successful?
Addiction is a Disease
Addiction is widely recognised as a chronic brain disease which is defined by the fact that the addicted patient is unable to control their level of consumption. Addiction is not simply a behavioural problem, and it’s not the fault of the individual if they suffer from addiction.
The view of addiction as a disease was endorsed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine in 2011. They describe addiction as a primary disease, meaning that it is not caused by other emotional or psychiatric issues. Addiction is also recognised as a chronic disease, like cardiovascular disease or diabetes, meaning that it must be treated, managed and monitored over a lifetime.
Addiction can also cause death and other illnesses. Years of alcohol and drug abuse can leave the body’s vital organs such as the brain and the liver, in a fragile or diseased state. Yet our bodies have a remarkable ability to heal over time. Castle Craig’s medical expertise and our focus on exercise, a healthy diet and innovative treatments like hyperbaric oxygen therapy, all help in this process.
At Castle Craig we have been helping people to recover from addiction since 1988. Strong evidence, including the testimony of millions of people around the world, plus our own research, shows that our approach to treating addiction has impressive results, leading to a fulfilling and healthy life in recovery.
Characteristics of Addiction:
Compulsion: People suffering from addiction experience an overriding impulse to continue their behaviour, despite the harm it is causing;
Denial: Denial includes a range of psychological defences such as rationalisation (where excuses and reasons are used to explain the behaviour), or minimisation, where the problem is viewed as less significant than it really is. Denial must be addressed during treatment if there is to be successful recovery;
Impaired control: An inability to control consumption;
Preoccupation with the drug: Much of person's time, energy and attention is diverted towards obtaining the drug/alcohol or accessing gambling in person or online;
Adverse consequences: The addiction is a continual focus despite the appearance of problems or disabilities.
Why Choose Castle Craig?
1. Our Treatment is Independently and Scientifically Proven to Work
Over 9,000 patients have passed through our doors since 1988 from all over the world, and of those who completed their addiction treatment, the majority have gone on to achieve long-term abstinent recovery from their addiction. The most recent independent research shows that 66% of our patients achieve long-term abstinence.
2. We Offer More
Castle Craig has extensive resources. We believe there is nothing lacking in our service that would be of significant benefit to our Irish patients: from a dedicated and well-trained staff to a wide range of therapies and medical care. Many people who suffer from addiction have other mental health conditions such as eating disorders or depression -- which we are very well-equipped to treat.
3. We Cost Less
Our costs are more than 35% lower than our closest competitor treatment centres in the UK, and our treatment costs are covered by major health insurers. Castle Craig is unique among addiction treatment centres in the UK by not charging for extras. The cost of treatment is all-inclusive.
4. Thirty Years of Expertise and a Highly Qualified Medical Team
Castle Craig was founded by Peter and Dr. Margaret Ann McCann who are two of the UK’s leading experts in the field of addiction treatment; they continue to manage the clinic today. They founded their first treatment centre (Clouds House, England) in 1983 and also helped set up the European Addiction Treatment Agency in the early 1990s. Our Medical Director is Professor Jonathan Chick, who has an international reputation in alcohol research.
5. Each Patient Matters to us – Before, During and After Treatment
Castle Craig’s values are compassion, empathy and care. The staff are inspired and dedicated to their work; many have fought their own addictions and, once fully recovered and trained, have returned to help others. After treatment at Castle Craig our former patients attend aftercare meetings in various locations and are invited back every year for our Annual Reunion.
6. We are Medically Managed
The treatment team and all therapists are guided by doctors expert in the field of addiction and a full time Consultant Psychiatrist -- all of whom undergo independent annual appraisals. They are employed by Castle Craig full time. Castle Craig meets the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s highest level of care, which is “medically managed inpatient detoxification and inpatient treatment”.
7. Recognised by the Health Ministry
Castle Craig is regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and, following their last inspection reports, show grades of 6 (“excellent”) and 5 (“very good”) in all areas of our service. Following the last Intertek International ISO 9001 Quality Standard Inspection, the management of the hospital was described as “exemplary”.
8. Recognised by Major Health Insurers
Thanks to our good reputation, medical management ISO accreditation, Castle Craig is recognised by major insurance companies, both in the UK and internationally.
We try and avoid any delays in getting individuals into treatment. In addition, we are available to take your call at any time of the day or night, on any day of the year. A full assessment is carried out on arrival, and some pre-admission information is gathered prior to arrival (in consultation with the patient’s GP).
10. We Innovate
In 1988 Castle Craig was the first treatment centre to bring the 12 step facilitation programme to Scotland. In 1999 we were the first UK treatment centre to introduce professional accreditation standards for all therapists, and in 2008 we were the first to offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy for all patients in treatment. In addition we follow the latest research, attend and present at conferences and conduct our own research
11. Over 90% Patient Satisfaction Rate
We are proud of our patient satisfaction levels and we publish the results online. In our most recent survey, nursing care, individual counselling, drug and alcohol detoxification and group therapy all scored 90% or above. More poignant than satisfaction levels are the messages we receive from our former patients, often many years after they have left Castle Craig.
12. Privacy, Peace and Quiet
Castle Craig is situated in 20 hectares of private woodland, guaranteeing privacy and tranquillity. In the beautiful hills of the Scottish Borders, patients feel that they receive a welcome break from the outside world, yet we are less than 40 minutes from Edinburgh International Airport. We enjoy a private water supply from the surrounding hills, and it is so good, we have started to bottle it.
Contact Us
The staff at Castle Craig are ready to answer your questions about addiction treatment and the admissions process at any time. Please contact us via our contact form.
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