Holyrood sets its sights on growing addiction problem in the real world

Wednesday February 14, 2007 – Aberdeen Press and Journal

Celebrities swanning off for rehab have little to do with the day-to-day problems facing addicts in Scotland.

In the run-up to the May elections, drugs are at the top of the Scottish Parliament's agenda - deciding whether methadone or abstinence is the right answer, or if there are adequate services for people wishing to give up.

Drug expert Professor Neil McKeganey, from Glasgow University, warns that Scotland's drug addiction problem is set to get much worse unless we adopt a different method of treatment, moving away from harm-reduction to total abstinence.

Prof McKeganey says this means shifting the focus from stabilising the drug intake of addicts to getting them off drugs altogether.

"The best research we have shows that residential rehabilitation which gets addicts off drugs and into full recovery is the most successful thing we have," he said. "But we have very few places of that kind for addicts in Scotland. We need to provide more."

While it is true that residential facilities are thin on the ground in Scotland, the few there are have a good reputation.

There is Castle Craig Hospital, nine miles west of Peebles, which takes 122 people, of whom two-thirds have a problem with drink and one-third with drugs.

The hospital is divided into two units. The first is for detoxification and the second rehabilitation. Psychotherapy goes hand in hand with the treatment.

Castle Craig chairman Peter McCann said: "Some people are ready to go home after they have detoxed but others are more damaged and we have an extended care unit for them."

Although smaller, the Alexander Clinic at Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, provides a highly successful specialist treatment programme designed to meet the needs of those who suffer from alcohol, drug and gambling dependence.

The clinic is now offering treatment to NHS patients for the first time. Counselling and support groups are available for family members as well. The treatment, which is holistic, encourages patients to live a contented and useful life without the use of mood-altering chemicals.

Turning Point Scotland manages both residential and crisis units as well as services for drug addicts who are caught up in the criminal justice system, providing arrest referral and diversion from prosecution.

According to the charity's figures, in the first six months of 2006, Turning Point Scotland supported 9,759 people.

There are 16 services throughout Scotland in locations ranging from city centres such as Edinburgh and Glasgow to rural locations such as Banff in Aberdeenshire.

A spokeswoman said: "The variety of drug services reflect the differences found within communities.

Each service-user faces different issues. Some may be in a crisis, unable to cope and at risk, while others may be stabilised and looking to attain employment opportunities."

As with many other organisations, Turning Point Scotland is committed to harm reduction, including needle/syringe exchange, substituting methadone, health education, screening for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as counselling.

One of the problems with providing residential drug rehabilitation in Scotland is finding a suitable location.

Rehab facilities are never popular in residential areas, and proposals to site one within a community invariably invite hostile objections, as with the plans to build 53 housing association flats and a drug treatment and rehabilitation clinic close to a primary school near the Castlegate in Aberdeen.