Dublin drug addiction centre celebrates success

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by Change | 28 May 2010

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A Dublin drug addiction centre is celebrating after its programmes were shown to be highly successful.

A programme of drug addiction treatment in Dublin has successfully managed to reduce the number of its patients using cocaine.

Finglas addiction support Team (FAST), which is based in the north of the Irish capital, offers drug addiction support to both individuals and families and its therapies are community-based, irishhealth.com reports.

Almost half (45 per cent) of FAST's 412 patients last year were able to completely stop using drugs, while a further 18 per cent were able to significantly reduce their substance use.

Approximately half reported a fall in problems associated with mental health such as suicidal tendencies, depression and paranoia.

Barbara Condon, FAST's project manager, told the website that she is "very happy" with the statistics.

"There are many ways to measure success," she explained.

"We don't just measure it in terms of becoming drug-free. People simply coming into the service should be considered a success because it is a very daunting prospect to seek help."

Ms Condo went on to say that the biggest threat to the ongoing provision of drug addiction services is funding, which has so far reduced by 13 per cent over the course of 2010.

According to Ireland's National Advisory Committee on Drugs, 91 per cent on the country's cannabis users regularly drink alcohol, while 88 per cent also smoke tobacco.

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