Addiction
Services
Programme
Welcome
You have just entered St Patrick’s Hospital with a view to commencing a
four week in-patient programme - 12 week step-down programme and
aftercare.
Selecting a treatment centre is one of the most difficult decisions you
may have to make in a life time. We hope we can offer you, your family/
concerned significant person, a worthwhile and innovative treatment
programme to help meet your needs. We in the addiction team hope your
experience with us will be valuable and a stepping stone towards your
recovery for the future.
DETOXIFICATION
Length of detoxification?
Because detoxification often entails a more intensive level of care,
there is no practical value in defining a period in which a person is “in
detoxification”. Simply, detoxification is defined as the period during
which you receive detoxification medications. Another way of defining the
detoxification period is by measuring the duration of withdrawal signs or
symptoms.
You will be asked for a urine sample on admission - and equally random
samples will be requested during your in-patient stay. This sample is used
for drug testing.
You will also be breathalysed on admission - and randomly tested
throughout your stay. This safeguards you - and the team involved in your
care.
You will be met by an addiction counsellor during detox; this is to
introduce themselves to you and to discuss the programme you will be
agreeing to. Signing a contract to engage in the treatment programme will
be done at this stage.
Addiction programme
Our approach is an abstinence based programme and our belief is when
you commit to engaging in your treatment programme, you will not
engage in any form of addictive behaviours such as gambling, drug use,
alcohol use, or use of “over the counter medications.
Full attendance to the programme is absolute.
Only in exceptional circumstances day leave is permitted
during the week with prior consultation with consultant/staff
team; and will only be granted in extreme circumstances.
Weekend leave is encouraged as you proceed with your programme, this
will be discussed at ward rounds and you will be informed when a decision
is made - to enable you to make plans for going home etc.
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Programme includes:
Lecture Series:
9.30 - 10.00am, Monday - Friday
12.15 - Lecture given by Medical team on Addiction (Tuesday)
14.15 - Dual Diagnosis (Wednesday)
11.30 - Psycho educational lecture (Friday)
Groups:
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Goal Setting and Change Planning (Monday & Friday)
Recovery Skills (Monday & Wednesday)
Reflection Group (Tuesday)
Preventing Relapse (Thursday)
Recovery Plan (Thursday)
Women’s Group (Wednesday)
How much does treatment cost?
Your healthcare insurance covers the cost of a four week in-patient stay in
hospital and a 12 week “step-down” programme as an out-patient. You will
then be requested to attend aftercare, which is a group run once weekly
in St Patrick’s Hospital and or/ The Dean Clinic and costs €40.00 per group
session. This will be paid for by you.
Aftercare is run by a trained addiction counsellor and between both - you
will jointly decide on the length of attendance (recommended 1 year
approximately).
What is the degree of family involvement in my
programme?
Alcoholism and drug abuse affects the entire family, not just the
alcohol/drug dependent. Quite often family members do not realise
how deeply they have been affected by chemical dependency. Family
involvement is an important component of recovery.
Our programme requires a named person, either family or concerned
significant other, to be part of your treatment. You will be asked for
a name, address and phone number for this person, and consent to
same.
As part of your stay, the multidisciplinary team involved in your care
will meet once weekly to discuss your progress and any difficulties you
may be experiencing.
You will also be seen by the Consultant Psychiatrist, Registrar and
Ward Nurse on a ward round - usually Monday morning - and one
other day in the ward if necessary. You can also request to speak to any
other team member as required.
In tandem with your entire treatment programme, attendance to AA/
Lifering is highly recommended and is most advisable for long term
gain and support for your recovery.
St Patrick’s Mental Health Services offers a variety of treatment
programmes that meet individual needs. Programmes may include
in-patient, out-patient, and/or short stay options.
The cornerstone of our treatment approach is motivational, helping
you find a path toward change you can truly embrace and providing
the structure and tools to pursue that path.
Through the use of respectful, evidence based approaches; we address
issues ranging from “problems” to dependence and work to help you
clear the often difficult obstacles to effective, life-enhancing and long
lasting change.
St Patrick’s Mental Health Services provides services to adults. In
addition, the families and significant others are invited into the
process, as they can be critical in helping develop a truly supportive
social network.
STEPDOWN
Our Step down Programme is a Twelve week programme
designed to meet the needs of people who have attended the
Addiction Service in-patient programme and who have been
discharged from hospital.
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Why should I attend Stepdown?
Recovery from addiction is a staged process and Stepdown is considered
the 2nd stage of recovery. In this second stage you will attend the Hospital
once a week for half a day. During the half day you will attend a Recovery
support group, an educational lecture facilitated by the addiction
psychiatrist where Family/Concerned others are invited to attend, and skill
training groups covering psychological and physical health needs.
The Stepdown programme also gives you an opportunity to continue to
engage with the Hospital, particularly if you are experiencing difficulty or
struggling with your recovery. This means that you have a mechanism to
manage your needs at earlier intervention.
As a team we believe that Stepdown should be viewed as an integral part of
your Recovery and would strongly recommend you to attend.
What do I need to do?
Once you and your counsellor have agreed a date for you to attend
Stepdown, and on you FIRST date of attendance you will need to register
with the Day Services situated at the main reception of the hospital.
Parking is free for Service users attending Day Care; however any other
expenditure such as lunch, coffee/tea, items from shop, transport costs,
will be paid by you.
When do I attend?
Every Tuesday from 11.00am - 3.30pm, for 12 weeks.
What do I need to bring?
You will be given a folder with information on Stepdown prior to discharge
from Hospital, we would encourage you to bring this folder with you as
more information and sheets used in groups etc. will be given as part of the
Stepdown Programme.
Who will I meet there?
Other service users who are doing the programme, some of whom you may
have met whilst you were in residential care. Staff who facilitate Stepdown are
qualified in Addiction Treatment and aim to deliver Best practice by using
evidence based models of care.
The staff comprises of a Consultant Psychiatrist, Registrars, Addiction
Counsellors, Invited Former Service User, Dietician, Occupational Therapist,
and Addiction Service Coordinator, Gym Instructor.
Is this covered by my Health Insurer?
If you have Health Insurance with VHI, QUINN or AVIVA your programme
will be fully covered for the 12 weeks. If you wish to pay for this service, the
cost for Half day is f340.00.
Some Health insurance companies may partially fund this service and
therefore you may need to pay the shortfall. You can discuss this with the
Administrator in Day Services, to fully understand what you may/ may not
have to pay for or you may also wish to contact your health insurer directly.
Who do I talk to about Insurance cover?
If you have a query in relation to Insurance cover for the programme, it is
best you speak to Mary in the Finance Department, or the administrator in
Day Services.
Where and how much is parking
at the Hospital?
Car parking in St Patrick’s Mental Health Services is free to
Service Users attending Day Care. The administrator in day services
will arrange for pre-paid tickets to be issued for your car parking when
attending day services.
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Who can I talk to if I am experiencing difficulties
in my recovery?
If you are experiencing some difficulties in relation to your recovery, we
would advise that the group offered in the afternoon gives a safe and
secure platform to air these difficulties, however if you feel you need to
discuss something more personal, approach your counsellor or one of the
team.
What will happen if I drink/use whilst on the
programme?
Talk to one of the Team, “the earlier the better”. We understand Relapse can
happen, but the earlier you disclose this the earlier we can get resources
to help. You will be treated with respect, not judged and together get your
recovery plan back on track.
Can my family/concerned other attend aspects
of Stepdown?
YES! We invite and welcome family members/ concerned others into our
Psycho educational lecture given by the medical team; this covers a range
of topics, and gives an opportunity for questions from everyone who may
have a query. This lecture takes place every Tuesday in the Lecture Hall and
starts at 12.15pm - 1.00pm.
List of support services
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA provides an extensive list of meetings where people affected by
alcohol addiction find strength and hope by sharing their experiences.
www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie
Lifering
LifeRing is a network of support groups for people who want to live
free of alcohol and other addictive drugs. Information about meetings
and support groups can be found on their website. Information about
meetings is also available in the Information Centre.
www.lifering.org
Anew
Able and New Women, (ANEW) is a support group for women with
alcohol related problems. The programme is based on ten positive
Choices, challenging women to grow and lead healthy and fruitful lives
without the use of alcohol.
For further information telephone: 086 102 4743.
Al-anon & Alateen
The Purpose of Al-anon is to help families and friends of alcoholics
recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a
relative or friend in an anonymous environment. The only requirement
for membership is that a relative or friend has a problem with
alcoholism. Alateen is part of the Al-Anon fellowship and is for young
people, aged 12 - 17 inclusive, who are affected by a problem drinker.
Al-anon Information Centre (incorporating Alateen),
Room 5, 5 Capel Street, Dublin 1
Opening Hours 10.30 am - 2.30pm Monday - Friday.
www.al-anon-ireland.org
Phone : 01 8732 699
Email : [email protected]
Gamblers Anonymous
Gamblers Anonymous (G.A.) is a fellowship of men and
women who share their experience, strength and hope with
each other that they may solve their common problem and help
others to recover from a gambling problem. The only requirement for
membership is a desire to stop gambling.
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Contact Details:
Gamblers Anonymous,
Room 20, Carmichael House,
North Brunswick Street,
Dublin 7.
Dublin: 01-8721 133.
(have a pen handy as the machine may give you a contact number when the
office is unattended).
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gamblersanonymous.ie
Narcotics Anonymous
Contact details to be supplied.
Support and Information Line:
St Patrick’s Mental Health Services
The Support and Information Line is a telephone service which is part
of the ongoing development of the Wellness and Recovery Centre at
St Patrick’s University Hospital Dublin. It provides information on all
aspects of Mental Health and is staffed by experienced Mental Health
Nurses.
• It is a support service for clients having attended St Patrick’s in the past.
• It is an information service for the general public on mental health service both in St Patrick’s and elsewhere.
• It is an information resource for other health care professionals.
The service operates from 9.00am - 5.00pm Monday to Friday with a
voicemail and call back service available outside these hours.
Tel: 01 2493 333
Email: [email protected]
AFTERCARE
Aftercare is considered STAGE 3 of our Recovery Model here in St Patrick’s
Mental Health Services. It is highly recommended and advocated following
your residential (Stage 1) and Stepdown (Stage 2) on the pathway to
Recovery.
We consider ALL three Stages as EQUAL on that pathway and therefore
strongly believe that commitment to the year long programme we offer
provides stronger evidence to support abstinence and maintain a life more
rewarding without Alcohol/ Chemicals. Each service user in treatment
develops his/her own aftercare plan prior to discharge to ensure a successful
recovery.
One important component of this plan is weekly in-person attendance
at a professionally facilitated Aftercare group. Weekly attendance at a
professionally facilitated aftercare group provides the recovering Person an
opportunity to continue to address primary recovery issues.
Weekly attendance also requires personal accountability to the group leader
and group members for sobriety and recovery.
Many studies have substantiated the importance of weekly aftercare meetings
to success with long-term recovery. History has shown that if attendance at
(commitment to) weekly aftercare declines, the commitment to recovery
declines and the risk for relapse increases.
The Addiction Service Team here in St Patrick’s Mental Health Services
recommends Aftercare for a minimum of one year post primary intensive
treatment programme. All our Staff are trained Professionals with a
specialised interest in Addiction and recovery.
They can provide early intervention for persons running into difficulties as
they have immediate access to All services within campus therefore acting
much quicker for the person to get back on track. We also have strong
links to community services and believe an established Aftercare Plan also
includes regular attendance at;
AA, NA, GA, LIFERING (pending on whichever group applies to you) to
maintain sobriety and give you the support and sponsorship on this
Recovery journey.
Aftercare is a once weekly group facilitated by
a qualified Addiction Therapist. Two of the
Aftercare groups are run on campus, one in the
hospital and the other two run in Dean St Patrick’s
and Dean Capel.
There are various times available to meet the needs of Services users
to build this component of recovery into their lives which is why we
encourage everyone to value and commit to Aftercare.
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This Service runs continuously throughout the year. Should you or your
family/concerned other have any queries in relation to this service or any
part of our addiction services, we, the Addiction Service Team would be
delighted to answer your queries.
Aftercare is charged at f40.00 per week for a weekly session.
Groups are held both on campus in the Afternoon and evening and in
Dean Capel (evening group).
www.stpatricks.ie
St Patrick’s Mental Health Services
James’s Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
t: +353 1 249 3200. f: +353 1 679 8865.
Support & Information Service:
t+353 1 249 3333.
e: [email protected]
www.stpatricks.ie