Community Alcohol Detox

The Turas Community Alcohol Detoxification Project was established in 2011 under the National Drug Rehabilitation Implementation Committee.

The Community Alcohol Detox Programme aims to overcome barriers people encounter in accessing detoxification by offering a community based service

CAD Information Flier

Advantages of Community Detox

Personal

• Provides people with a high level of privacy and anonymity
• Provides people with individually tailored programmes
• Minimal disruption to a person’s daily routine
• On-going supports available e.g. relapse prevention, counselling and access to Structured Day Programme

Family and Community

• People can maintain responsibility to family, work and education
• Provides education and support for support person and family
• Inter-agency work between Turas, G.Ps, HSE etc enhances community partnership and community support for people

The service supports individuals with an alcohol dependency problem to detoxify from alcohol using a model that incorporates a medical and psychosocial approach:

• Underpinned by clear clinical and assessment protocols
• Utilises an inter-agency (including G.Ps) care planning approach that facilitates a comprehensive individual shared care-plan being developed for each individual
• G.P. and nurse interventions
• Offers a range of psychosocial supports

Referral process

• CAD is open to anyone requiring support with alcohol addiction
• Referral is received from client or referrer
• Contact is made with individual and the process is explained in detail
• Three way meeting – counsellor, client and support person is arranged
• Assessment is undertaken
• Referral is made to CAD Nurse/G.P and outreach worker to support motivation and reduction of use
• GP & nurse interventions underpinned by clinical protocols

Psychosocial Supports

• 4 1-1 sessions offered over 2 week period
• 6 relapse prevention sessions offered (2 weekly)
• Offered 1-1 counselling as part of continuing support
• Ongoing outreach/harm reduction support will be offered if needed
• Access to 15 week Structured Day Programme for an extended period of rehabilitation
• Men and women’s weekly recovery groups held in Turas
• Family Support referral if required

A range of supports are offered throughout this journey tailored to each individuals needs utilising a Community Re-enforcement Approach:

Many of the interventions target key areas in the clients lives and work collaboratively to improve them.

For example:

• Supporting people to build structure and routine through planning
• Encouraging people to utilise supports within family and community, building their own individual support network
• Inclusion of support person in process increases individuals support network
• Offering intensive extended support through the Structured Day Programme that supports confidence building in sobriety through delivering social skills training such as anger management, assertiveness training, stress management, healthy communication skills etc.

Read Paddy’s Story to hear from a client about their experience of the CAD programme.