Sankalpa

In a recent survey of its clients, Sankalpa, a rehabilitation program for heroin addicts from the Finglas and Cabra communities, found that on average, clients had reduced their methadone by as much as 45 per cent over a 12 month period.

Dr. Tom O Brien, Manager of Sankalpa, believes that the figures demonstrate a real and positive impact for those attending the program. “When clients start to reduce their methadone they begin to feel better about themselves and start to deal with the underlying causes of their addiction,” Dr. O’Brien said. “Of the current group of clients attending the program the average methadone dose when they started was 73mls – this has reduced to 40mls after an average of 15 months on the program. Once clients reduce their methadone to below 50mls they begin to believe they can go further and this has a positive effect on their motivation and commitment to all aspects of our program.” 

While Dr. O’Brien welcomed the new statistics, he warned that reducing methadone in a sustainable way can only really work if a client is ready to engage in a process of personal change supported by counselling and an educational program that supports both cognitive and emotional development in a creative and rewarding way. “Clients need to develop psychologically and emotionally if they are to sustain reductions in their methadone,” he said. “Creativity is central to Sankalpa’s ability to attract and retain clients long enough to make the required changes. In that respect, Sankalpa is unique in that we offer some of our client’s art therapy as a way of addressing the deeper roots of addiction. Art can get around people’s psychological defences, which are often verbal in nature, and can help people to identify and address the issues that are causing difficulty for them.”

Tags: Heroin addiction, Methadone detox, sankalpa gets creative, Tom O Brien