Sankalpa is a holistic centre that works with people who are seeking support to detox off methadone.
Watch ‘The Pharm’ on youtube and win an iPod!
September 8th, 2010
Sankalpa gets creative in the battle against addiction
September 6th, 2010
New Regulations on Codeine
September 5th, 2010
SPICY PEAR JUICE
September 3rd, 2010
Thursday 29/7/2010 SANKALPA Day Out
August 17th, 2010
Would you like to win an iPod? Ok! On the 8th of October we will up load the full version of the ‘The Pharm’ to Youtube. All you have to do, is watch the film and answer a simple question and email your answer to hello@sankalpa.ie
You must be over 18 and from Ireland to enter. The competition opens on the 8th of October 2010. Full details of the competition will be published here before we up load the film to youtube.
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.”
Cries of ‘nanny state!’ greet the new regulations on the sale of codeine this week, echoing the response of many to the smoking ban when it was introduced. We got used to that pretty quickly though; those who wanted to smoke kept smoking, and those who didn’t now had the choice to be surrounded by smoke or not (hurray!). We will probably get used to these new codeine regulations just as quickly – because if you are not abusing codeine, you will not have any problems in accessing it.
Most of us know that codeine, morphine and heroin all come from opium, and have similar effects on the body. We know that codeine and morphine are useful medicines when used properly, and we might even know that heroin was once widely used for medicinal purposes without people becoming addicted to it.
Addiction to legal drugs has become a huge problem in Ireland. Whether it’s valium, xanax, dalmane, solpadeine, codinex, methadone or cough syrup, some people depend on their prescribed or self-prescribed medication to get through the day, reaching for it first thing in the morning and topping up throughout the day. There is often a mistaken belief that if it’s not illegal, it can’t be harmful. In fact, sometimes it’s harder to admit to being dependent on a legal drug because so many people use them without problems (although in reality, the same is true for many illegal drugs – see reference below) and help is less readily available.
The intentions behind the new regulation seem to be raising awareness of the nature and strength of codeine-based products, and to spot and maybe intervene with people who may be dependent, or becoming dependent on over-the-counter drugs. Any pharmacist will tell you that they recognise regular codeine-consumers, and they are aware that some shop around to sustain their dependencies. At least now they may be able to open discussions on what a person really needs – pain relief – or help.
No drug is inherently addictive. People become dependent on drugs because of what the drugs do for them. Escape, pleasure, numbness, stimulation – that’s what drug-dependent people are looking for – the drug is just the vehicle to get them there.
For more information on addiction and situation see: http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/presentation-e/alexender-e.htm or our earlier posts ‘rat park’ and ‘addiction and stimulation’.
For help with dependence on any kind of drug, contact your GP or a qualified counsellor or psychotherapist. You will be taken seriously. Help is available.
Note: potential side effects of codeine include constipation, sedation, nausea, headache, dizziness, itch, vertigo, dry mouth, vomiting, confusion, urinary retention, tolerance and dependence.
This juice is made up of three simple ingredients. Pears, celery and some ginger.
Pears can act as a gentle laxative while celery acts as a diuretic and root ginger is excellent for the digestion. Combined together it’s a good juice for keeping our system in balance.
1 large pear
2 sticks of celery
1 inch approx of fresh root ginger
Juice the ingredients together and serve with ice.
Yesterday I feel was another step along the road to recovery. Its been some journey lost two family members, life changing injuries but my brother and myself were out on day out in Wicklow the day after my mothers second anniversary and we both realised how far we have come. It was the filming that really blew me away. To hear the passion, honesty, drive and compassion from Tom, Aine and Emer really got to me. Also I got on camera myself and to also hear from fellow participants who I know personally and bonded with how hard it is for everyone but the knowledge, information and experiences we gain here will be taken and used throughout our lives. I feel there’s no certain point in Sankalpa where things just hit u and then everything were doing makes perfect sense like pieces of a jigsaw put into place. Its like u see things more clearly say parts of the programme make sense what the programme is trying to give us. I’m learning about myself, the past, life and the life dealing skills will all give me and all the people here a better chance to get to where they want to get to. I personally could never thank everyone enough as I’m down from 75mls of methadone to 30 and I m confident that with continued support , facilities and friends and staff ill be clean and stay clean. Its my third shot my first detox was done in Mayo under the supervision of a GP and although It was successful I feel I took myself out of the area and the deep routed problems that played a part were buried under the determination and focus and moving back to Dublin I ended up slipping. My second attempt was soon after I found myself in Mountjoy I came down from 80 mls to 20 mls and stopped collecting the 20 I feel now I was punishing myself for earlier let down and snap me out of what I was doing with my life. Both were done without support and my will had a breaking point. I found Sankalpa on web and I lost two family members in two years to add to the mix plus a life threatening injury so I believe if I hadn’t found here I probably would be dead. Im in a good place and the trip yesterday showed me I can have the quality of life that I want Ive put in the hard work now I’m seeing the results. What I learned is Sankalpa works and once your willing to put in the effort and hard work there’s no limits to where you can go and no limits to the help, support, understanding and most importantly respect. I’m hoping to finish this journey with continued support and councilling and my aims to be totally drug free, safe and decent housing also to continue linking to try have lasting employment and depending on circumstances probably college. Yesterdays trip for me was another step for me so thanks to Sankalpa for the structure, support and understanding.
MARK B
I have to say I had a really lovely day yesterday in Wicklow. Even though we rushed in to make the bus (totally my fault) we made it with a few minutes to spare, thankfully the bus was a few minutes late. We left the hussle and bussle of Dublin.
When we arrived in Wicklow I just noticed the noise, there was actually none. No buses or heavy traffic polluting the air. We walked to the ruin’s of a castle which was absolutely stunning the peace and tranquilaty was, to me breathtaking, the water underneath us rushing to the beach below, the calming affect it had on me has still today left me feeling in such a better place. It has lifted my spirit so much, cause I’ve been feeling a bit low lately.
Tom asked a few of us questions about Sankalpa and reducing and the response was all positive which is brilliant, it is great to see so many positive addicts getting their act together. It’s not easy but they are working so well on becoming better people.
We then went to have something to eat in a place called Healthy Habits. I personally didn’t like what was on the menu but did try a smootie and dessert, which were both really nice. Other’s got some of the food, which some really liked and others didn’t like so much. Everybody was in good form and the conversation was flowing.
A few of us went for a walk up to the town and into Wicklow Goal, which was very interesting, the day went by so fast but all in all it was a great day.
Hi allYesterday we went to Wicklow with Sankalpa, my day started at 7am as my bro was in the hospital with an appointment at 8.30 am so we were on a tight time frame. Mark picked me up at 7.30 and headed to town, got to the hospital on time but our buss was leaving at 10am so we were watching the time. The clock was ticking away and no sign of him getting called and out of no were we heard his name been called. We left the hospital and were trying to get parking but that was a disaster as the ticket for parking only lets u stay there for 3hours so we were in the shit.
We rang Tom and explained our little problem and at this stage it was 10am and every one was at the buss and we were stuck with no parking place. . We ended up missing the buss and we took the decision to take the car so off we went to the M50 and Wicklow was our destination.
As we pulled into the town u could see the sea in the distant and it was a lovely view every were u looked. We parked at the start of the town and went on a walk true the town as we got there a bit before the group that got the buss so we waited and seen the buss pass with every body on it and the stop was up the town a bit but we all met and went to a beautiful place Tom knew called the (BLACK CASTLE) and I have to say the view was like something you see on a postcard .Tom took a few pictures and interviewed a few of the lads on tape. After that we headed off towards the town for lunch…
We went to a place on a back street that is called the community of love and in this place we have 22 people that grow there own different foods and I have to say you will hate the food or like it but I got a Danish rap and in it had different sorts of veg, beetroot, onion, and I had a strew berry smoothly that was so tasteful. We had a talk with the local and he told us how the little community works. Nice people.
That brought us to the end of the day so we had a walk around the town with a few of the Sankalpa group as the was leaving at 3pm so me and mark went 4 the car and drove home and it was a good day and id like to thank every body that was there and the staff that organised the trip,. …THANKS TO ALL ………..David….Sankalpa.
I really enjoyed the trip; the weather was lovely, and bus journey seemed to have flew in. The best part of the day for me was were we done the filming, the scenery was gorgeous I felt very relaxed and calm in myself.
The food place was very different, I enjoyed the inside of the wrap, and the desert a coconut square and the hot chocolate was gorgeous, the staff was really friendly too. We then walked to the little town to have a look around after that a few of us went to the Wicklow Jail, the tour guide fella was nice enough to show us around a bit of the Prison we got to see the cells and landings. After that we headed for the bus, there was a tiny little park right beside the bus stop which we flaked out in till the bus arrived, I’d a really enjoyable day, and loved to getting out of the area.
Lynne
There are many varied and interesting concepts and theories to explain the causes and nature of addiction. I often think that addiction is a word that is bandied about and over used in our society today. Do we really understand what it’s all about and what we are trying to grapple with?
When I think of the word addiction I think of chemicals, drugs, alcohol, energy, buzz, escape, euphoria, unreality, life force, intense experience and connection. We tend to look to the obvious causes like environment and family background, genetics etc to form our opinions and theories.
In my view addiction is borne out of a need that at times is very simple or a need driven by unconscious aspects of a human being. This could be a need for an experience to either enhance or escape the emotional and psychological world of the person. Where does this need start or is it a hurt that has not been addressed?
Leaving these questions aside and thinking then of stimulation. When babies are born they are full of life and at the same time utterly dependent on others for their life. They come into the world usually with all their senses intact. They are ripe for development and growth. The first moments of birth catapult them into a world that is full of stimulation both artificial and natural. They can also come into contact with repetitive emotional deadness and an absence of healthy communication. Babies need lots of care, both emotional and physical. Their very basic needs like hunger and thirst and a need for warmth and shelter are paramount. However side-by-side and almost as immediate is their need for emotional bonding, attachment and connection.
This continues right through the first year and up to five years of age with needs changing and adjusting over those years. In my view the thing that really encourages healthy development in a child is the capacity of the parents to interact, to look at and to play with, to hold, to hug, to talk to their child and to be able to do this consistently. Also to be able to manage the demand of that. This can be a challenge especially if parents got very little stimulation or interaction themselves in their early lives. Or if the only stimulation was the intensity of someone’s anger and the violence and aggression that can come with that.
It strikes me that if a young child grows up to be a young teenager and has not had natural and consistent loving stimulation – they are left with a lack or deadness or a need for the intense experience of stimulation and connection. At this point enter drugs, alcohol – substances, which can literally at that time bring a young boy or girl into that excitement, intensity and feeling of connection with themselves and with life.
There may be other factors as well that bring this about and one thing you can never do with addiction is to be dogmatic or too rigid about what leads to difficulties in peoples lives. Some children miss out on the stimulation of development but find other avenues growing up to experience that without becoming addicted. However there is an emotional component to most of these experiences that they seek out.
When a person looks to a chemical or a substance to activate that need for stimulation on a very regular basis – the danger is that it leaves them unable to manage any emotional blankness or boredom inside him or herself. Paradoxically when we spend all our time in pursuit of stimulation, we end up running our healthy need for stimulation way past what suits our bodies and hearts and we are literally spun out of control!
They key is to learn what is needed to energise and activate our own inner capacity for life and we can do that through learning how to live without chemicals. We can learn to reengage with our emotions, our minds and our creativity so that some expression can be given to our inner world. We may also need to make some practical changes.
So when you think about yourself today and your life. Ask yourself are you getting enough stimulation either through your work, the people in your life or the place where you live. Does your diet deaden you or stimulate you? Do you have a healthy respect for chemical stimulation in your life as in alcohol, medication, drugs, caffeine etc? Or do you still rely on those forms of stimulation to cover up the lack of what you really want energy and life from? And as a result are your boredom and your apathy increasing?
Our approach to recovery is creative – we believe in treating the body, the mind, the spirit or soul all at the same time. In one week, participants can learn about psychology, study maths, make a ceramic sculpture, work on a short film, learn new computer skills, practise tribal drumming and learn something about themselves – not to mention they might be reducing their medication and attending counselling too!
We are flexible. Although the same rules apply to everyone, each person is treated as an individual, and we try to recognise their own unique strengths and difficulties. In some ways it’s not just one program, but a program for each person who comes here.
We’re a small organisation – that means we can be responsive to the changing needs of our participants and our target group. If our staff team decides to make a change in the program, we can start that change a week later. This means we can be proactive and anticipate problems before they arise – creating a fluid and dynamic service.
We listen. Every Monday we have a community meeting. The staff and participants get together and talk about any issues that come up or any ideas people might have. We also have a participant representative – like a class rep – who speaks on behalf of participants if they don’t want to voice criticisms or complaints themselves.
We have fun – or at least, we try! We regularly go on outings to local places of interest. In the past year we’ve visited the zoo, Kilmainham Gaol, Glasnevin Cemetery, the Cavan Centre, the cinema, Collins Barracks, the Botanic Gardens….we’re always trying to think of where to go next! Of course, enjoyable as these days are, we have another motive: people deserve to know and feel ownership of their home towns, and visiting the important places helps us to feel we belong.
Do you think Sankalpa is special? Let us know what you think we’re doing well – and if you have any suggestions for how we can improve! (suggestions for fun days out are also welcome!)