The Care Agency Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Service is pleased to announce the opening of our Dry House on Monday 31st October 2022.
The Dry House is part of the Care Agency’s initiative which supports sobriety after rehabilitation. Our mission is to provide the highest quality alcohol and substance abuse treatment services and deliver them with commitment, integrity, and vocation. Our aim is to continue promoting the ongoing health and emotional well-being of our clients as they transition back into the community from the Bruce’s Farm Rehabilitation Centre also run by DARS.
The Care Agency Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Service understand that when an individual makes the decision to enter our rehabilitation service, they are taking their first steps to start a new life free of addiction. Many of our clients experience high levels of anxiety and trepidation, as well as relief and hope. They are focussed on stepping through the front door of Bruce’s Farm and commencing their programme. The residential treatment centre provides an area to feel safe from the outside world for those who are battling the immediate crisis of addiction, and for many of them, planning for life after treatment is not something that they are contemplating at the time of their admission. However, the reality is that the real work of recovery begins when residential treatment ends. Medical detox followed by therapeutic counselling are only the first steps to a life free from a substance use disorder, and it is essential that clients are fully prepared and supported at the point of discharge and when they return home.
Through the Care Agency Dry House, the drug and alcohol counselling team seek to offer continued support and assistance to those clients assessed as eligible. In collaboration with the Housing Department, the Care Agency identified a two-bedroom flat in the community to provide this service. The flat may house up to four clients and offers all the necessary amenities to encourage clients’ independence, whilst continuing to offer a level of support and safety for individuals feeling anxious and worried about returning home directly after rehab. Clients shall benefit from established holistic care plans tailored to their specific needs which will set out key objectives in line with their rehabilitation goals and as agreed by their professional therapeutic team. By offering clients a gradual transition back into the community, and giving them the opportunity to establish themselves securely and strengthen their support systems prior to returning home, we believe that they are more likely to achieve and sustain their rehabilitation goals.
Addiction doesn’t end once people get out of rehab; recovery is a lifelong battle, and DARS aim to provide individuals with a strong foundation towards lifelong recovery.
Head of Service for Psychology, Therapy and Drugs & Alcohol Rehabilitation Services Ms. Giselle Carreras has expressed how pleased she is to see this new project launched. Ms. Carreras wishes to congratulate the vocational and dedicated team within the DARS service without whose commitment to the organisation, this would not have been possible. Ms. Carreras determines the new Dry House Project “will undoubtedly offer our clients an extended professional service to support and enhance a more successful prognosis within sobriety.”
Minister for Health and Care, the Honourable Albert Isola, said: “It is essential that the Care Agency continues to invest professionally in offering clients and families the utmost proficient and specialised services. The establishment of The Dry House Project will further enhance and encourage individuals in their ongoing recovery.”
