Working Life: 'One of the biggest changes is polysubstance abuse'

Maebh Mullany, chief executive of residential addiction treatment service the Rutland Centre, on the complexities of treating addiction

Maebh Mullany, chief executive, Rutland Centre.

“I grew up in Leixlip, Co Kildare, but my third-level studies took me to Waterford Institute of Technology, where I studied recreational management. For 15 years, I enjoyed working in leisure and hospitality, including six years as CEO of ALSAA, the Aer Lingus Social and Athletic Association.

“After studying for an MBA at DCU, I was very interested in working in the charity sector, and when the opportunity arose to join the Rutland Centre 11 years ago, I jumped at it. Although I had no experience working in addiction services, I had a lot of transferable skills in areas such as finance, governance, people management and strategic planning.

“I was confident I could bring myself up to speed quickly on what the Rutland Centre needed, and to help me understand the context in which it operated, I did a diploma in addiction studies at DBS.

“The reason I took the job is the obvious one: I felt I had something to contribute. The centre is one of the country’s best-known specialist residential addiction treatment providers. We treat about 180 people annually, and the demand keeps growing. 

Over the last decade, we’ve worked hard to make the service more accessible, and this year I expect approximately 30% of all our clients to have accessed treatment via the HSE’s social inclusion funding. The remainder of clients use either health insurance or will pay privately.

“Alcohol is still the primary substance of misuse, but one of the biggest changes I have seen in the past decade is polysubstance abuse, which is making addiction all the more complex to treat. 

Last year, we introduced a new medically supervised alcohol and cocaine detox service, and the early results are encouraging. We have also just started a new outpatient treatment programme in Athlone.”

“In addition to drugs and alcohol, we treat other addictions such as gambling, sex and pornography. We’re interested in the ‘why’ behind people’s behaviour — what is the pain that they are trying to numb, and can we equip them with the tools to manage daily life?

“I don’t have a whole lot of downtime, but my favourite way to spend it is with my two girls — Clodagh, aged four, and about to start school, Caoimhe, aged six — and my husband Kieran. We live in Leixlip, so I’ve come full circle.”