Working farm helps drug users beat their addiction

AFTER 12 years of heavy drug and alcohol use, Patrick is clean for the last seven months.

“It’s the longest period I’ve been clean. I’m doing very well,” said the 30-year-old.

Patrick has tried to give up his many drugs a number of times in a number of places. But St Francis Farm has been the difference.

The farm is exactly that - a working farm, set in beautiful surroundings of 200 acres in Tullow, Co Carlow.

But it is much more than that. It is a therapeutic setting, where emotional and personal issues are explored along with vocational and educational needs. And there are no drugs.

“It’s 100% drug free. There is no methadone here,” said Patrick, referring to the substitute for heroin.

Patrick’s background isn’t that common among heroin addicts. He comes from Waterford city. He did well in his Leaving Cert and went on to study Arts in University College Dublin.

However, while there he became heavily involved in recreational drugs, such as ecstasy and cocaine.

“Heroin was a natural progression. I dropped out of UCD.”

He tried to give up heroin, but replaced it with alcohol, methadone and tranquillisers, before going back onto heroin.

His family and personal life collapsed. Just over a year ago he went on a methadone course in Waterford and detoxified.

Last February, he was accepted to St Francis, which is run by Merchants Quay Ireland. However, like many recovering addicts, he relapsed.

Last October, he applied again and he was taken back. Now 30, he’s about half way through a 12 month course and planning ahead.

“I’m looking to teach remedial English and get back into society,” he said.

People like Andrew Considine, senior project worker at St Francis, have helped him do exactly that.

Andrew lists off the many services the farm provides: therapy, counselling, personal development, budgeting skills, food hygiene, literacy, creative writing, farming, marketing, computers and parenting skills.

Most of all, the programme helps the 10 lucky people at the farm deal with their inner issues - personal issues, family issues, many of which are painful.

“Not everyone makes it, but a lot do,” said Andrew.

He said there was a dire need for more drug-free residential programmes.

On the final day of their Dealing with Drugs campaign, Merchants Quay Ireland yesterday said there were only 200 residential beds for the country’s 15,000 heroin users, compared to 6,200 methadone treatment places.

The charity said residential treatment was one of a range of drug-free treatment options, which also includes counselling and peer support.