Two thirds of treatment centre’s clients stay drug-free

Drug addicts seeking help at one treatment centre are mostly in their 30s and more than half are from outside the capital, it was revealed at a celebration to mark 40 years of helping people rebuild their lives after drug addiction.

Coolmine Therapeutic Community in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, was the country’s first specialist drug treatment centre when it opened in 1973. It currently provides a range of addiction treatment services to about 1,000 people each year.

Research has shown that 64% of Coolmine’s patients stay drug-free after therapy at the centre, compared to the national average of 29%.