The directors of the Island's only drug rehabilitation centre for women have reversed their decision to close the centre after residents complained they would be forced onto the street with nowhere else to live.

On Tuesday The Royal Gazette revealed that the Fair Haven rehabilitation centre was shutting down temporarily from December 31, a decision that would have left the remaining three residents of the centre homeless.

But yesterday the charity's board of directors announced that they had reversed their decision to close the facility down.

"We recognise that Bermuda is in need of a suitable residential facility for women desirous of becoming drug-free," Elaine Charles, the chairperson of Fair Haven's board, said in a press the release.

The board was initially concerned that with the departure of Ann Vance, the centre's executive director, Fair Haven would be unable to provide residents with "competent clinical and protective supervision" and planned to close Fair Haven temporarily while it determined the centre's future direction.

"Under Mrs. Vance's leadership, Fair Haven developed and delivered a quality treatment programme well attested to by the residents," Mrs. Charles said.

On Monday, a recorded telephone message at the home said that it was out of operation, and addicts were advised to contact either Turning Point or Bermuda Assessment and Referral Centre.

And earlier in December, the 18-bed centre announced that it was refusing to take any more patients because it could not afford to run at low occupancy levels.

But rather than close the facility, the board decided to work with the National Drug Commission and other funders to maintain its programme and the quality of services.

In an interview, Mrs. Vance denied that Fair Haven's strict regime led to the plans to close it.

Instead, she said the Bermuda public needs to get real about drugs if costly treatment is ever going to work.

The centre suffered from plummeting admissions but Mrs. Vance denied claims that patients were kicked out for breaking the non-smoking policy.

She said: "We never kicked anyone off for just smoking. It was an addiction we treated along with the others.

"People were discharged for other reasons as well as smoking. They might be using drugs, or not be complying with the treatment or not going to the group sessions."

She said some addicts were asked to leave for violent behaviour and foul language as well as smoking.

Mrs. Vance said smoking was a gateway drug to other drugs.

"If you continue to smoke the chances of relapse are much higher."

She said she had helped change the ethos of Fair Havens from a "revolving door" haven which gave drug users a winter break to somewhere people actually got cured.

She said: "At one time the facility was used as a parking place for addicts and alcoholics to get them off the streets - perhaps to avoid jail.

"It wasn't a place with any form of treatment, system or rules - just a come and go place and some women began to feel it was their entitlement.

"That's not what treatment is about. It's about recovery, being off drugs all your life. It's a continuing commitment.

"The same people came in every year. Many people thought they could come in during the winter, get a rest, cut out the substances, feel better and then go out and start using again."

She said one woman had been in and out of the place four times.

"Later on we could never seem to get through the message that all that had changed."

Only eight of 32 women successfully completed the programme, according to recent statistics.

But Mrs. Vance said: "That's very good. It's extremely good."

According to Tuesday's press release, the centre's funders - the National Drug Commission and the Council Partners Charitable Trust - were pleased with the level of sobriety an the lengthened periods between relapses by the residents.

Mrs. Vance defended the intensive group therapy even though she admitted it put many clients off.

She said: "You stick with the model that's successful. That's what works. It's compassionate in that they comfort you. They don't yell at you, it's caring.

"But it is scary for people to open up and reveal themselves, particularly on a small island."

Asked if she should have adapted the model for Bermuda she said: "You can't. That's what treatment is. That's what works."

She also advocates clients paying at least a portion of the cost for their treatment because it showed they were serious about getting cured.

American studies had showed those who got treatment for free didn't do nearly as well as those who had paid, according to Mrs. Vance, who left Bermuda to work on the east coast on Tuesday after a year running Fair Havens.

"It's a real commitment. I was told Bermudians respect other agencies because they do charge."

Mrs. Vance said to fight drugs agencies and the community needed to face up to the problem or carry on squandering money.

"I think the community think it is a moral issues, about weak willed sinners. That's wrong. It's a disease.

"The way it can gain control of your mind and body is as hard to fight as any disease and can be just as terminal."

She said people needed to stop playing the shame and blame game that leads people to cover up their addiction rather than tackle it.

"The community needs to look at treatment agencies and make them accountable. Ask them tough questions. How many clients are recovering? And how many are coming back?

"How many alcoholics and drug addicts are there on the island?"

She said she had asked former NDC Chief Executive Officer Christina Wineinger to get figures but she had not heard anything since Ms Wineinger left in July.

Mrs. Vance said the NDC needed to go out into the community to educate the public about what drugs was all about or else everyone would pick up the costs.

She said: "There's tremendous health care and social costs."

She listed court costs, violence, thigh blood pressure, ulcers, diabetes, broken legs from falling and mental illnesses.