The Montrose Substance Abuse Centre, located near the Emergency Department of
Originally Alcoholism Services, Montrose cottage opened in 1979. But the facility changed its name to the Montrose Substance Abuse Centre because "by 1987, most clients were both alcohol and drug users,'' said head of the Substance Abuse Centre, Mrs. Joanne Dill. "And so the name was officially changed last year.'' The centre deals with all alcohol and drug problems. And clients can join the programme at anytime. But they must commit themselves to three weeks of rehabilitation and education services provided by the centre.
Staff run the treatment programme on an outpatient basis. "Patients are here Monday through Friday from 9.30 in the morning until 4.00 in the afternoon,'' said Mrs. Dill.
The Montrose Substance Abuse Centre also offers an after care programme where patients come in weekly or monthly for up to a year following rehabilitation.
And on Wednesday evenings, the centre holds a workshop for the outpatient group. "This includes those who are presently in the treatment programme and those enrolled in the after care programme,'' said Mrs. Dill. "During the workshop, we encourage talks within the group. And we have guest speakers or films,'' she added.
The basic rehabilitation programme involves many steps. "Every client must attend 12 meetings,'' said Mrs. Dill. "It doesn't matter which sessions clients choose to attend but they should come in two or three times a week.'' Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) hold meetings every day and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) schedule meetings five days a week. "Currently we have more AA meetings than NA meetings only because AA has existed as an organisation for longer,'' noted Mrs. Dill.
But most patients are polydrug users, according to Mrs. Dill. "It's very common for clients to use more than one drug,'' she said. "And they may be suffering from both alcohol and drug abuse.
"The way in which a drug affects people may be different but the end results are often very similar,'' said Mrs. Dill adding, "so a lot of what we do applies to all substance abusers.
"For instance, we talk about effects on the family, work or lifestyles. And we hold family meetings to educate the family and offer support between them.'' The centre also runs a children's group especially for younger children of substance abusers. "Getting the parents to bring in their children is a problem,'' said Mrs. Dill. "But it's something we really encourage because it's important to build up a child's self-esteem.'' Treatment at the Montrose Substance Abuse Centre is based on international standards. "But we're a small department and there are some restrictions,'' said Mrs. Dill.
"We don't have the facilities for an inpatient unit,'' said Mrs. Sandy Butterfield, assistant to Mrs. Dill. "Favourably, however, the centre is a department of the Hospital -- we can get a person to the doctor quickly if required,'' she said.
"Up until six or seven months ago, there were eight to 10 people in the programme. But now we have 10 to 12 people on a regular basis and sometimes up to 14,'' said Mrs. Dill. "I think the numbers have probably grown because people are becoming more aware of their problem.'' They are coming forward to get help. But unfortunately relapses in addicted personalities are common. "If patients are sincere and they really want to be straight, they can be,'' said Mrs. Dill. "We do have successes. But setbacks are normal occurrences worldwide. In the present group, we have four familiar faces -- they've been here before,'' she said.
The centre sees various levels of addiction whether it be the length of time a person is addicted or the type of drugs they are addicted to.
"Alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and heroin are the drugs of choice for the clients here,'' said Mrs. Dill. "And they may use only one of these drugs or all of them.'' The department, which is fully funded by the Hospital, does have a payment scheme. "But most clients don't pay for services -- they can't afford it,'' said Mrs. Dill.
"The Hospital absorbs most of the costs. But we're trying to get insurance coverage for our patients through the National Drugs Commission,'' she added.
When the drug and alcohol addiction programme started at Montrose cottage, it was a great relief for the Emergency Department of the Hospital. "So many people were going to emergency for treatment,'' said Mrs. Dill. "The need for a substance abuse centre was unquestionable.'' But the centre works closely with the Emergency Department. "We don't have any doctors here,'' said Mrs. Dill. "If clients need medical attention or medication, the Emergency Department prescribes it.
"Our goal, however, is to build a detox unit that would accommodate in-patients,'' she said.
MRS. JOANNE DILL -- Head of the Substance Abuse Centre.
