Our definition of addiction
Soilse defines addiction as dependence on any legal and / or illegal drugs which harms the physical, mental, emotional and social well being of the individual, group or society.

Our approach to addiction rehabilitation
Dealing with addiction is our primary goal in rehabilitation. We do this by applying an adult learning methodology. Adult education is participant-focused, group-centred and uses the experiences of the individual as the subject of learning. It encourages critical reflection and personal development and is based on an ethos of trust, respect and honesty. An adult education approach uses the interaction between learner and facilitator (often called the learning transaction) to understand the process of addiction, how it affects the person and how dependency on drugs can be dismantled. This in turn empowers individuals to be self-realising and self-directed in their lives.

Our curriculum
Our curriculum has been designed to take account of the impact of drug use and addiction on the learning capacity and experience of participants. It is structured around the following learning areas:

1. Addiction and rehabilitation information and education
2. Life skills and personal and social development
3. Literacy
4. Social analysis
5. Health and fitness
6. Creative development
7. Career guidance
8. Personal exploration.

Care planning
Recovery from addiction involves change. This means dealing with:

• issues that were neglected while the person was abusing drugs, and
• obstacles that come up during early recovery
  

At Soilse, we help participants put together a personal recovery care plan. This may address some or all of the following issues and obstacles:

Personal - difficulty relating to others; isolation; poor verbal skills; low self-esteem/confidence; few interests; difficulty with punctuality and attendance; irregular eating; difficulty with prioritizing; poor problem-solving abilities; no clear ideas about the future; little or no experience of trust, respect, engagement or choices.

Housing - Homelessness; inadequate, unsafe or temporary accommodation arrangements; domestic havoc; experience of discrimination resulting from family name, history, or home.

Health problems - Hepatitis; HIV; eating disorders; poor fitness levels; dental neglect; alcohol-related problems; smoking-related problems; depression, etc.

Poverty - long-term unemployment; casual or black market work; work inconsistency; social welfare dependency; complicated social welfare status; involvement with money lenders; lack of experience with budgeting.

Relationship difficulties - broken relationships; stressed relationships; drug-using partnerships; single parenting; non-custodial parents; poor parenting skills; childcare problems.

Education - early school leaving; history of incomplete education and training; literacy problems; inability to recognise or identify vocational leanings or interests.

Drug history - significant progression; drug substitution; failed detoxifications; relapses; inability to engage recovery options effectively; drug sub-culture value system; susceptibility to peer pressure.

Research

Other Research

References