The Montrose Substance Abuse Centre on Berry Hill Road in Paget was originally established under the direction of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in 1979 as Alcoholism Services. Coordinator Mrs. Joanne Dill said people were coming into the hospital with alcohol and alcohol-related problems and the need to set up a treatment programme was realised. But it was evident that other substance abuse users needed to be addressed. And Alcoholism Services in 1985 changed its name to the Montrose Substance Abuse Centre opening up its facilities to all substance abusers. The Centre concentrates mainly on adult treatment, said Mrs. Dill, although it does provide individual counselling for adolescents. "We also offer family counselling and programmes for significant others,'' she said. Alcohol and drug abusers are referred to the Montrose Substance Abuse Centre through family members, doctors, the Employment Assistance Programme, Fair Havens, Addiction Services, probations services and the prisons, said Mrs. Dill. "We also get walk-ins and people from wards in the hospital with drug problems,'' she said. The programme runs every week day from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and includes a mixture of educational discussions and therapy over a three or four week period. The staff at the centre recognise that chemical dependence is a primary disorder which is chronic, progressive, potentially fatal and prone to relapse -- a disease concept, which is fundamental to understanding the disorder and basic to the treatment programme. Treatment goals are therefore identified according to the needs of the individual and achieved through a comprehensive rehabilitation programme.

Mrs. Dill noted that the drug of choice today is heroine and many clients are heroin addicts. But all substance abusers attend the same group therapy. "No matter which drugs people use, their lives are affected in the same manner and life issues are very similar,'' she said. The facility has three counsellors and one part-time counsellor as well as an office manager and coordinator. Two of the staff are also trained nurses and can dispense clonidine, a medication used to ease heroin withdrawal systems. "We assess addicts here and send them to the emergency ward where a doctor will write a prescription if necessary,'' said Mrs. Dill. "Then they come back to us and we dispense the clonidine accordingly.'' People who enter the programme at the Montrose Substance Abuse Centre are also encouraged to go through an after-care programme. "Clients will come in weekly and they'll wean down their visits as time goes on,'' said Mrs. Dill, noting that clients should stay in touch with the facility for up to a year following treatment. She added that the centre plans to start a relapse prevention programme by the end of the year as there is always a high rate of relapse among addicts. The programme will be aimed at minimising this, she said. The hospital is also looking to set up a detoxification unit that is specifically dedicated to alcohol and drug abusers within the hospital. At present, addicts are placed in medical wards, said Mrs. Dill. "But they need quiet and often addicts get agitated and sometimes violent -- we think they would be better served if they had their own ward,'' she said. PHOTO FOR CHEMICALLY DEPENDENT PEOPLE -- The Montrose Substance Abuse Centre, located on Berry Hill Road in Paget, offers a comprehensive rehabilitation programme.