An addiction charity has agreed to stop using a controversial treatment method where addicts are verbally abused and insulted by counsellors.
An evaluation of the Tabor Group in Cork found the treatment, known by some users as “the hot seat”, was counterproductive and led to increased relapse and drop-out rates.
The Tabor Group began in Cork in 1989 when the Sisters of Mercy opened Tabor Lodge in the village of Belgooly. It primarily treated alcoholics using a “tough love” abstinence-focused treatment style known as the Minnesota Model, based on the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve-Step Programme.
The charity later opened two other step-down treatment centres in Cork. It now treats many forms of addiction including drugs, gambling and food. Over 200 clients pass through Tabor Lodge, its primary treatment centre, yearly.
Clients pay up to €6,160 for a 28-day residential programme in Tabor Lodge, although some get grants from the HSE to cover part of the cost. The Government also provides funding directly to the charity.
Source: Conor Gallagher, The Irish Times, 15th January 2019
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