Surrounded by 20 acres of beautiful Scottish countryside, Castle Craig is a specialist hospital for the treatment of alcoholism, addiction and mental disorders. During treatment, patients learn to view their addiction to alcohol or drugs as a disease from which they can recover. With the help of our team of experts, patients are confronted with the root causes of their addiction and are helped to regain abstinence.
Certification and quality approach
Castle Craig is Intertek (formerly Moody’s) ISO 9001:2008 Certified for Quality Management Systems – Requirement. This certification is internationally recognized. It concerns more than 800,000 companies across 162 countries. It controls medical care, nursing and administrative procedures, which are subject to regular audits.
Hospitalisation
Our hospital has 122 beds divided into two care units. You can count on our full-time multidisciplinary medical team, including a psychiatrist, doctors and caregivers. Our therapeutic program is the central pillar of the treatment and is led by a team of 25 specialized professionals. Patients from all over the world integrate an English-speaking environment. Many of them come from the Netherlands, where there is a network of outpatient clinics. We have been collaborating for many years with employers, general practitioners, clinics and occupational physicians. We regularly publish independent research studies on outcomes reporting high success rates.
The cost of our treatments can be covered by the Caisses Primaires d’Assurance Maladie and by private insurance companies. This is lower than that charged by recovery clinics in the UK which offer similar services. Admission to Castle Craig is arranged at short notice.
We offer spacious, single or double rooms. The traditional decoration adds charm and elegance to the rooms creating a warm atmosphere. The furnishings in the rooms are modern yet comfortable. The rooms offer stunning views of the entire surrounding countryside. Most of the rooms have an attached bathroom and some have a shared bathroom. The bathrooms all have a bath/shower, toilet and sink.
A lounge is also at your disposal, allowing you to receive your loved ones in a friendly setting. The living room has a table and chairs, a bookcase, a sofa and armchairs. To complete the detoxification process, patients usually prefer to share a double room. After detox, the majority of hospitalized people move to a single room.
Treatment of alcoholism and addiction
We care for and treat alcohol and drug addiction as a disease and promote the total abstinence necessary to achieve long-term recovery. We believe that abstinence is the only way a person can regain control of their life. We help patients recover with an intensive and personalized care program, which consists of medical treatment, a 12-step recovery program, cognitive behavioral therapy and other therapies complementary.
Our program helps patients chart a new course in their lives, avoid factors that could trigger relapse, and lead satisfying lives free of alcohol or psychoactive substances. It is a program that aims for lifelong recovery. At Castle Craig, we develop a personalized program for each patient. This includes individual and group therapy as well as specialized therapeutic approaches, exercise, healthy eating and a busy daily schedule. Patients stay in single or double (shared) rooms with comfortable beds.
Discretion and confidentiality
Confidentiality is an essential rule within our establishment. All staff are committed to discretion and absolute confidentiality, in order to help patients protect their identity and feel safe
Understanding addiction
Addiction is a disease characterized by the fact that the sufferer is unable to control their level of consumption. The only way to control your consumption is to give it up completely. We provide the necessary assistance to reach this stage.
Years of drug and alcohol abuse take a toll on vital organs, such as the brain and liver. However, our body has a remarkable ability to heal over time. Abstinence provides the ideal conditions to achieve this, in combination with physical exercise, a healthy diet and an innovative technique, hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
The term “addiction” traditionally defines an addiction to alcohol and/or drugs. However, it is possible to have other behaviors that are addictive, such as addiction to gambling, food or even emotional and sexual relationships. At Castle Craig we also treat our patients’ behavioral addictions.
In 1990, the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence recognized alcoholism and addiction as a disease. The abbreviated version of their definition is: “Alcoholism represents a disease characterized by loss of control over drinking, preoccupation with drugs and alcohol, use of alcohol despite its negative effects, distortion of reality, especially with the installation of denial. These are symptoms having a permanent or periodic occurrence.
At Castle Craig we have been treating addiction since 1988. Strong evidence, including our own studies and the testimonies of millions of people around the world, shows that abstinence has impressive results and gives people the chance to lead a happy and healthy life upon their recovery.
Characteristics of addiction
Compulsion: People suffering from addiction feel an irresistible urge to persevere in this behavior, despite the harm caused by the substances consumed.
Denial: Denial includes a series of psychological defences, such as rationalization (apologies and reasons are given to explain the behavior), and minimization, i.e. seeing the problem as less important than in reality. Denial must be addressed during treatment, to ensure successful recovery.
Preoccupation with alcohol or drugs: the person devotes a great deal of their time, energy and interest to obtaining alcohol or drugs.