Our Community Addictions Service, based in Ballymena, provides a range of services to adults aged 18 and over, in a number of locations across the Trust area. The service also delivers an Enhanced Needle Exchange Service and Take-Home Naloxone, and its team also has responsibility of making most referrals to inpatient and residential treatment services.

There are two main pathways – Alcohol and other substances and Opiate Substitute Treatment pathway which is open access.

There is also a Benzodiazepine service run in conjunction with pharmacy and a Perinatal service for service users using substances (Nurture).

The Community Addictions Service is primarily a service for individuals who meet the criteria for a dependence syndrome on alcohol or other drugs, and who are seeking treatment in either a community or hospital/residential setting to assist withdrawal or stabilise on prescription medications, including opioid substitute treatments.

Typically, service users who attend the Community Addictions Service are using more than one substance, have co-existing mental health or physical health disorders and a range of other problems, which may include housing stress, debt, childcare issues with involvement of social services, a background of trauma or domestic violence.

For the majority of service users who attend the Community Addictions Service, their treatment will include a number of sessions.

The sessions will delivering psychosocial interventions incorporating the following elements:

• Motivational enhancement therapy
• Cognitive behavioural therapy,
• Emotional regulation and anxiety management techniques,
• Relapse prevention and harm reduction approaches
• Strategies to encourage engagement with mutual aid organisations and purposeful activities, training and employment which support their recovery journey.
• Pharmacological treatments to assist withdrawal from alcohol or from other substances,
• Opioid substitute treatment (buprenorphine or methadone) or medications to support abstinence from alcohol post withdrawal (acamprosate, naltrexone and rarely disulfiram or baclofen)
• In circumstances where total abstinence from high doses of codeine, diazepam  or pregabalin may not be possible, it may  be appropriate  to stabilise individuals on a modest dose of  these same  medications with  frequent dispensing from  a local pharmacy or under the care of a family member or a significant other.
• Drug and alcohol services aim to deliver all treatments and support using a trauma informed approach, recognising trauma has been a major factor in the lives of many service users.   The Community Addiction Service can directly access psychological services, but this does have limited capacity.

Where to find us

Community Addictions Service, 105a Railway Street, Ballymena, BT42 2AF

How to contact us

• Telephone: 028 2531 7162
• Email: enquiries.cas@notherntrust.hscni.net

How to access the service

The majority of referrals to the service are usually made through:

• a GP
• other health and social care professional

Referrals are also received from:

• Mental health services
• Northern Ireland Prison Service
• Childcare services
• Community and voluntary sector

Self-referral

Individuals who are dependent on heroin or other opioids and are seeking abstinence, or wish to stabilise on an opioid substitute treatment, can self-refer by contacting the Community Addiction Service, based at 105a Railway Street Ballymena, BT42 2AF, Telephone 028 2531 7162.