Castle Craig

04/09/2026

Each year, Recovery Month brings with it a lot of different themes for those involved. At Castle Craig, we're reflecting on the power of acceptance and the freedom it unlocks.

But acceptance is never just one thing. It’s a series of doors you walk through, one after the next. It’s the acceptance of yourself and the people in your life. And sometimes, acceptance means letting go of arguments with reality itself.

With acceptance comes a sense of freedom and space to move forward. It’s a renewed belief in what’s possible, and the key to gratitude and connection.

At Castle Craig, we see these transformations every day. Every person who shares their story spreads hope - lighting the way for someone else to follow. Here’s to Recovery Month, and to the courage that inspires others to begin their own journey.
Christopher Burn

03/09/2026

A 2026 UK study of people using crack-co***ne found something that deserves attention. Women in the study reported higher rates of serious respiratory harm than men – despite starting later and using for fewer years on average. They were also hospitalised with pneumonia at nearly double the rate.

The researchers noted a possible "telescoping effect" – harm developing faster in women, a pattern they also note is observed across multiple substances in the wider literature.

is about celebrating recovery. It’s also about asking who the current system reaches, and whether that’s in time.

If co***ne use is affecting you, or someone in your life, Castle Craig is here: castlecraig.co.uk/rehab-treatment/drug-rehab/co***ne-rehab

28/08/2026

A previous UK and Ireland study found that almost 20% of codeine users in their sample met the clinical threshold for dependence – through both prescribed and over-the-counter use.

Part of the explanation is in how the drug itself works. Codeine doesn’t function as a painkiller on its own.

Your liver has to convert it into morphine, and how effectively that happens depends on your genetics. For some people, adequate relief was never going to come from codeine at any dose.

Common antidepressants can also shift how your body processes it, without anyone being aware.

When relief is inadequate, taking more follows naturally. The dependence follows from there.

If dependency starts with a prescription, the right support starts with being truly understood: castlecraig.co.uk/rehab-treatment/drug-rehab/prescription/codeine

26/08/2026

If you or someone in your life is looking into addiction treatment, there’s something worth knowing about how the system works.

Sometimes, some of the helplines and websites that appear when you search for rehab options are not treatment providers. Some of them are referral businesses that earn commission from the clinic they recommend.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the recommendation is wrong, but it does mean the advice may not be as impartial as you’d think.

On 20 August 2026, the UK's advertising regulator published a formal notice requiring these businesses to be transparent about how they are funded with a compliance deadline of the 21st of September, 2026. This ought to help solve this problem.

Castle Craig (part of Castle Health) takes referrals directly and does not pay or receive per-patient commissions.

Here are some questions worth asking before choosing a provider:

- Are you paid by the clinics you recommend, and how much?
- Are you clinically qualified to assess me?
- Can I see the recommendation and the clinic's CQC report in writing first?
- Will my details be shared with anyone else?


Read more: https://rehab-online.org.uk/for-professionals/blogs-guides/the-asa-enforcement-notice/

A major step forward in the fight against unethical “patient brokering” in addiction treatment.
The ASA has issued a sector-wide Enforcement Notice targeting rehab referral companies that pose as impartial helplines while receiving undisclosed commissions.
Some brokers take 25–40% of treatment fees. On a £10,000 placement, up to £4,000 may go to the referrer - without the patient knowing.
EMCAT’s monitoring has identified around 100 suspected broker or fake “guide” websites targeting UK treatment-seekers, plus one network of 45 differently branded sites directing callers to the same commercial phone line.
Advertisers have until 21 September 2026 to comply. Targeted monitoring and enforcement will follow.
This action is overdue and welcome. But it only regulates the advertising - not the business model.
People seeking addiction treatment deserve to know whether they are speaking to a clinician or a commission-based salesperson.
Patient brokering must be banned.

25/08/2026

Meet Castle Craig's alpacas - Lizzie, Cutie Pie and Gigi.

Castle Craig is made up of a hundred small parts working together; from the clinical team and the setting, to the community and a few unexpected additions – like our alpacas.

You may be wondering what three alpacas are doing on the grounds of an addiction treatment centre in the Scottish Borders...

We're careful not to call it "alpaca therapy" because it isn't a formal part of treatment. However,spending time with animals is known to lower stress hormones and ease anxiety; those living with autism have mentioned specifically that they find their presence especially soothing.

Sometimes recovery happens in a therapy room, and sometimes it happens in a field surrounded by alpacas.

17/08/2026

Most of the conversation around the first week of sobriety focuses on how difficult it is. Which it undeniably is.

But something else is also happening.

A 2025 study tracked markers of red blood cell damage in heavy drinkers before and after one week without alcohol. Within seven days, visible signs of that damage had halved.

That first week is hard. But it’s doing more than some might realise.

If you've been through it – what do you remember noticing in that first week?

Read our full guide on alcohol detox: castlecraig.co.uk/addiction-resources/how-to-flush-alcohol-from-your-system

13/08/2026

Part of recovery is learning to have faith. Whether that’s faith in other people, faith in yourself, faith in the future or faith in something bigger than you.

Today, we're sharing nine things people in recovery tell themselves to build faith in the process.

13/08/2026

Some who develop a dependence on codeine started in the same place – as a prescription for pain that didn’t feel like it was doing enough.

So they took a bit more. And then more often.

And over time, the pattern became something they felt they couldn't easily step back from.

What some might not be aware of, is that codeine doesn’t works as a painkiller on its own – your liver has to convert it into morphine. How effectively that happens could depend on your genetics. For some, that conversion is so slow that they wouldn’t ever have felt adequate pain relief regardless of how much they took.

The explanation is in the pharmacology of the medication itself.

If this feels familiar, Castle Craig's team understands how codeine dependence develops and how to treat it.

Find out more: castlecraig.co.uk/rehab-treatment/drug-rehab/prescription/codeine

11/08/2026

Whether it's something from an AA meeting, a line in someone's share, or something a therapist said in your recovery journey – the things people say have a way of staying with us.

What's something a therapist said that’s stuck with you?

Tell us below.

07/08/2026

People can put off detox because they don't know what it will actually involve…

How much medication? How long? Will it be managed around what their body needs, or whether they'll just be put on a schedule and left to get through it?

One recent study saw patients identifying that when detox was guided by real-time monitoring rather than a fixed medication schedule, patients received over 80% less medication and completed the acute phase in less than half the time – with no increase in complications.

That individually monitored approach is specifically how Castle Craig's detox programme is designed.

If the uncertainty around a ‘one size fits all’ approach to detox has been holding you or someone in your life back, this is a good place to start: www.castlecraig.co.uk/detox/alcohol-detox