Scotland gets first ever ‘drug rehab village’

Summary and Analysis…

An article in The Herald describes a new program opening in Scotland that establishes a community to be a  rehabilitation, training and support center for former addicts. As per the article, the program is designed around a successful community in Italy.

Mark Bitel, a former addict and trustee of the Independence from Drugs and Alcohol Scotland (IFDAS) charity that is developing the site said the center will focus on “residential training and a social enterprise development centre where people can live in a place of safety and support. In time it could well develop into a village.

Excerpted from Herald Scotland

“The prototype community which is based on the ground-breaking and successful San Patrignano community in Italy which sees 80 per cent of addicts remain in long term recovery …

“Like the Delancey Street programme in San Francisco and Basta in Sweden, the Ayr rehab village will use a social enterprise model…”

“When people are clean they need to learn how to re-live their lives in a constructive, helpful, loving, supportive, meaningful way and get back to being a worker, a tax payer and a good human being. That’s the gap we are trying to bridge.”