Cuan Mhuire Coolarne/Galway - any experiences or opinions? Would the centre in Athy be better?

Gordianus_Gringo

Hi there. Really looking for some advice.

I've started the process of trying to be admitted to a cuan mhuire facility but I'm really stuck on where would be the better option to try.

I live rather close to Athy so it would seem to make more sense but my counsellor recommended the one in Galway in coolarne. From reading online the Galway one seems to be smaller (50 beds as opposed to 100+ in Athy) but some of the few reviews aren't great and I really don't know what to do.

Athy seems to be most common one and maybe has the best facilities (library, etc.) and might get the most funding but maybe going to the smaller Galway one would be better for me but I'm concerned from what I've read and it's also a few hours drive away.

Sorry I'm not making much sense here but I'm just so stressed and frightened to be honest. I'd really appreciate any opinions from people who've had experience of either place .

GavPJ

I've had a few friends go through Athy and to be honest it done

no good to any of them at all. Back to their same old ways not long

after completing their course. One was in for cocaine addiction. He went

to Coolmine afterwards and is free of his demons now.

Others have been in for drink and gambling. Athy didn't work for them either.

One of them regretted going to Athy because it was near home (as in the same province)

He said the temptation to leave all the time was huge. Maybe that was just him.

Hope this is of some help to you and you get the help you need.

JupiterKid

HI OP, if you look here there's more threads on Cuan Mhuire and their various treatment centres around the country.

I was in Athy for 12 weeks for alcoholism between May and July 2015. It is extremely religious with mass and rosary/novena each day which I found very off-putting. It's biggest advantage is that it is cheap - you only need your social welfare to cover the cost. It is like boot camp - very strict and you must get up at 6.00 am every morning and work a job around the complex assigned to you.

I only managed about a month to 5 weeks off the drink after leaving Athy - aftercare was minimal and from experience (i.e. learning the hard way) the most critical time is when you leave the treatment centre as the compulsion to go back to your old ways is very strong and ongoing support is essential.

I finally got fully sober in early 2019 via AA and the 12 steps with a sponsor plus sessions with an excellent addiction counsellor in Dublin. I wish you well on your recovery journey.

MikeCairo78

Just to give an a different response to the above. I attended Cuan Mhuire in 2019, and I am sober in 2024 just marked **** years. Previous to this I had attended other facilities and just like others I can rage about how crap they were / are etc for example I would advise no one to even consider attending Pats on the dual diagnosis programme. Aftercare was twice a week after CM(only once a week after Pats) I am not religious in any way whatsoever. I find that people who bang on about it(and I am not picking on the above) are mainly looking for excuses to fail and go back to the old ways. Recovery is a long and difficult process, and it begins with only yourself. When you hit your bottom and say to yourself no more, will be when you get it, and if at that time it is Cuan Mhuire, St Pats, Coolmine or wherever else, that is what you needed at that time. Just to give some bald statistics, in the three groups I intermingled with(my own the week ahead and the week behind) only 1 other person is still sober, 4 are dead, that I know of and that is out of 28 people But those stats are the same everywhere, grab any and all help that you can, but know that it is you alone that needs to do it, and blaming others be it family or institutions is ultimately a futile exercise in poor poor me. Getting sober is the best thing that I have ever done, I have rebuilt my life, I am in a happy home, my kids are fully in my life, we bought a house, job going well, I am fully present in my own life, all through getting through each day knowing that I cant take a drink. Good luck OP