A leading UK addiction centre is reaching out to Malta with a particular eye out for gambling problems.
“Addiction treatment is particularly needed in Malta at the moment, considering the influx of big gambling companies and the spread of internet gaming addictions,” said Castle Craig Hospital’s European representative Rupert Wolfe Murray.
Addiction treatment is particularly needed in Malta... considering the influx of big gambling companies
“These addictions are new, poorly understood and many people are in denial about them.”
The world-renowned private rehabilitation centre was founded in 1988 and treats alcohol and drug addiction as well as stress, burnout, sexual compulsivity, eating disorders and gambling addiction. It has launched a website in Maltese (www.castlecraig.com.mt) and will be treating people referred by a therapist in Malta.
The website is a summary version of its main UK site but is written for Malta and includes information about the residential addiction treatment at its centre in Scotland. Those interested, who are usually relatives of the person with the addiction, can contact Audrey Cassar Grant to arrange an assessment in conjunction with the St James Hospital in Malta. Ms Grant worked as a therapist at the clinic for 13 years.
Should they be referred to Scotland, Ms Cassar Grant would coordinate aftercare sessions and provide support on their return to Malta.
She said that from experience she is mostly expecting people with alcohol addictions to turn up as people in Malta start drinking at an early age.
Alcohol is more easily available in Malta, she argued, adding that it is seen as less of a problem here than it is abroad.
Although the clinic has set up websites and has representatives in Holland, France, Belgium and Romania, Mr Wolfe Murray said Ms Cassar Grant was the first of these European representatives who comes with more than 10 years of work experience at Castle Craig.
Following an information exchange mission in December, Mr Wolfe Murray had warned about gambling addictions and launched an appeal for tighter regulation of the industry.
“I realised gambling is the most risky and dangerous addiction of them all,” he said.
The hospital also has a connection to the island through its founders, Peter and Margaret Ann McCann, who have had a home in Gozo for the past 25 years.