Art and Gardening to Help Addicts in Wales

The BBC reports that an intervention center in Wales has received funding to offer activities like gardening, beauty treatment days, and takeout dinner nights to help those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. With the money, the center should be able to keep the activities going for three years.

Alan Andrews, who set up Choose Life Cymru in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, after overcoming his own drug addiction, says activities like these distract people from their additions and help build self-esteem.

The 300 people who use the center each year are offered free classes and can participate in activities such as go-kart racing, music workshops, art and computer lessons, social evenings, and family outings.

"At that moment they're not doing drugs or committing crime. It diverts them from their primary concern," said Andrews. "It's little changes to their lifestyle that can make a big difference. Their self-esteem and confidence is built up and that in turn can make a huge difference to their addiction. These are people who have often been told they're no good."

The center also offers support and activities for the families of addicts, such as “beauty days,” which are often for the partners of addicts. "A lot of the time all the household money has gone on drugs so the women can come here, have a hair cut, their eyebrows shaped, and have a chat. It can really help them as these people can often feel very, very low," said Andrews.

Andrews and his staff of nine (plus volunteers) offer long-term support and education to people who use the service, which is open five days a week. People using the center are also put in touch with other services and residential rehab programs.

Andrews said that while medication can help wean people off their addiction, he believes it needs to be supported by other services, such as his diversionary activity program.

Rachel Curwood, 20, from Llanelli, said she had been using heroin for about six to nine months when she went to the center. “It's really helped me and I've not used [heroin] for three months. I'm on methadone now and I come here every day," she said.

"I've taken part in some activities, like go-kart racing, building a raft, and we do art every Friday,” Curwood said. It's very important and it gives me something to do. If it wasn't for Choose Life I'd still be on heroin.”