Victoria McCann BA, MSc

Communications Director & Editorial Lead

Victoria McCann, BA, MSc, is Communications Director & Editorial Lead at Castle Craig and a member of the clinic’s founding family. With over a decade of experience in addiction treatment communications, she leads the creation of clear, compassionate content that supports patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Victoria is committed to reducing stigma around addiction and mental health, and brings strategic insight and lived sector knowledge to her work. She regularly attends and organises addiction treatment conferences across the UK and Europe, promoting high standards of care and best practice in the field. Victoria also works with the media to raise awareness and share informed perspectives on addiction and recovery. The Herald, The Times, BBC, STV, The Times, New York Post, The Guardian.

How to Practise Mindfulness at Home

Anyone who stays with us at Smarmore Castle practises mindfulness, helping you develop the skills you need to keep yourself strong and continue into a healthy recovery when you leave treatment with us. If you’ve been with us and are looking for a reminder of this, take a moment to remember being in the meeting […]

Step 1 of the 12-Steps

Smarmore Castle’s treatment is based on the 12 Steps of addiction recovery, which takes people who are suffering with addiction and helps you learn how to beat your addiction. This article provides an overview of Step 1, and it may be helpful for anyone who has already been through 12-Step treatment to return to this […]

A reflection of recovery by a past patient at Smarmore Castle

A former patient at Smarmore Castle sent us this reflection, looking back at their recovery journey, and we hope this helps anyone who is daunted by the prospect of treatment for addiction. You can come through this. Reflection of recovery by a past patient “As I sit here – two and a half years clean […]

Losing a pet and a family member in recovery

Anyone who has lost loved ones or who loves animals may identify with this little segment, written by a former patient at Smarmore Castle. “I have always had a love of animals from a young age, however over the course of my addiction I was lucky to be able to look after my kids and […]

Alcohol and Recovery on St Patrick’s Day

St Patrick’s Day is synonymous with alcohol and this can be difficult if you are in early recovery from alcoholism. Even with bars and pubs shut this St Patrick’s Day it is hard to avoid discounts on sales of alcohol in the shops, and news reports say that people will still be meeting in secret […]

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A man wearing a beige jumper talking to a therapist about heroin addiction.

Secret Drinking – How to spot the Signs Of Hidden Alcoholism

Hidden Signs of Alcoholism When someone you love struggles with alcohol addiction, the signs aren’t always visible on the surface. Many individuals with alcohol use disorders become remarkably skilled at concealing their drinking habits, maintaining professional responsibilities, and presenting a facade of normalcy while battling a serious condition behind closed doors. For families who suspect […]

Chest Pains After Drinking Alcohol

Causes, Symptoms and How to Help Picture the scene: it’s the morning after a hefty night before in Dublin’s pubs and clubs. You wake up, and alongside the hazy memories and bloodshot eyes, you also feel an ache in your chest. Does this sound familiar? Perhaps you’ve experienced chest pain after a binge-drinking session with […]

People Consume More Alcohol in Colder Climates

The first academic report to have investigated the impact of weather on alcohol intake. Study found a clear negative correlation between climate factors – average temperature and sunlight hours – and alcohol consumption.

Quaaludes Addiction

Quaaludes were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s as a synthetic central nervous system depressant. It was originally introduced as a safe barbiturate substitute with people believing there would be no negative effects. Even though Quaaludes are no longer legal in the US, there are still people who are addicted and need to get […]

A photo of a man during an addiction therapy session during rehab at Smarmore Castle in Ireland

Environmental Factors in Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Just like genetics can have a factor in the chances of becoming an addict, the environment plays a big role too. If a person lives where they are surrounded by bars or drug dealers, the chances of becoming an addict can increase. It is important for schools and the community to expose teens to education […]

How You Can Be an Advocate for Recovery Everyday

Being an advocate for addiction recovery, it is when you develop actions and activities to influence decision makers to grow, establish, or change policies concerning drug laws. Europe has 218 drug law advocacy groups. One of them is the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) which provides overview of drug problems and […]