Victoria McCann BA, MSc

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, New York Post, The Guardian.

How to Deal With an Alcoholic Parent

Dealing with an alcoholic family member is always a challenge, but it is even more so when that person is a parent. The issues of having a mother or father with alcoholism are way more far-reaching than one would think. If you’re still underage and living with your parents, you could perhaps ignore the problem […]

Man sitting in a dark room on a couch with his head resting on his hand - symbolises Depression After Quitting Alcohol

Depression After Alcohol: Why You Feel Worse After You Stop Drinking

Can quitting alcohol cause depression? Depression and alcohol misuse are interconnected in many ways. For some people, depression leads to drinking. For others, it develops during periods of heavy alcohol use. And for many, it can appear once alcohol is removed. It often leads people to ask, do you get depressed when you stop drinking, […]

What are the Emotional Effects of Alcohol?

Many of us drink to feel happy or relaxed or to mask or avoid our feelings. Alcohol is a powerful drug that initially can seem like a one-stop solution to any situation. It can even act beneficially if used responsibly. However, when a person starts to abuse alcohol, the emotional effects it produces can turn […]

A man laying in bed covered in a blanked, looking distressed and sick - could symbolise his problems with alcohol misuse and binge drinking.

The difference between binge drinking and alcoholism

What Is Binge Drinking? Binge drinking is defined as consuming excessive amounts of alcohol within a short period or drinking to get drunk. This is defined as 6 units for women and 8 units for men. Of course, this can vary. Not everyone drinks the same way, and how much they can drink is determined […]

What Are the Benefits of Rehab?

Whether one has an alcohol, drug, or behavioural addiction, the benefits of rehab can help anyone into a successful and lasting recovery. Ireland offers a variety of treatment options for addiction, ranging from self-help programmes to luxury residential rehabs. Although rehab is not the only option for addiction treatment, depending on the person, it may […]

Am I Married to a Functioning Alcoholic?

A functioning alcoholic (sometimes called a functional alcoholic) is not always easy to spot. Unlike most alcoholics, functioning alcoholics do not exhibit obvious symptoms of alcoholism. They also manage to be generally competent in all or most aspects of their lives, therefore avoiding the stereotypical image of alcoholism. They are often middle-aged, successful, and have […]

a man walking into a castle health clinic as he discovers what outpatient treatment for alcoholism looks like

What is Outpatient Treatment for Alcoholism Like?

Outpatient vs Inpatient for Alcoholism There are many types of approaches to treatment for addiction, which range from self-help to outpatient to inpatient programmes. Each has its benefits and downsides. Inpatient treatment, and the rarer intensive outpatient treatment programmes, are the most effective forms of treatment. But there are a number of reasons that outpatient […]

A photo of a deprived man - symbolises the question "why can't alcoholics stop drinking?".

Why can’t alcoholics stop drinking, even when they want to?

Alcoholism is a chronic illness that takes over the mind, and sometimes the body as well. It is extremely tough to control one’s behaviour with any addiction and alcoholics find it harder to stop than most. This helps explain why alcoholics can’t stop drinking, even when they understand the risks. Sometimes, an alcoholic has to […]

How Does Long-term Alcohol Misuse Affect the Brain?

For many people, alcohol is a part of their regular life, be it drinks with dinner or catching up with friends over a Friday night cocktail. In low to moderate amounts, alcohol has its benefits – it makes people more happy, more social, and more relaxed. It is also believed that responsible drinking carries certain […]

a teenage girl sitting in a skate park questioning her substance misuse

Teenage Substance Misuse

Ireland has one of the highest rates of underage binge-drinking in Europe, ranked fifth, and drug use among young people has been steadily rising. Binge-drinking is the most harmful type of drinking, and it doesn’t take much to get there – for young women, it means four or more drinks in one sitting, and for […]

The Importance of the Word “Recovery”

You would be forgiven for not knowing that September is Recovery Month — not just in Ireland but all over the world. Part of the problem is that the word “recovery” means different things: to those of us in the rehab sector it means “recovery from addiction”, but if you’ve had an operation in hospital […]

Why is Recovery Month Important?

Written by Christopher Burn What is Recovery Month? Now in its 29th year, National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) is held every September to demonstrate to people that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life. It was started in […]