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.

In Recovery, Focus on Essentials

You’ll have no shortage of advice about what to do in recovery. People will tell you to eat right, exercise, go to meetings, work the steps, make new friends, get plenty of sleep, and the list goes on. Most of this is no doubt good advice, especially if it comes from someone you trust, like […]

Why is Quitting Benzos So Hard?

Benzodiazepines are a prescription medication and are relatively common. They don’t cause euphoria like opioids and they aren’t ubiquitous like alcohol. Since they’re fast-acting, unlike SSRIs, you can take them only when you experience acute anxiety or can’t sleep. Benzos seem like a convenient and relatively harmless drug, yet it’s very hard to quit. What’s […]

Why Detoxing Alone Can Be Dangerous

It’s common for people wanting to get sober to shut themselves in their rooms and wait out the storm. The appeal of this approach is obvious. It’s free, for one thing. You also get to be somewhere safe, comfortable, and familiar while you spend a few days feeling awful. No one wants to see anyone […]

Does Adderall Really Improve Productivity?

Adderall has a reputation as a drug for overachievers. Every semester, students take Adderall to help them finish term papers and study for final exams. People working overtime use it to help them meet deadlines. The problem is that Adderall is basically prescription meth. Using it to get an edge at work or in school […]

Is Alcoholism an Allergy? Alcohol Allergy vs Addiction Explained

Is alcoholism an allergic reaction? Although it is not technically accurate to describe alcohol addiction as an allergy, the idea can still be useful. From a medical perspective, alcohol addiction is not an allergic reaction, so the answer to “is alcoholism an allergic reaction?” is no. Allergic reactions involve the immune system, while addiction involves […]

How Alcohol Damages Your Immune System and Makes You Sicker

Most people know the feeling of waking up feeling sick after drinking a bit too much. While that feeling will go away within a day or two, regular drinking can impair your immune system, leading to more frequent infections and illnesses. In addition to being hungover, you are more likely to get the flu as […]

How to Tell Your Family You’re Addicted to Drugs or Alcohol

It’s not easy to face the possibility you have a problem with drugs or alcohol. When you do finally accept that you need help, you may face a new challenge: telling your friends and family. How do you tell the people who care about you that you have a problem with addiction? What will they […]

Can I Work the Steps if I’m not Religious?

People who are considering attending 12-step meetings are sometimes put off by the idea of a higher power. 12-step proponents often point to the loophole in step three that they ‘Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him’. As we understood Him–see? Nothing […]

How Keystone Habits Can Simplify Recovery

When you first get sober, you are faced with a conundrum: You have to make several major changes at once to maintain sobriety, but trying to make too many changes at once often results in failing to make any changes. How do you make the changes you need to make and still have a reasonable […]

Will You Be a Different Person Sober?

Getting sober is a big life change. It means quitting a substance you are physically dependent on, changing your habits that formed around using, making new friends, and adopting a healthier lifestyle. As with any change, it will feel weird at first but you will eventually feel normal again. Whether you experience sobriety as a […]

Will Sobriety Hurt My Creativity?

Creativity has long been associated with drugs and alcohol. Writers are especially known to drink and musicians are especially known to use drugs. And drink. If creative pursuits are especially important to you, either professionally or recreationally, the belief that you need drugs or alcohol to be creative can be an impediment to recovery. Fortunately, […]

How to Socialise Without Alcohol

Alcohol is often described as a social lubricant, when it’s really more of a social anaesthetic. It gives you temporary relief from the anxiety associated with social interaction but it doesn’t do anything to improve those interactions. In fact, it does the opposite. It’s hard to listen and participate in a meaningful conversation if you […]