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.

Positive Thoughts For This 2025 Festive Season

For many, those words mean parties, self-indulgence, excessive eating and drinking, followed by a good sporting event on the TV (with perhaps a bet or two on the outcome). Happy days. It all sounds attractive to addicts – some of us were doing that sort of thing all the year round. Yet recovery is about […]

Cough Medicine Addiction

Every substance out there, legal or illegal, can be abused. Just because something can be sold over the counter without a prescription or asking for ID does not mean that it is safe. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 3.1 million people from ages 12-25 have used cough medication in order […]

What Makes Someone Start Smoking

When you see people smoking cigarettes, you wonder what it is that causes people to want to take their first smoke and what is the appeal. According to the Center for Disease Control, 16.8% of adults smoke and there are 480,000 deaths a year in the U.S. from smoking cigarettes. It is important to avoid […]

Alcoholism and Pregnancy

Alcohol Use in Pregnancy Anything that a pregnant mother consumes also gets consumed by her unborn child. According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 10 pregnant women drink and 1 in 50 women binge drink which is more than five drinks a day. – Alcoholism rates in Ireland. It is important for pregnant […]

Prison is Not a Solution to Addiction

People who are arrested for crimes related to drugs or alcohol may help them get sober during their sentence but they will not recover when their sentence is over. According to the National Council and Drug Dependence Inc., 80% of crimes are committed that are related to drugs and alcohol. The National Association of Drug […]

Morphine Addiction

Pain reliever drugs have the potential to be abused too when people find out about the underlying effects they can give. Morphine drugs, named after the Greek G-d of dreams Morpheus, is a powerful narcotic drug from the opium poppy plant that can produce deadly effects to those who abuse it. Morphine is manufactured in […]

Diet Pills Addiction

Losing weight involves a lot of strenuous hours of dedication, exercise, lifestyle changes and hard work. Not everyone is willing to go through these lengths to lose weight so they are looking for a quick fix. According to the University of Minnesota, 20% of girls from ages 19-20 have abused diet pills. It is important […]

Drug Addiction in Ireland

Drug addiction became popular in the 1970s with many Irish using heroin. According to the Medico-Social Research Board, 14% from ages 14-24 in the north side of Dublin were using heroin all year in 1983. Many in Ireland use opiates, sedatives, stimulants, solvents, hallucinations, and drugs from headshops. Ireland needs to increase efforts to prevent […]

Klonopin Addiction

There are plenty of drugs prescribed by doctors that can be addicting and habit-forming. One of them is a benzodiazepine called Klonopin which can cause someone to be addicted within a few weeks. According to Addiction Center, 75,000 people went to the emergency room due to complications from Klonopin in 2011. Stevie Nicks was addicted […]

Foods to Improve Your Mood

Eating foods like candy, fried foods, ice cream, and baked goods might be foods that make us feel good when we eat them because of how they taste, they can actually make you bloated and tired. The foods we eat can affect our moods and it is important that we keep certain nutrients in our […]

Blogging in Recovery

Blogging is a great way to express yourself and build up an audience. Think of blogging as journal writing for the whole world to see. There are many different types of blogs like personal ones where you write about your day to day experiences, genre blogs where you write about a single topic, and photo […]

How Alcohol Affects Nutrition

It is important for people to have a certain amount of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and water in order to be energized and have the right chemicals to keep the body going. All key components play a role in keeping the body health. Alcohol can ruin the progress the body is making to be […]