Our clients

The people we support here in Upstreet are no different to you or to any of us; they just chose a different path. We don’t believe that anyone with a substance misuse problem, whether it be alcohol, heroin or crack cocaine, woke up one morning and thought to themselves “You know what? I think I’ll get myself addicted to something today…” We believe that individuals slide into an addiction – that it isn’t something you choose – it’s something that happens to you almost without you realising it, and for some people, the path out of it again is just too slick and slippery for them to climb.

All the people we support at Roberta and Elizabeth House and in Artichoak Cottage have been admitted to us with a primary diagnosis of Korsakoff’s syndrome, alcohol-related dementia, alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD), or a similar condition. Most of them have acquired this through years of heavy or constant drinking and poor nutrition. Most of our clients are in their 40s and 50s with some in their 60s; we suppport slightly more men than women. Many of the people we support were professionals with successful careers before their addiction got the better of them. They are mostly physically quite fit, although many were not very mobile when first admitted to our facility. Our clients’ main challenge is their poor short term memory/recall, coupled with a lack of insight that is typical of Korsakoff’s Syndrome.The team provide support in all aspects of each person’s life, with the exception of personal care (bathing/showering/washing/changing and going to the toilet).

Some of the people we support are lucky enough to still have very supportive families; some have become distanced from theirs as a result of years of substance dependency and all the problems that can create within a family. We often find that, once our clients have been sober for a while, that bridges can slowly be rebuilt.

If you’d like any more information on any of the above, or you’d like a frank and confidential discussion about how we might be able to help you or your relative, please call Rod or Bobbie Tarry during normal office hours on 01227 860516* or go to our Contact page.

We look forward to hearing from you.

*Please note, all calls are recorded for training and quality assurance purposes.