THEATREclub and Depaul Ireland present, as part of ADDICTION
Well-known singer Frances Black has spoken openly about her own recovery from addiction and the overwhelming response she received from the public: “I was inundated with calls from families, all desperate for help on how to deal with an addict. People would come up to me at signings and tell me their stories. I was very moved by it.”
After finding recovery Frances went back to college, despite having left school at 15, and graduated as an addiction counsellor. She then did her training in the Rutland Centre with the renowned addiction specialist, Stephen Rowen (who now co-facilitates the The RISE Foundation’s Family Programmes with Frances). Through this experience Frances realised that there was very little help available for families who were often devastated with loved ones in addiction. It was here that she witnessed the impact that addiction has on families: “Every day, they watch someone they love slowly killing themselves. No matter how many times you may have asked them to stop, they just can’t hear you. Families are grieving for the person they are losing to addiction.”
Frances’s journey from the depths of despair in addiction to meeting families lost through having a loved one in addiction inspired her to set-up The RISE Foundation in 2008.
“The reality of addiction is that it doesn’t just destroy the person, it destroys relationships, self-worth, and the family unit. My philosophy is that you need to educate everyone around the person in addiction, because it’s hard to reach the person themselves, they are in oblivion.”
ADDICTION Pass – Just €40 for all 6 ticketed events! Contact our box office on 01-8819613 for more information.