The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
‘IT’S BEEN INSPIRING’ - TALBOT GROVE’S CON REFLECTS ON 22 YRS OF SERVICE
CON CREMIN IS STEPPING DOWN AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT TALBOT GROVE AFTER 22 YEARS. CON TELLS STEPHEN FERNANE ABOUT HIS TIME IN THE ROLE AND CHANGES AND TRENDS HE HAS SEEN
CON Cremin is very much a man with a foot in two counties. Born and raised in Ballingeary on the Cork/Kerry border, he spent the past 22 years of his life as Executive Director at the Talbot Grove addiction treatment centre in Castleisland.
In February Con will say farewell to Talbot Grove when he takes up a new position with Fellowship House in Cork (a second-stage treatment facility for men). In many ways, Con is returning to his training,as he will be more involved in counselling again rather than the day-to-day administrative side of life at Talbot Grove. It’s a move he is looking forward to, but also one that comes with a heavy heart having devoted his time to Talbot Grove since 1996.
Con’s career started as a youth worker in Cork city in the 1980s. Initially, he studied theology and philosophy, which led him to addiction counselling, training for seven years at Tabor Lodge.
He subsequently completed a Chemical Dependency Training Programme at the Hazelden Foundation in America and attained a Higher Diploma in Counselling at University College Cork.
Con leaves behind a positive legacy at Talbot Grove. It’s an invaluable local resource which has helped thousands of people and their families to cope with the imposition of addiction in life.
Talbot Grove is a primary addiction centre, whereas Con’s new role will be at a secondary care facility. This means that a certain level of interaction between Talbot Grove and Fellowship House will continue.
“I was always interested in working with people. I started working voluntarily with young people in Cork city, and this is what really got me into counselling. It was an accidental route in lots of ways,” he says.
“It brought me into contact with young people with alcoholand drug-related problems. The more I got involved, the more I realised I needed to train. Tabor Lodge opened in 1989, and I worked there shortly after this. It wasn’t a planned career and there was no specific reason why I got involved. But I suppose the more interested I got, the more I wanted to be involved.”
Con says that society and communities have changed fundamentally since 1996. Alcohol was – and still is – the dominant source of addiction at Talbot Grove. This has been added to over time by increases in drug addiction, eating disorders and gambling. One positive aspect, however, is that people today are more inclined to seek intervention earlier. This is partly due to the erosion of the stigma surrounding mental health and addiction.
“That’s one of the big things. I think more people are now prepared to talk about what’s affecting them. This is down to there being a wider conversation in society, and awareness. People now seek help at an earlier stage and that’s a good thing. They don’t need to be at the end of their tether by the time they seek help. People can save themselves years of misery this way. The further you get into addiction, the more difficult it is to get out of it. It is better that people engage and get help as early as they can. People should never put off seeking help as all you’re doing is delaying the inevitable.”
Con’s experience at Talbot Grove has shown him that addiction comprises of a number of different factors ranging from someone’s personality, to various life events. In 2017 and 2018, Talbot Grove noticed an increase in cocaine use. Con believes the gambling industry has also had an ‘open sheet’ in terms of its advertising. The fallout from the latter is yet to come to the surface in a way commensurate with reality. Con stresses how in the past the tobacco companies monopolised sports advertising; in later years, this was overtaken by the drinks industry, and subsequently by gambling.
“Usually there is a multiplicity of factors including mental and environmental factors. There was far less cocaine in Kerry compared to 20 years ago,” Con says. “This is just an example of how the changing nature of society can influence addiction. Modernity certainly increases the opportunities, and addiction is an effort by people to meet some unmet need in their life. Addiction is only a temporary solution and there are more opportunities for treating addiction nowadays. The increase in cocaine is both a reflection of personality and more money being available. Cocaine is a drug that’s very influenced by economics.”
In many cases, the triggers that spur addiction lie unseen in society until the damage is done. But just how big an issue is addiction at present?
“I think it’s just a reality of life. It isn’t getting better, but on the other side there are more people getting treatment and in recovery. We’ve seen that, in terms of the self-help groups and AA. Their numbers are much more prevalent now. This lends itself to the view that society has more acceptance of addiction. People will access treatment more readily now and that has to be a plus.”
Con says that meeting people was one of the most rewarding aspects of his time at Talbot Grove. To see an individual dramatically change their life makes all the work worth it. In short, it’s a huge spike in encouragement for all the staff at Talbot Grove. Sadly, though, there are cases when people relapse and do not make a good recovery.
“Every week we witness people changing their lives. Even after the very first week in treatment, the change in a person’s life is uplifting. At Talbot Grove we spend a lot of time working with families.
“The family is important, and we must remember that for every one person affected by addiction there are half a dozen more affected as a result. The family is important and the more help we can get from a person’s family – help that can be used to good effect – the better. But a positive family life, on its own, is no barrier to addiction. Addiction doesn’t respect any socio-economic boundaries or sense of values; it cuts across all those things. At Talbot Grove we meet very large and diverse groups of people.”
Since making his decision to leave Talbot Grove, Con has reflected a great deal on the many changes and the importance of the facility as it enters a new phase.
“It’s a huge asset to Kerry and surrounding areas. It’s a very unique and particular service in the sense that it has evolved and grown in its own way. It was very much a fledging service when I got here and it has stabilised and evolved ever since. Thousands of individuals have benefited from it, including all those directly associated with the addicted person.”
In terms of its future, Con would like to see Talbot Grove retain its personal aspect while also availing of more modern facilities. The programmes and services have evolved in Con’s time, but the building itself has not changed significantly since it first opened as a treatment centre. It has a residential capacity for 12 people, something Con feels has helped retain what it does best.
“It’s one of the most reputable centres in the region. I’m very proud of this and I would like to see it retained, sustained and developed. I would be very confident that whoever replaces me would do that,” he says.
“We have a development plan in place for new facilities. This needs to happen in order to equip the service. Plans are also in place for funding, and the Ring of Kerry Cycle has been good to us. The reality is that we’ve outlived and outstretched the current facility. By the same token I would be of the opinion, ‘don’t fix what’s not broken’.”
Lastly, it’s clear throughout our conversation the personal connection Con has to Talbot Grove. He has poured a vast amount of time, emotion and energy into making it what it is today. He will miss the facility and its staff members – who, he says, have engaged in their work in a professional manner at every turn.
“I’ve put everything I had into it for the last 22 years,” Con said. “I came down to Castleisland with a certain level of experience, but I never envisaged the scale of the role and the responsibility. It’s only when I look back now that I ask ‘how did I manage to do that?’ I was a hell of a lot younger than I am now! It’s a recent decision to take up this new opportunity.
“But I think change is important for us all at times. Some of my best skills are in the clinical side of the work, so I’m glad to be returning to that. I’m very proud of the staff, and we’re very lucky with the staff we have. There is an emotional involvement in a job like this, for sure, as you have to be present with the human being as a human being. I’ve met some fantastic people during my 22 years, and I’ve been inspired by people from all walks of life.”
ADDICTION ISN’T GETTING BETTER, BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE GETTING TREATMENT AND IN RECOVERY