16 February 2026
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Elaine McGeeBBC News NI
Tommy Canning was 22 years of ages when he initially arrived at an addiction support centre battling alcohol and substance abuse issues - thirty years later he's still there.
Now head of treatment at the centre he when participated in as a client, Canning helps people who remain in similar scenarios to his.
"It is an unbelievable chain of occasions that the boy who needed the service is now looking after Northlands Centre and bring the duty for it," he stated.
Canning stated his first-hand knowledge and individual point of view suggests he understands what people are facing when they show up on the exact same doorstep he did all those years back.
"I see it as my job to ensure whoever comes through the doors gets the same level of care, treatment and hope of healing that I did," he told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.
Canning's connection to the centre which once assisted him isn't distinct among some of its staff.
Dean O'Hara, who has been in recovery from alcohol addiction for 19 years, has a similar story to inform having actually also received treatment at the place he now calls work.
"Returning to Northlands was constantly in the back of my mind.
"With my own story and experience, I felt that it was the right fit for me after my counsellor training," the 55-year-old stated.
"I have actually had my own journey and that lived experience helps."
Addiction assistance at Northlands
Established as a grassroots organisation in 1975, Northland's Addiction Centre in Londonderry has actually become among the leading treatment centres in Northern Ireland.
Catering to those who deal with compound abuse, alcohol dependence, and gambling dependency, it provides property treatment, non-residential programs, household assistance and an after-care programme.
Around 800 individuals got non-residential care at Northlands in 2025.
That first call for aid is often referred to as among the most difficult things an individual fighting with dependency can do, and if they make the call to Northlands, opportunities are they will discover themselves on the phone with Bernie Williamson.
The info supervisor is in charge of dealing with the "ruthless" demand for visits and is frequently the first individual to provide somebody in requirement a reassurance that healing is possible.
"The phones in the workplace never stop," she stated.
"It's very hectic. The calls and recommendations are coming from best throughout Northern Ireland.
"It can be really difficult, but we do try to give individuals reassurance and hope."
Among those people who as soon as reached out for help is Thomas Campbell.
He concerned Northlands in 2020 after losing "definitely everything" to alcoholism.
Almost six years later he said the centre provided him his life back: "A life beyond my wildest dreams."
"I was homeless and had ended up on my own, my friends and family had stopped talking with me.
"At my most affordable, I was drinking 2 bottles of vodka a day."
Campbell stated he sees dependency as a "terminal disease" and something that he will battle "till the day I pass away".
"Addiction is killing individuals daily - services require to be supported better," he stated.
'Ripple effect'
Funding services like Northlands is an ongoing battle for those who run it, who stated what they get is not "even close" to what is required.
"We have to look at the bigger photo here," Tommy Canning stated.
"People in healing are no longer as much of a problem on the health service, the justice system or social services.
"For every single pound that's invested in high quality addiction services, there is a huge favorable ripple effect."
Canning hopes that Northlands will continue to help those in crisis over the next fifty years.
"I hope that we will be here to assist the individuals that need us - an addiction centre of quality serving individuals throughout Northern Ireland is the supreme objective.
"I enjoy Northlands - for all that it does and for all that it has provided me."
Northlands at 50
Since 2014, Northern Ireland has seen signed up deaths due to alcohol-specific causes rise by 81.3% from 219 to 397 in 2024, according to the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).
Funding arrangements for a brand-new dependency centre in Derry were outlined in the New Decade, New Approach handle 2020.
Prepare for Northlands to move to a brand-new site in the city as an addiction 'centre of quality' have actually not yet progressed.
What does the Department of Health say?
The Department of Health (DoH) stated it presently invests more than ₤ 35m in compound usage services each year.
"Decision making on investment in health services must be informed by evidence and be responsive to determined commissioning priorities," a representative included.
"It is important to note that Annex A of New Decade, New Approach referenced prospective financing for the Derry/Londonderry addiction centre however did not commit to funding particularly for the centre.
"Officials continue to engage with the Northern Ireland Office in this regard.
"The overriding goal will be to supply the very best compound use services possible within the readily available resources."
If you have actually been impacted by any of the problems raised in this post, details about assistance and support is available through BBC Action Line.
Alcoholism
Charities
Northern Ireland
Londonderry-Derry