Evaluation of ARC Fitness: a substance use service in Northern Ireland

Substance misuse (e.g., alcohol, illicit drugs) can cause a wide range of harm to the individual and their family and is a major public health issue in Northern Ireland. A range of services are available for different levels of need; however, restrictive eligibility criteria and long waiting times hinder access, leaving many vulnerable individuals without timely, continuous support. Substance use and addiction are highly stigmatised, creating barriers to service engagement. Statutory and community support exists for families; however, financial constraints limit availability, and more family‑focused services are needed. ARC Fitness is a not-for-profit community organisation based in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, that provides psychosocial interventions in an empathetic non-stigmatising, community-based setting for adults and families of adults presenting with substance use/addiction difficulties. Individuals with substance use (community members) and family members of individuals with substance use (two independent groups) receive an 8-week Addiction Recovery and 6-week Family Support programmes, respectively, which include information and support materials, 1-to-1 therapy, 1-to-1 and group physical activity support, and recovery coaching. The ARC Fitness service is designed to reduce substance use/addiction and improve mental health and self-esteem, improve physical health, build communities, and develop and maintain positive relationships. This project aims to evaluate the ARC Fitness service using mixed methods and will prioritise the Addiction Recovery and Family Support programmes. The project will use existing data to explore who is engaging with the two programmes, engagement rates, impact on key outcomes (e.g., substance use, mental health, coping skills) and costs and resources required to deliver the two programmes, and Addiction Recovery programme pilot data for two pilot projects implemented in a different NI area. The project will also collect new data via interviews and focus groups to explore the programmes and how the programmes could be rolled out in other areas.