The Canal Communities Regional Addiction Service (CCRAS) is a regional service which complements and supports the work of organisations tackling the causes and consequences of substance misuse in the Canal Communities area of Dublin: Bluebell, Inchicore and Rialto. CCRAS provides support to individuals, families, communities, drug and alcohol services and the Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force in the areas of poly-drug and alcohol use, harm reduction & health promotion, education & prevention, drug-free supports, community development, and safety.

The Overall Aims of CCRAS for the Canal Communities Area are that:

• Fewer people begin using drugs/alcohol in a way that leads to harm for themselves or others
• More people who have been using drugs/alcohol in a harmful way stop doing so, either by ceasing to use drugs/alcohol or by decreasing their use
• People who continue to use drugs and alcohol cause less harm to themselves, their families and others through that use
• The use of drugs and alcohol causes less harm to communities in general
• People who used to use drugs/alcohol but no longer do so maintain their ‘drug-free’, abstinent lifestyles into the future
• Current and former misusers of substances, and community members in general, have a very influential role in the planning, operation and evaluation of services related to harmful drug/alcohol use.