Irvine Welsh praises addiction care

TRAINSPOTTING author Irvine Welsh returned to Edinburgh yesterday to praise a drug treatment programme.

The Lothian and Edinburgh Abstinence Programme (LEAP) is a recovery project which helps people affected by substance misuse.

Rachel Thomson, 31, is the 150th patient to complete the programme and received her certificate from the author.

She said: "I always knew that I drank differently from others but LEAP taught me about the disease of addiction."

Mr Welsh, a former heroin addict, said: "If this had been around 25 years ago it might have saved the lives of some people who are now dead."