Cafe Therapy, the first cafe in Romania that will help alcoholics and drug addicts to treat their addictions, will open in Bucharest in early-March. A total of EUR 200,000 will be invested in the new cafe, the money coming from European funds, reports local Wall-street.ro.

The Cafe Therapy will be launched by the ALIAT Association through a bigger project to prevent and treat alcoholism. The "Ses Therapy" project has a budget of EUR 3.5 million, financed by the European Social Fund, through the2007-2013 Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development.

The Association is currently searching for space for the new cafe, reports Wall-street.ro. The clients will have to pay for the therapy services (thematic workshops) and products they consume.

A total of 11 people will work in the Cafe Therapy, 8 of them from several vulnerable categories, such as Roma people, persons with disabilities, victims of domestic violence.  There will also be a social worker and a psychologist, who will work part-time.

Alcohol consumption and smoking will be forbidden in the cafe.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com