# Addiction
This year
2023
Voices
Opinion: The Greek model of responding to drug use is worth keeping an eye on
Tony Duffin of Ana Liffey project and his long-time friends, Dr Brian Melaugh and Dr Austin O’Carroll visited Athens to see how drug use is handled there.
# Andrew Gearns
Prison staff knew Cork man was suffering 'delusions' prior to fatal suicide attempt
Report finds staff did carry out a significant number of checks on cell – more than what is required by Irish Prison Service procedures.
Last year
2022
# Mental Health
Online gambling causing surge of suicidal young men in A&E, NHS clinic says
Earlier this year the NHS stopped taking cash from the gambling industry for the treatment of people suffering addiction
# Homelessness
'Grimmest situation I've ever seen': Dublin Simon dealing with unprecedented levels of homelessness
‘The present thing for homeless people is they are without hope. It’s despair. It’s exhaustion,’ he said.
Voices
Opinion: E-cigarettes are not part of the solution to a tobacco free Ireland
Professor Des Cox says it’s tempting to see e-cigarettes as a solution to smoking but he says that’s just not the case.
# Addiction
Former England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland reveals he suffered with painkillers addiction
Kirkland explained it has been a decade-long battle.
# vaping
Oireachtas Health Committee seek age restrictions on e-cigarettes and ban on flavourings
The committee asked the Minister for Health to look at other countries where ages for vaping and smoking are 21.
# Cannabis
Criminalising drug use is 'disastrous' waste of time and money, expert to tell Justice Committee
Dr Garrett McGovern believes Ireland should take a health-led approach to drugs and decriminalise personal use.
# problems
‘I was literally trying to get through the next hour without having a drink’
Ex-Ireland international Keith Treacy on how various addictions severely impacted his football career and caused him to seek help.
# Addiction
Psychological Society criticises delay in 'vital' citizens' assembly on drugs amid death warning
Senators are due to debate the issue today amid much criticism over this week’s developments.
# Addiction
Nurse to be appointed to National Oversight Committee on Drugs after row over membership
A nursing group specialising in addiction was removed from the committee in December.
# Addiction
Nursing group invited to meet with Minister following its removal from national drug committee
Drugs minister Frank Feighan has invited the IntNSA to meet with him
# Dublin
Call for more funding to tackle 'tsunami' of crack cocaine addictions in Tallaght
Two Tallaght support groups warned that they may have to shut their crack cocaine services down from New Year’s Eve.
All time
# saol
'They showed me I mattered': Women explain how inner city project helped transform their lives
The Saol service works to help women in Dublin recovering from addiction.
Voices
Cannabis should be regulated, taxed and taken out of the hands of dangerous drug cartels
Dr Garrett McGovern says that regulating the drug would allow it to be researched with more accuracy and protect young people from its harms.
# Addiction
'No plans' to reinstate HSE rehab unit closed during pandemic
The Keltoi Rehab Unit was converted to an isolation facility, with previous Health Minister Simon Harris promising its reopening.
The Keltoi Rehab Unit continues to be used as a Covid isolation facility, reports Maria Delaney of Noteworthy, our investigative platform.
Keltoi closed 18 months ago, with previous Health Minister Simon Harris promising its reopening
Addiction service advocates are frustrated with the HSE response and are calling for a clear reopening date
# rehab wait
Over 3,500 on wait list for a detox bed, with over 140 residential beds still closed
Over 60% are on the waiting list for at least nine months.
Voices
Opinion: We don’t allow ads for smoking so why should gambling be any different?
As Labour brings legislation this week to tackle the issue, party senator Mark Wall says it’s time to fight back against gambling ads.
# Addiction
Ex-Liverpool and Spurs striker reveals drink problem meant he could not make training on a Monday
Paul Walsh says he was ‘drunk-driving’ everywhere.
# Merchants Quay
'Twice I woke up and a person was dead beside me'
Over 11,600 people who are homeless or in addiction were helped by Merchants Quay Ireland in 2019.
# Addiction
Oregon becomes first US state to decriminalise hard drugs
The state also legalised access to magic mushrooms for therapeutic use.
# debunked
Debunked: The conspiracy theories around the so-called Hollywood drug adrenochrome
Theories claim adrenochrome is harvested from children in a trafficking ring.
Voices
My food addiction: How group therapy helped me overcome years of bingeing and purging
The following account is written by a member of Addictive Eaters Anonymous, who shares her experience of sobriety from addictive eating.
# Addiction
Dublin's approach to supporting drug users during pandemic saved lives, report finds
Sixty-three homeless people were diagnosed with Covid-19 and there was one death, a fraction of what had been predicted.
Voices
Wellness Wednesday: You can beat your addiction, even in lockdown
Mental Health Occupational Therapist Michelle Murray says living with the shame of addiction is always tough, but lockdown pushes even harder. She says there is hope.
# Addiction
Report highlights increase in deaths involving street tablets in Ireland
The purchasing of drugs online brings significant regulatory challenges.
# Drugs
'Addiction doesn't stop during a pandemic, it gets worse': Methadone waiting lists virtually eliminated amid overdose fears
Drug users are at an increased risk of contracting Covid-19 – many suffer from underlying health conditions and don’t have a safe place to self-isolate if needed.
# james leonard
Cork man who overcame years of heroin addiction graduating with criminology Masters
James Leonard shared his story of addiction on The Tommy Tiernan Show last month.
# Addiction
'I was a chronic, homeless, alcoholic - I'd be turning up at the races drunk'
Former jockey John Gillen on his life before and after his descent into alcoholism.
# chemsex
'If someone goes under, call 999': Addiction expert warns about GHB after more overdoses
The drug has been making headlines after more overdoses last weekend and a high-profile rape case.
# chemsex
FactFind: '1ml is euphoric, 2ml and you go under': Number of G overdoses increases by 75%
People can buy a hit of the highly addictive drug for as little as €1.
# Podcast
The Explainer: Why is chemsex in the news in Ireland and the UK?
We look at what chemsex is, and the role the drugs GHB and crystal meth play in it.
Voices
Lynn Ruane: Sport is part of the solution to address young men's mental health
Services such as the Breakthrough Programme in West Dublin can be a lifesaver for young men.
Voices
Lynn Ruane: 'You can't treat addiction like a business - and people with addiction like objects'
Applying neoliberal tools to community work is ultimately about cost-cutting and power, writes Senator Lynn Ruane.
# Addiction
Former drugs minister says injecting centre plan has 'been allowed to die' by government
Dublin City Council has refused planning permission for an injecting facility.
# Drug Treatment
West of Ireland is seeing higher demand for addiction treatment, says Coolmine centre
The Dublin-based addiction centre treated 1,350 people in 2018 and is now planning an expansion to Limerick.
# Drugs
Senior gardaí say use of term 'recreational drugs' helps normalise drug abuse
The President of the Association of Garda Superintendents said there are constant challenges for gardaí in dealing with drugs and organised crime.
# precarious work
Drug dealing seen as 'more attractive' way to earn money for some young Irish people
New research found the local drug economy – unlike precarious work – recruits young people by incentivising and enticing them.
# Addiction
Cannabis and cocaine are most common drugs used by people seeking treatment for alcohol abuse
There has been a decrease in the number of alcohol dependency cases being treated in recent years, but an increase in their severity.
# Addiction
'Action is needed now': New charity set up to fund gambling addiction services
The trust receives funding from the gambling industry and will be run by a board which includes two former junior ministers.
