Number of addicts seeking help rises in every county
Every county in the country has recorded substantial increases in heroin treatment, ranging from a minimum of 20% to as high as 3,000%.
The publication of the figures in the Irish Examiner today is the first time such a detailed geographical breakdown has been made available.
Until now, national heroin treatment data has been broken down only to a regional level, depriving the public of an insight into trends in their own county.
Combining the two Cork City areas, a total of 254 people received methadone treatment in 2010 compared to 34 people in 2004.
After Cork, the areas recording the highest treatment numbers (outside Dublin) are:
* Waterford (194 in 2010, 12 in 2004).
* Kildare/west Wicklow (176, 79).
* Carlow/Kilkenny (176, 60).
* Galway (162, 21).
* Wexford (138, 31).
The Health Research Board, which collects the data, said the increases reflect greater use of heroin and increased provision of treatment services.
David Lane, coordinator of HSE drug and alcohol services for Cork and Kerry, said that when he took over in 2008 there was only one part-time doctor and a few counsellors to deal with the rising heroin problem.
“We didn’t have the resources to deal with the problem.
“We had large numbers of people calling the phone [looking for help], but we didn’t have the resources.”
He said in a short space of time, they had doubled the number of drug clinics in both Cork and Kerry.
“There has been an increase in the number of heroin users, there’s no question about that. What we did in the last four years was put in the resources required.”
He said they have four full-time doctors, three nurses and teams of addiction counsellors.
There are now no waiting lists in Cork or Kerry for treatment, Mr Lane added.
Sinn Féin TD Jonathan O’Brien, a member of the Cork local drug task force, said he and others had been highlighting the rise in heroin use for the last four years.
“We’ve raised it since the early stage of its growth, through the joint policing committee, and in fairness to gardaí they set up drug units to deal with heroin and have had some sizeable seizures.
He referred to reports in some localities last year that free heroin was being given out, to people as young as 14 and 15, to get them hooked on the drug.
Drugs strategy minister Roisín Shortall said she wanted to move heroin addicts in treatment into recovery.
She expressed concern that addicts in treatment were getting “stuck” and were not being reintegrated back into society free of drugs.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
