Alcohol and cocaine binges on increase

ADDICTION experts in the South East are grappling to deal with growing number of people who are consuming huge volumes of alcohol followed by cocaine.

Cocaine abuse is increasing across the region, mostly because it’s getting cheaper, drugs co-ordinator for the region Tony Bardon said. “People are using cocaine with huge volumes of alcohol. It’s a new drug in the way it’s being abused.

“We don’t really know how to tackle it and we don’t yet know what the impact will be. We can give methadone to those addicted to heroin. But we don’t yet know how we can treat those taking a cocktail of cocaine and alcohol.”

The unit is compiling statistics of drug and alcohol misuse in the region in 2004. But preliminary figures already show that the numbers abusing cocaine is on the increase.

“Those taking cocaine are typically in the younger age group - those in their late teens or early twenties. There’s more money around, people are experimenting and the price of cocaine is tumbling.

“We know what the impact of alcohol abuse is and we know how to deal with cocaine misuse. But when you combine the two, it’s a new drug to us,” Mr Bardon added.

Past evidence from substance abusers shows that while people might begin to dabble in other drugs before trying cocaine, young people in particular are now going straight onto it.

Latest available figures from 2003 and from the Drugs Misuse Report show that the number of people in the 10 to 19 age group attending addiction centres and programmes in the region was up by 3%.

Some children as young as 13 are regularly abusing cannabis

Of those addicted to cannabis, two were 13 year-olds; 14 were just 14; 33 were 15 and 47 seven were just 16. Just under 50 17-year-olds were addicted to cannabis, 37 were 18 and 30 were 19.

Of the heroin addicts who sought help, three were aged 16; four were just 17, four were 18 and ten were aged 19.

The unit is compiling a detailed plan for Government funding.

Among the key recommendations will be more money for intensive counselling for addicts, as well as more finance for residential treatment in the Aiseiri centres in Cahir and Wexford.