Expert warns wealth and education no longer shield against addiction

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Wealth and education are no longer the barriers to drug addiction that they once were, as people from all socio-economic groupings are now seeking help, a leading addiction councillor has said.

Micheal Guerin of Cuan Mhuire treatment centres said the “huge volumes” of cocaine use has changed the demographics of those battling drug addiction here.

“Drug addiction always had a higher prevalence in areas with poor education and high unemployment," he said. 

“But the socio-economic lines are blurring. Heroin addicts of the past did not come from Douglas or Rochestown or Mount Oval [affluent suburbs in Cork], they came from the northside of the city and that applied in all cities throughout Ireland.  

Certainly the issues with powdered cocaine in Ireland have levelled that playing field, to a large extent. Socio-economic factors are not as big a deal as they used to be.”

Enquiries for treatment for gambling addiction have also increased, rising by some 30-50% since the pandemic, Mr Guerin said. 

“People who have been contacting us for help are making the link themselves with their addiction and the pandemic,” he said.

Someone who may have gambled occasionally but did not have a problem with gambling prior to the pandemic found that gambling became a problem over lockdown."

That pattern has been replicated with increasing numbers of people from all socio-economic groupings seeking treatment for alcohol dependence since the onset of Covid-19.

Isolation, boredom, fear, loneliness, and anxiety caused by Covid-19 are just some of the core triggers that have led to this surge in addiction, he said.

And even after the worst excesses of the pandemic have passed, Mr Guerin believes the hangover of successive lockdowns will remain with people seeking help for addiction problems for the next three to five years that grew roots in times of lockdown.

Younger clients are also presenting with dual addiction for drug abuse and gambling, and this cohort in particular report beginning to gamble online as young as 12.

“Gambling is marketed extremely aggressively — it’s no wonder people fall victim to it," said Mr Guerin. 

“The industry is in dire need of regulation."

Labour leader Alan Kelly recently told the Dáil that €1.36bn had been lost by gamblers to gambling companies last year. He called for urgent action to address problem gambling and gambling advertising.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that a gambling regulator should be operational in early 2023.

“I cannot put into words the psychological devastation that goes with problem gambling,” said Mr Guerin. 

Problem gambling is more damaging to someone’s mental health than drug or alcohol abuse. Suicide rates in those with problem, active gambling are some four times higher than in those with substance misuse.

“You can go on for so long with a gambling addiction, and no one suspects a thing. If you have an alcohol or drug problem, those nearest and dearest to you will know quite quickly.

“But you can sit on the couch at home with your family all around you and be gambling on your phone and no one might suspect a thing."