Long-term impact of Covid-19 on drug and alcohol addiction unclear, report warns

The 2020 MQI annual report said that for some, the pathway out of addiction was put on hold due to the pandemic.

Merchants Quay Ireland has warned it could take years before the impact of the pandemic on drug and alcohol use is fully known, with some people coming forward for help while others fell into addiction.

The 2020 MQI annual report said that for some, the pathway out of addiction was put on hold due to the pandemic, even as the organisation’s needle exchange service saw a 10% rise and a steady increase in the number of clients availing of opioid substitution therapy.

According to the report, launched on Thursday: “The long-term impacts of Covid-19 on alcohol and drug use are still unclear but may be significant: the psychosocial impacts of major crises can be broad and long-term. Impacting communities and individuals economically, socially, physically, and psychologically.” 

The report also highlighted how existing mental health problems were exacerbated for some by isolation and fear, even as MQI services stayed operational during the pandemic and helped almost 10,000 people.

According to the annual report, MQI supported more than 9,882 unique individuals in 2020, which the organisation’s chairman, Ray Langton, said in the context of the Covid-19 restrictions “remains very high and is only marginally down on the 11,641 reached in 2019”.

Last year saw 2,957 interventions with the MQI Assertive Outreach Team and the facilitating of 4,279 visits to a GP.

The report also shows that 1,779 of all clients supported in 2020 were females, with 262 young people aged 18 to 24 assisted, and an average of 1,187 monthly interventions with people in prison.

Meals provided to homeless

A total of 49,884 meals were provided for people who are homeless and hungry, with the overlap between drug use and homelessness illustrated by the figure of 5,313 clients who were registered on the Pathway Accommodation and Support System. 

The figures also show that 1,970 unique clients were foreign nationals in 2020. The pandemic also led to the closure of the MQI night cafe, but 546 unique clients had still accessed it, resulting in the provision of 2,868 nights of emergency accommodation, before it closed in March 2020.

When it came to rough sleepers, 489 people were supported in 6,529 interventions.

There were 38,925 interventions which included needle exchange, harm reduction and injecting advice last year, and 222 people were supported by the MQI mental health team, while 137 people were admitted to detox and rehab. 

Midlands services

The report also shows that 1,298 people were supported in the organisation’s Midlands services. In addition, there were 891 referrals to MQI recovery services, with 517 assessments carried out.

In the report, MQI chief executive Paula Byrne said: “Mental health has been prominent in the news this year – for our service users, who already experience social exclusion, the level of isolation required to manage Covid-19 has served to increase this isolation and exacerbated their mental health difficulties.

“The reality for our clients is that Covid-19 was just one more trauma on top of a lifetime of trauma,” she said, adding the Government needed to deliver on commitments "to prioritise the issues of drugs, mental health and homelessness".

MQI also expanded its community service reach, while Mr Langton also praised the effort of staff and those in other organisations and agencies on limiting the spread of Covid-19 among the homeless population.