Covid payments allowed users to increase their drug use
A study showed Covid restrictions had fuelled outdoor drinking and illegal drug use.
People reached for alcohol and illegal drugs to "cope" with isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic and the emergency unemployment payment contributed to increased consumption among some users, according to new research.
The study, conducted in a large Dublin suburb, documents a huge increase in drug-related litter in the area in recent years, with Covid restrictions fuelling outdoor drinking and illegal drug use.
The research, 'Drug and Alcohol Trends Monitoring System 2021', is conducted annually by the Blanchardstown Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force.
Because of Covid-19 restrictions, the report said there were fluctuations in demand for services, with a decrease in demand due to staff being redeployed but an increase in demand due to greater levels of drug consumption as a “coping strategy” during 2020 and 2021.
“The social isolation experienced due to Covid-19 health and safety policies produced a psychological burden that increased drug consumption and challenged sobriety,” the report said.
One task force coordinator told researchers: “More than ever in the last few years, I’ve…seen people return to the service because their situation has worsened or there has been a relapse…
One user said: “Although I still drank every day, I would drink in the night time, but with Covid I started to drink in the daytime because there was nowhere to go, nothing to do… So, I started drinking earlier, which meant that I drank more.”
The research said the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) also “contributed” to an increase in drug use.
One youth service manager said: “There were some young people that were put onto the Covid payment and they were getting more money than they ever got before because they never worked enough hours.
"They had more money than they knew what to do with so they spent it on cannabis and alcohol. So the use of cannabis did increase as a consequence."
One user said: “I was using coke every few months at a party… but when corona happened, that’s when I started doing coke pretty much every weekend because I was getting the Covid payment… It’s a big cycle you can’t get out of and not working didn’t help.”
The report added: “The people reported how the environmental factor, Covid-19 health and safety policies, facilitated an increase in drug use and dependence.
"The loss of employment and the increase in economic resources due to the PUP social welfare payment were reported to contribute to drug and alcohol dependence.”
The research, conducted by Janet Robinson and Jim Doherty, found a 123% increase in the amount of drug-related litter found in the Dublin 15 area, linked to Covid-19 closure of pubs and more outdoor drinking.
Local services also said there was an increase in parents of users seeking support for drug use, domestic violence, and poverty.
Services also said Covid-19 restrictions had a negative impact on mental health.
Case studies in the report, circulated by the Health Research Board, show how trauma, including from childhood, can play a major role in addiction.
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