The number of people being treated for alcohol and cannabis abuse has surged in the south-east, figures show.
Abuse of benzodiaze-pines — legal tranquillisers — has risen, while heroin treatment numbers have dropped after several years of growth.
HSE figures for the south-east region — covering Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, and South Tipperary — show there was an increase of 6% in treatment cases, although it said there might be some overcounting.
There were 225 juveniles under the age of 18 and 680 young people aged 18 to 24 treated for alcohol or drug misuse, representing 30% of all those treated.
Nine out of ten of those treated lived in “stable accommodation”, but six in ten were unemployed.
The data is contained in the ‘Data Co-ordination Overview of Drug Misuse 2011’, covering the south-east HSE region.
Key figures in the 153-page report show:
* There were 3,736 treatment cases in 2011, representing 3,022 people, a 6% rise on 2010;
* 1,039 cases were treated in Waterford, 966 in Wexford, 871 in South Tipperary, 440 in Kilkenny, and 420 in Carlow;
* Of the 3,022 people, men accounted for 69% of clients and women 31%;
* 93% of people lived in stable accommodation, while 3% were homeless or living in an institution;
* 59% were unemployed, 16% were in paid employment, 8% were students, 8% were unable to work or retired, 5% were in training, and 5% were housewives/husbands.
The report said alcohol continued to be the dominant problem drug and the situation had worsened.
“Alcohol remained the main problematic substance treated in the south-east in 2011,” the report states. “Alcohol as the main problem substance has increased by 15% between 2010 to 2011, an increase of 240 individuals.”
The report, compiled by Martina Kidd, said heroin had become the second most treated drug between 2008 and 2010.
However, cannabis took over second position in 2011 as treatment for it went up and treatment for heroin fell, putting it in third place.
Waterford was the only county reporting a rise in heroin treatment, with 146 people, up from 139 in 2010.
Source: Cormac O’Keeffe, Irish Examiner, 08/01/13
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