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ALMOST TWO PEOPLE in Ireland died each day in 2015 as a result of overdoses, trauma or medical causes linked to drug use.
According to the latest figures from the Health Research Board (HRB) a total of 695 people who used drugs died in 2015.
That’s slightly lower than the 719 reported in 2014 but a 61% increase compared to the 431 reported in 2004. There have been 7,422 deaths among people who use drugs since 2004.
Many of these deaths were premature – half of all the deaths in 2015 were aged 41 or younger and almost three-in-four (503) were men.
Alcohol was the number one drug implicated in deaths, either alone or with other drugs. It was implicated in 107 deaths in 2015, compared to 117 deaths in 2014.
Interim chief executive at the HRB Dr Mairead O’Driscoll said:
While the number of deaths from alcohol decreased slightly this year, alcohol remains the number one drug implicated in deaths, alone or with other drugs, over the reporting period.
Prescription drugs
A vast group of prescription drugs were implicated in 232 of the 348 overdoses in 2015 – which is two in every three.
Benzodiazepines were the most common prescription drug group implicated. Diazepam (a benzodiazepine) was the most common single prescription drug implicated in 101 (29%) of all poisonings.
The antiepileptic drug Pregabalin, which is also prescribed for chronic pain and some anxiety conditions, increased by 69%, from 26 deaths in 2014, to 44 in 2015.
Opiates were the main drug group implicated in overdoses with heroin being implicated in 82 deaths in 2015 compared to 94 in 2014.
Methadone was implicated in a quarter of overdoses (86, 25%), while cocaine-related deaths increased by 110% since 2010 to 2015 – from 21 to 44.
Drug cocktails
Drug cocktails, known as polydrug use, is a significant risk factor for fatal overdoses.
In 2015, 64% or 222 deaths were due to a cocktail of drugs, with an average of four different drugs taken.
O’Driscoll said, “The number of deaths involving prescription drugs or cocktails of different drugs remains high.
Mixing drugs increases the risk of death, which is clearly reflected in these figures. This year we continue to see an increase in the number of poisonings from cocaine.
Benzodiazepines and other drugs were involved in 91% of deaths where methadone was implicated, 71% of deaths where heroin was implicated and 56% of deaths where alcohol was implicated.
Almost all deaths (93%) where cocaine was implicated also involved other drugs.
The main cause of drug deaths after overdoses was hanging which accounted for 83 deaths. Three-in-five (59%) people who died as a result of hanging had a history of mental health problems.
Some 191 people also died due to medical causes such as cardiac events.
The median age for deaths due to medical causes has increased from 38 years in 2004, to 49 years in 2015, which may indicate an ageing cohort of drug users in Ireland.
Commenting on the data research officer at the Health Research Board said Ena Lynn said, “These statistics give us just some insight into the impact that drug use has on people and society.
We should not lose sight of the fact that each one of these stats is a life lost and a life cut short.
Looking at the age of individuals who died in 2015 and what their life expectancy would have been based on their year of birth, the report found that almost 20,000 potential life years were lost in 2015 alone.
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And a half a million people going to see the pope. HAHA
@Decko Kelly: Pope this and Pope that. People are quick to forget that if it wasn’t for the catholic church, we wouldn’t have one of the most educated work forces in the world.
@B-Tech Roadman: Ye good point. Once people are educated it’s ok to abuse children.
@Decko Kelly: But shur I know that. Lets not forget the good they did. Can’t be all bad
@B-Tech Roadman: say that to the victims and their families.
@B-Tech Roadman: how naive of you to think that a secular society would operate without schools. Governments fund schools religious or not. We unfortunately trusted them to care for our children for a few generations but that is changing.
@B-Tech Roadman: we have a well educated workforce. Don’t lose the run of yourself.
If we didn’t allow the church to run our schools then we would have had state run schools instead. The curriculum is set by the department of education so I think we would have been fine. Probably even better than our high standard now as students wouldn’t have wasted hundreds of hours learning prayers and backwards teachings.
When the “bad” that happened was as extreme as what that evil organisation did and then intentionally tried to cover up, then yes, we can forget about any good which they did.
The RCC is a scourge on the Irish people. The sooner the better they are completely separated from any state roles (eg education).
@Daveinson: We hadn’t a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out before the 1970′s.
@Decko Kelly: Never confuse the messenger with the message.
@Noel Tate: Tell us how you really feel, don’t sugar coat it! There’s waiting lists to get into many of the Catholic high schools in the Boston area. Individuals, myself included, if we had to do it over, wouldn’t even think of not attending a RCC high school! The education is years ahead of the public school zoos!
@Noel Tate: Tell us how you really feel, don’t sugar coat it! There’s waiting lists to get into many of the Catholic high schools in the Boston area. Individuals, myself included, if we had to do it over, wouldn’t even think of not attending a RCC high school! The education is years ahead.
@Noel Tate: the state and society (No matter how much they feign innocence) were happy for the church to take these roles, no one else would.
@Richard W. Kendall: it must be the colour of your religion.
@B-Tech Roadman: your clown mate !
@Noel Tate: you really don’t understand how poor we were. There would have been no schools or hospitals if the church didn’t provide them back in the day. Ireland wasn’t always like this.
@B-Tech Roadman: f##k off
@Richard W. Kendall: I never said the education wasn’t good. They are teaching a curriculum set by the department of education. They are not “years” ahead of non religious run schools.
The fact that people may be queueing for catholic run schools in Boston has zero to do with my point which was; when an organisation has committed as much sexual abuse, rape of children, murder of babies and toddlers, phycological abuse, child neglect and intentionally tried to cover it up, regardless of what good they have done they no longer have any place within our state education system.
@GClare: that
1: Doesn’t have any affect on my point and
2: Doesn’t change the fact that priests in Ireland raped hundreds (if not thousands) of children in Ireland and intentionally tried to cover it up. They still raped children, even IF people knew about it.
@Liam Doyle: I do, I know the role which the RCC played in running our education system and health care. However that doesn’t change the fact that they abused their power. They raped children, the murdered babies and toddlers and attempted to cover it all up.
My point that any good they done does not outweigh all the child rape and murder which they committed still stands.
@Liam Doyle: I’m very disheartened to see that both you and ‘B-Tech Roadman’ have been failed by the incredible Catholic Education you both clearly received, it’s almost as if both you somehow completely lost the capacity to think, and research for yourselves.
Contrary to your ignorant statement, quote; “There would have been no schools or hospitals if the church didn’t provide them back in the day.”
There was a school and hospital system in Ireland ‘back in the day’, from 1831 in fact, and it was far more tolerant and advanced than the Catholic School system we have today.
‘National schools, established by the British Government with the Stanley Letter in 1831, were originally multi-denominational. The schools were controlled by a State body, the National Board of Education, with a six-member board consisting of two Roman Catholics, two Church of Ireland, and two Presbyterians.’
@B-Tech Roadman: Look up Vere Foster.
The churches are masters at painting a face for themselves as veibg selfless and tireless toilers when in fact they hijacked resources in collusion with the state, and squeezed the poor with blackmail and threats. All with sanctimonious espousals. Sickening. However, the chickens are coming home to roost. The ground is shifting. One can smell panic from the liars, and this pope’s visit has backfired. In a big way.
@Gaius Gracchus: Good man Gaius!
@Gaius Gracchus: Well you can’t use semicolons or quote correctly so I’ll not lose sleep. I’m well able to think for myself and I’ve done so.
Regardless of how it started, the catholic church still had a fundamental part to play in our education. Whether your massive ego likes it or not.
@PV Nevin: You’re gone into tinfoil hat territory good sir
@B-Tech Roadman: bull sh it
@Gaius Gracchus: there were some slight political and economic changes circa 1922. Is your assumption that because the British could provide education & healthcare to a select, wealthy few in the 1830s then the impoverished Irish state could automatically provide same for all from independence onwards? Where did you fail to be educated exactly?
@B-Tech Roadman: man you are some
@B-Tech Roadman: Lunatic
Yes, but is the movie any good?
@Dave Slater: Perhaps. What this article doesn’t mention is the film grossed $1.4M worldwide in the opening weekend. The $618 was only in the US – limited to 11 cinemas / 14 showings. So a fair few people globally must have thought it looked worth going to see.
@Dave Slater: not great to be honest
@Dave Slater: It is not bad actually. I liked it.
@Shane Corry: The witch-hunts developing around Spacey et al is a very, very dangerous phenomenon.
“First they came for Weinstein. Now they will come for you”.
Why are comments allowed on this article but not on the #metoo article about he sex pest female actor? ???
Huh?
@andyearley: because it’s not about a legal case, the other one is.
@Dave O Keeffe: yeah but there are legal cases going on with spacey too. So comments about those cases could be published on this article.
@andyearley: and they will be removed but as the legal cases are not the subject it removes the liability from the publishers.
@Dave O Keeffe: OK man. As least I can stop being outraged and just do the washing up now. Maybe
@andyearley: because females aren’t sex pest!!!!!
@andyearley: The Denis O’Brien article two days ago had comments closed also – and it nothing to do with any court case.
@GClare: well yer one clearly was
@Clear And Graphic: The man who must not be named
@andyearley: who gives a feck
Is there any nudity in it?
@Do the Bort man: you mean like one of those French films?
@Do the Bort man: only if your Ma makes a cameo in it
Shame he’s a sex pest now, his acting skills are a loss to Hollywood
@Ciarān: accused but not proven or charged.
@B9xiRspG: Yeah I agree just accused of being a sex pest by a number of credible sources. Either way his career is over and Hollywood is minus a great actor regardless of what crimes he did or didn’t do
@Ciarān: so much for innocent until proven guilty. All you need is some creditable sources, just zero proof.
@Ciarān: ah he always a bit odd. Played that part in The Usual Suspects a bit too well if you ask me
@B9xiRspG: Calm down there it’s not me accusing him lol
@Ciarān: shame yeah .. hahaha
@Ciarān: Your Ma’s a sex pest
Old news
@Mr Grumble: brand new to me.
They released it on video in July. They are backwards over there.
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