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THERE HAS BEEN an increase in the number of people presenting to Coolmine Therapeutic Centres seeking rehabilitation services for cocaine usage, the group’s annual report revealed.
In total, 57% of all men who presented to the service last year were seeking treatment and support to combat their cocaine addiction.
This led to Coolmine establishing two cocaine-specific treatment centres in Dublin and in Cork due to the high number of people on waiting lists, the service said.
Coolmine’s report matches national statistics from research conducted by the Health Research Board, as there was a 25% increase in individual supports within their services compared to 2021.
A surge in the number of people presenting with cocaine addiction was paired with rising homelessness figures in the state, which Coolmine Chief Executive Pauline McKeown said led to the cohort being most affected.
“From Coolmine’s perspective, this surge in cocaine addiction represents a dangerous situation, especially for the most vulnerable individuals in society,” she said.
She added that “various factors contribute to this increase, including societal pressures, economic challenges, and evolving social dynamics”.
McKeown said Coolmine, similar to other organisations, are addressing these factors by expanding its specialised programmes and collaborating with other services to meet the growing demand for rehabilitation and treatment.
This collaboration began last year where the service to expanded its support to 382 homeless people who are now living in private emergency accommodation, with the HSE and Dublin Regional Homeless Executive.
Coolmine, in total, provided 2,362 individuals and their families with support in 2022. Of the 908 people who sought support from the service’s Dublin facility, Coolmine House, over 10% (93) of them were participants on the stabilisation and cocaine programmes.
Alan Connolly Coolmine Chairman said as the service enters its fiftieth year, it is aware of the increase in the number of people experiencing problematic substance use.
Last year, the service treated people in 15 facilities and 22 different satellite clinics.
The Drug Treatment Demand report from earlier this year found a 259% increase in the number of cases in the last seven years, in which a person was treated for drug-related issues and where cocaine was the main problem drug they used.
The report, published by the Health Research Board, found that there were 12,009 cases of addiction treatment in 2022.
Cocaine was reported as the most common problem drug in more than 4,000 of these cases, and was followed by opioids (mainly heroin), then cannabis and benzodiazepines.
This was the first time where cocaine had overtaken opioids as the most common drug used in Ireland.
In total, 45% of the 4,084 cases involving cocaine were cases where the person was receiving treatment for a cocaine addiction for the first time.
Also this year Dr Joe Harbison, a stroke doctor at St James’ Hospital Dublin and associate professor at Trinity College, told The Journal that the public is largely unaware of how much drug usage can increase the risk of a stroke.
This was after it was revealed that cocaine-induced strokes were on the rise.
Additional reporting by Jamie McCarron
For a country that is supposedly booming it sure has a lot of crumbling infrastructure.
@The Guru: The management of our water systems has deteriorated altogether since the billing company i.e. Irish Water took over.
@David Corrigan: Letting the water infrastructure deteriorate was going on long before IW came into being. It was deliberate, it was planned. They knew they would need justification for IW and the scams whatever government would be in power.
@David Corrigan: The water system started to deteriorate straight after Fianna Fail bought the 1977 election by doing away with rates! They said that 2% of motor tax would be used but they did not increase motor tax so there was no money! FF still don’t care about infrastructure they just want power.
@Dave Doyle: Its a disaster of epic proportions.
@David Corrigan: not really true, much as I dislike the whole operation and how it was conceived. It’s just that decades of neglect and under-funding are now coming to light
@David Corrigan: I’m no fan of Irish Water but that is not true. It was crumbling long before they even became a thing. The formation of it, and the subsequent tax issue is what drew it into the public eye.
Irish Water has also consolidated a lot of contracts which were handled at a county board level previously into national ones, saving money for the country. Their leakage program is also promising.
The whole thing was a debacle, don’t get me wrong, but nothing is ever black and white, all good or all bad.
@The Guru: money is paying off debt rather than being invested in infrastructure.
No surprise that only 18% of our waterways are considered clean. Would love to see the criteria for IW bonuses.
If you voted FG, you voted for infrastructure funding to be spent on unneeded water meters and a billing company. Remember that.
@The Risen: sur didnt the shinners and ffers agree to water charges originally and then flipped to the other side to secure votes
I walk the coast road in Clontarf each evening the smell is terrible it makes the locals stick there heads even further in the air !
Build that wall!
The poor sea creatures having to deal with human sh#t…pun intended.
the set up of irish water stinks to high heaven !
have your say