# Addiction

This year

2023

Opinion: The Greek model of responding to drug use is worth keeping an eye on

Tony Duffin of Ana Liffey project and his long-time friends, Dr Brian Melaugh and Dr Austin O’Carroll visited Athens to see how drug use is handled there.

18.3k

Feb 25th 2023, 8:00 PM

# Andrew Gearns

Prison staff knew Cork man was suffering 'delusions' prior to fatal suicide attempt

Report finds staff did carry out a significant number of checks on cell – more than what is required by Irish Prison Service procedures.

39.3k

Jan 31st 2023, 9:49 PM

Last year

2022

# Mental Health

Online gambling causing surge of suicidal young men in A&E, NHS clinic says

Earlier this year the NHS stopped taking cash from the gambling industry for the treatment of people suffering addiction

9.9k

Nov 23rd 2022, 8:00 AM

# Homelessness

'Grimmest situation I've ever seen': Dublin Simon dealing with unprecedented levels of homelessness

‘The present thing for homeless people is they are without hope. It’s despair. It’s exhaustion,’ he said.

16.4k

Updated

Sep 22nd 2022, 2:48 PM

Voices

Opinion: E-cigarettes are not part of the solution to a tobacco free Ireland

Professor Des Cox says it’s tempting to see e-cigarettes as a solution to smoking but he says that’s just not the case.

15.8k

Jul 30th 2022, 9:00 AM

# Addiction

Former England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland reveals he suffered with painkillers addiction

Kirkland explained it has been a decade-long battle.

5.4k

Jul 21st 2022, 3:14 PM

# vaping

Oireachtas Health Committee seek age restrictions on e-cigarettes and ban on flavourings

The committee asked the Minister for Health to look at other countries where ages for vaping and smoking are 21.

9.3k

Jul 18th 2022, 12:09 PM

# Cannabis

Criminalising drug use is 'disastrous' waste of time and money, expert to tell Justice Committee

Dr Garrett McGovern believes Ireland should take a health-led approach to drugs and decriminalise personal use.

16.0k

Jul 12th 2022, 6:15 AM

# problems

‘I was literally trying to get through the next hour without having a drink’

Ex-Ireland international Keith Treacy on how various addictions severely impacted his football career and caused him to seek help.

77.6k

Jun 11th 2022, 8:00 AM

# Addiction

Psychological Society criticises delay in 'vital' citizens' assembly on drugs amid death warning

Senators are due to debate the issue today amid much criticism over this week’s developments.

7.6k

Feb 23rd 2022, 9:43 AM

# Addiction

Nurse to be appointed to National Oversight Committee on Drugs after row over membership

A nursing group specialising in addiction was removed from the committee in December.

13.6k

Feb 19th 2022, 1:00 PM

# Addiction

Nursing group invited to meet with Minister following its removal from national drug committee

Drugs minister Frank Feighan has invited the IntNSA to meet with him

18.3k

Jan 14th 2022, 5:48 PM

# Dublin

Call for more funding to tackle 'tsunami' of crack cocaine addictions in Tallaght

Two Tallaght support groups warned that they may have to shut their crack cocaine services down from New Year’s Eve.

22.2k

Jan 11th 2022, 6:00 PM

All time

# saol

'They showed me I mattered': Women explain how inner city project helped transform their lives

The Saol service works to help women in Dublin recovering from addiction.

15.4k

Dec 30th 2021, 11:06 AM

Voices

Cannabis should be regulated, taxed and taken out of the hands of dangerous drug cartels

Dr Garrett McGovern says that regulating the drug would allow it to be researched with more accuracy and protect young people from its harms.

32.5k

102

Dec 21st 2021, 8:00 PM

# Addiction

'No plans' to reinstate HSE rehab unit closed during pandemic

The Keltoi Rehab Unit was converted to an isolation facility, with previous Health Minister Simon Harris promising its reopening.

The Keltoi Rehab Unit continues to be used as a Covid isolation facility, reports Maria Delaney of Noteworthy, our investigative platform.

Keltoi closed 18 months ago, with previous Health Minister Simon Harris promising its reopening

Addiction service advocates are frustrated with the HSE response and are calling for a clear reopening date

21.4k

Sep 10th 2021, 12:01 AM

# rehab wait

Over 3,500 on wait list for a detox bed, with over 140 residential beds still closed

Over 60% are on the waiting list for at least nine months.

19.7k

Apr 28th 2021, 12:01 AM

Voices

Opinion: We don’t allow ads for smoking so why should gambling be any different?

As Labour brings legislation this week to tackle the issue, party senator Mark Wall says it’s time to fight back against gambling ads.

16.1k

Feb 16th 2021, 7:00 PM

# Addiction

Ex-Liverpool and Spurs striker reveals drink problem meant he could not make training on a Monday

Paul Walsh says he was ‘drunk-driving’ everywhere.

21.3k

Nov 30th 2020, 2:10 PM

# Merchants Quay

'Twice I woke up and a person was dead beside me'

Over 11,600 people who are homeless or in addiction were helped by Merchants Quay Ireland in 2019.

32.8k

Nov 5th 2020, 6:45 AM

# Addiction

Oregon becomes first US state to decriminalise hard drugs

The state also legalised access to magic mushrooms for therapeutic use.

25.0k

Nov 4th 2020, 12:43 PM

# debunked

Debunked: The conspiracy theories around the so-called Hollywood drug adrenochrome

Theories claim adrenochrome is harvested from children in a trafficking ring.

581k

Jul 29th 2020, 5:16 PM

Voices

My food addiction: How group therapy helped me overcome years of bingeing and purging

The following account is written by a member of Addictive Eaters Anonymous, who shares her experience of sobriety from addictive eating.

24.5k

Jul 18th 2020, 6:00 PM

# Addiction

Dublin's approach to supporting drug users during pandemic saved lives, report finds

Sixty-three homeless people were diagnosed with Covid-19 and there was one death, a fraction of what had been predicted.

21.4k

Jul 1st 2020, 9:36 AM

Voices

Wellness Wednesday: You can beat your addiction, even in lockdown

Mental Health Occupational Therapist Michelle Murray says living with the shame of addiction is always tough, but lockdown pushes even harder. She says there is hope.

15.1k

Jun 17th 2020, 7:00 AM

# Addiction

Report highlights increase in deaths involving street tablets in Ireland

The purchasing of drugs online brings significant regulatory challenges.

15.5k

Apr 28th 2020, 6:30 AM

# Drugs

'Addiction doesn't stop during a pandemic, it gets worse': Methadone waiting lists virtually eliminated amid overdose fears

Drug users are at an increased risk of contracting Covid-19 – many suffer from underlying health conditions and don’t have a safe place to self-isolate if needed.

34.8k

Apr 25th 2020, 12:05 AM

# james leonard

Cork man who overcame years of heroin addiction graduating with criminology Masters

James Leonard shared his story of addiction on The Tommy Tiernan Show last month.

83.9k

Feb 20th 2020, 6:15 AM

# Addiction

'I was a chronic, homeless, alcoholic - I'd be turning up at the races drunk'

Former jockey John Gillen on his life before and after his descent into alcoholism.

9.2k

Feb 1st 2020, 7:15 AM

# chemsex

'If someone goes under, call 999': Addiction expert warns about GHB after more overdoses

The drug has been making headlines after more overdoses last weekend and a high-profile rape case.

27.7k

Jan 25th 2020, 7:30 AM

# chemsex

FactFind: '1ml is euphoric, 2ml and you go under': Number of G overdoses increases by 75%

People can buy a hit of the highly addictive drug for as little as €1.

51.0k

Sep 23rd 2019, 12:05 AM

# Podcast

The Explainer: Why is chemsex in the news in Ireland and the UK?

We look at what chemsex is, and the role the drugs GHB and crystal meth play in it.

20.4k

Sep 20th 2019, 8:00 PM

Voices

Lynn Ruane: Sport is part of the solution to address young men's mental health

Services such as the Breakthrough Programme in West Dublin can be a lifesaver for young men.

13.2k

Sep 8th 2019, 8:30 PM

Voices

Lynn Ruane: 'You can't treat addiction like a business - and people with addiction like objects'

Applying neoliberal tools to community work is ultimately about cost-cutting and power, writes Senator Lynn Ruane.

50.3k

Aug 25th 2019, 8:30 PM

# Addiction

Former drugs minister says injecting centre plan has 'been allowed to die' by government

Dublin City Council has refused planning permission for an injecting facility.

11.5k

Jul 27th 2019, 6:30 AM

# Drug Treatment

West of Ireland is seeing higher demand for addiction treatment, says Coolmine centre

The Dublin-based addiction centre treated 1,350 people in 2018 and is now planning an expansion to Limerick.

9.3k

May 16th 2019, 11:32 AM

# Drugs

Senior gardaí say use of term 'recreational drugs' helps normalise drug abuse

The President of the Association of Garda Superintendents said there are constant challenges for gardaí in dealing with drugs and organised crime.

16.4k

101

May 8th 2019, 11:39 AM

# precarious work

Drug dealing seen as 'more attractive' way to earn money for some young Irish people

New research found the local drug economy – unlike precarious work – recruits young people by incentivising and enticing them.

13.9k

Apr 30th 2019, 6:10 AM

# Addiction

Cannabis and cocaine are most common drugs used by people seeking treatment for alcohol abuse

There has been a decrease in the number of alcohol dependency cases being treated in recent years, but an increase in their severity.

15.4k

Mar 20th 2019, 10:57 AM

# Addiction

'Action is needed now': New charity set up to fund gambling addiction services

The trust receives funding from the gambling industry and will be run by a board which includes two former junior ministers.

10.6k

Mar 18th 2019, 12:02 PM