# Addiction

All time

'We've seen people die, people beaten up horrifically': This primary school doesn't want an injecting centre 300m from its front door

A plan to open a medically supervised injecting facility has been met with fierce local opposition.

43.2k

Mar 16th 2019, 10:00 PM

# Drugs

736 people died directly as a result of drugs in 2016

Of the total number, 549 were male and 187 were female.

10.5k

Mar 8th 2019, 7:49 AM

# Health Research Board

There are at least 40,000 problem gamblers in Ireland

The proportion of problem gamblers in Ireland is far lower than in Northern Ireland, according to data from the Health Research Board.

12.6k

Feb 27th 2019, 4:09 PM

# Statistics

90% of gambling addicts treated by HSE are young men

The HSE has provided figures on the age and geographic breakdown of some of those who enter treatment for gambling addiction.

13.7k

Feb 15th 2019, 12:05 AM

Voices

Opinion: 'Food was a drug for me'

I thought if I could just eat and be thin I’d be OK, writes a member of Addictive Eaters Anonymous.

14.2k

Feb 14th 2019, 7:00 AM

# Addiction

'Not drifting towards a gambling crisis, we're in the middle of one': 800 addiction cases treated by HSE

The HSE has admitted its own figures don’t come close to painting a picture of the extent of problem gambling in Ireland.

35.4k

Feb 4th 2019, 12:05 AM

# intimidation

Dealers make violent threats against 12-year-olds over cannabis debt

Parents of addicts have remortgaged their homes in some cases to pay off drug debts.

38.7k

Jan 28th 2019, 12:05 AM

Voices

Opinion: Pat was refused mental health services because of his addiction - now he's dead

Mental illness and addiction are interlinked so why are people who suffer from both routinely excluded from services, asks Senator Lynn Ruane.

90.2k

Jan 27th 2019, 8:30 PM

# left behind

PODCAST: 'I lost two sons to suicide - I want people to know it's okay to have problems'

Karen Docherty is calling for stronger support systems to be put in place for families affected by suicide.

51.6k

Jan 4th 2019, 12:05 AM

# dear fifi

Dear Fifi: I'm worried that my boyfriend enjoys taking drugs too much - what can I do?

To help answer, this is the second week that Dear Fifi called upon the experts at the Rutland Centre.

9.4k

Jan 1st 2019, 6:00 PM

# beautiful boy

People should remember Steve Carrell's words the next time we lose a celebrity to addiction

Addiction does not discriminate.

8.7k

Oct 12th 2018, 7:48 PM

# samantha walsh

Man jailed for life for murdering woman he met in an addiction treatment centre

31-year-old Samantha Walsh was beaten to death in April 2017.

22.0k

Oct 5th 2018, 6:20 PM

# Merchants Quay

Homeless and addiction charity says 'Ireland is facing a deepening social crisis'

Merchants Quay chief: “It’s an understatement at this point to say we have a homelessness crisis”

17.0k

Sep 14th 2018, 6:10 AM

# chasing the normal

'The invisible line': When a recreational drug habit becomes an addiction

A significant proportion of the population have experimented with drugs and for some this has been life-changing.

18.4k

Sep 14th 2018, 6:05 AM

# recovery month

'I went downhill very fast... but the thought of a drink has barely crossed my mind now for 37 years'

As the Rutland Centre turns 40, some of the first patients through its doors shared their experiences with TheJournal.ie.

38.2k

Sep 2nd 2018, 8:30 PM

# recovery month

'I have seen the increase in cocaine and alcohol addiction with the return of money. It's frightening'

The Rutland Centre is seeing shifts in the people it treats, and is emphasising how anyone can recover from addiction on its 40th anniversary.

28.8k

Sep 2nd 2018, 12:05 AM

# Addiction

Ireland's gambling epidemic: 'Find a corner and you'll be left alone 'til you're penniless'

One treatment expert said he is concerned, in particular, about young people who can very quickly gamble all of their money away online.

22.4k

Sep 1st 2018, 12:05 AM

# Gaming

'Fortnite' fever may be cooling - or it could be that the kids are just on their holidays

“Fortnite’s peak may be behind us,” a market tracker said this week.

23.4k

Aug 26th 2018, 7:15 PM

# Rose of Tralee

People are praising the Carlow Rose for bringing the Rose of Tralee into the 21st Century

She’s now second favourite to win.

45.4k

Aug 20th 2018, 9:20 PM

# what do you think

Poll: Do you think gambling ads should be banned from sports?

There’s a sharper focus on sports adverts and the detrimental effect they could have on young people.

29.9k

Jul 30th 2018, 10:18 AM

# Addiction

Michael D Higgins wants gambling ads banned from sport

He said that he was concerned when he read some of the cases of gambling among sporting athletes.

17.3k

104

Jul 30th 2018, 8:32 AM

Voices

'I couldn’t do without cocaine, couldn’t face talking to people without a few lines in me'

“It started recreationally, just dabbling, and then it went from there. First it would just be at the weekend, then it started to spill over into the week.”

39.5k

Jul 28th 2018, 9:00 AM

# Crack

High uptake of sterile crack pipes in response to surge in use of drug in Dublin

There has been an increase in use of the drug since the start of last year.

23.8k

Jul 22nd 2018, 6:05 AM

# Crack

HSE launches new advice campaign as cocaine use returns to Celtic Tiger levels

In 2016 there were more than 1,000 drug treatment cases where cocaine was the main substance reported.

62.8k

Updated

Jul 17th 2018, 11:47 AM

# Addiction

10,000 through the doors in 40 years... and the Rutland Centre wants to inspire others with their story

It comes as part of the addiction centre’s 40th birthday celebrations.

14.8k

Jul 15th 2018, 9:15 AM

# Courts

Burglar with history of drug addiction thanks judge for 'saving' his life by putting him back into custody

At a hearing last month Boyle asked Judge O’Connor if he could be sent back to custody because he was struggling and finding it difficult on bail.

14.8k

Jul 15th 2018, 6:30 AM

# Aslan

Christy Dignam: The bankers are still up here making millions... and we've 4,000 kids in homeless accommodation

Christy Dignam had some strong words in relation to bankers and homelessness when we sat down with him.

22.7k

Jul 11th 2018, 8:30 PM

Voices

'Therapists were relieved when the WHO listed gaming addiction as a mental health condition'

Now we can finally call this issue as we see it, writes Stella O’Malley.

26.7k

Jul 1st 2018, 8:45 AM

Voices

'There are gardaí, politicians and doctors who have taken something illegal at some point'

They get away with it, because we only criminalise the poor, writes Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.

36.1k

Jun 23rd 2018, 9:00 AM

# Addiction

'I'd a wife and two kids. Everything looked perfect to the outside world. It wasn't. I was addicted to cocaine'

A middle-class family brought to the brink by a father’s cocaine use speak about an addiction that cross all demographics.

59.5k

Jun 11th 2018, 12:05 AM

# Money Money Money

Offering free patches to employees who smoke doesn't help them quit - but giving them money does

A new US study found workers were three times more likely to quit if there was a financial incentive.

16.0k

May 27th 2018, 3:30 PM

# Addiction

'Some families lost four of five children to drugs': Being a GP in Dublin's inner city

Many homeless people are reluctant to seek medical treatment, for a number of reasons.

24.2k

May 26th 2018, 10:00 PM

Voices

'She was frantic, her boyfriend had assaulted her and was going to make her do sex work'

Tony Duffin the CEO of Ana Liffey Drug Project reflects on 25 years of helping people who use drugs.

62.4k

Apr 29th 2018, 8:45 AM

Voices

'We need to help people who use drugs make healthier choices, not treat them as criminals'

Decriminalising possession can instinctively seem like a bad idea. We need to change public perception, writes Tony Duffin.

6.9k

Mar 29th 2018, 7:00 AM

# Addiction

'I couldn't handle it anymore. Three days before the weigh-in, I went missing'

Dublin boxer Keane McMahon talks to The42 about how a gambling addiction almost derailed his professional boxing career, just as it was starting.

16.5k

Mar 24th 2018, 10:00 AM

# Addiction

A 'wonder drug' used to treat alcoholism may not be as effective as previously thought

Anti-spasticity drug baclofen has more recently been used to treat alcohol addiction.

26.4k

Mar 4th 2018, 11:31 AM

# Addiction

'You junkie, you addict' - How stigma can prevent drug users getting the help they need

Depression is often the root cause of drug addiction and abuse does not help.

15.6k

Feb 27th 2018, 12:18 PM

# Gambling

GAA votes to ban sponsorship deals with betting companies

The GAA’s annual congress today heard that sport is “besieged by gambling”.

14.4k

Feb 24th 2018, 1:26 PM

# problem drinking

'While the rest of us are looking forward at this time of year, they're feeling the dread and the anxiety'

Christmas can be a particularly trying time for problem drinkers and their families, an addiction counsellor said.

22.7k

Dec 21st 2017, 10:00 PM

# Focus Ireland

'I was nearly crying when I got accommodation. It's not just my home, it's a home for my children'

Focus Ireland has supported over 14,000 people so far this year who are homeless or at risk of losing their home.

30.2k

Dec 11th 2017, 5:13 PM