COMMUNITY GROUPS say they are increasingly worried by a rise in the use of hard drugs such as crack cocaine and crystal meth on the streets of Dublin.
Gary Broderick of the Saol Project said that while many drug treatment programmes had been established to deal with the scourge of heroin, a much broader array of drugs were now in common use. This, in turn, was posing fresh challenges for treatment services.
“Heroin and cocaine remain an issue, but something as wild as crystal meth is now available and is being used in some communities.
“We’re working all the time with the effects of crack cocaine. We’re seeing a worrying rise in those kinds of very toxic drugs,” he said.
“Among young people, many are tending to get into stimulant drugs, tablets or headshop drugs rather than heroin.”
To help deal with the emergence of the broadening nature of drug problems, the Saol Project has produced a guide on tackling different types of drug use.
The Reduce the use booklet is now updated and is freely available for other community groups who are interested in developing ways of tackling local drug problems.
Much of the advice is based on principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and aims to help people cope more effectively with substance abuse.
Mr Broderick said the project’s previous Reduce the use booklet had been downloaded more than 3,500 times and had been used by 25 different projects around the State.
“This is an easy tool for other groups to use,” he said. “While in the city, groups can link in and share knowledge, it’s especially useful for organisations who are more isolated and aren’t able to do that.”
For further information, visit: saolproject.ie/cocaineresources.php
