The damage caused by alcohol and drug abuse has been the theme of the Patrick McGill summer school this year. The occasion - summer schools are not renowned for their abstinence - suggests the seriousness of the challenge facing society and the growing public awareness of the problem. For all that, there are no simple answers. Blaming whatever government is in office does not meet the case. The creation of a new ethos concerning recreational drugs will be a difficult and painstaking process and it will involve families and communities as well as political and social organisations.
Different aspects of a multi-faceted response were advanced by various speakers during the week. Minister of State, Ms Mary Coughlan, joined with the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, in agreeing that law enforcement alone would not be enough. There was a need, they said, to involve the community, the family and statutory agencies. Others didn't disagree but argued that greater social investment in deprived communities was required from government in order to cope with heroin abuse and alcoholism amongst the young. In that regard, the governor of Mountjoy prison, Mr Patrick Lonergan, regarded specific areas of social and economic deprivation as the breeding ground for heroin addiction and called for heavy investment there.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan, favoured the provision of sporting facilities throughout the State, involving an investment of 500 million over five years, as a means of encouraging young people away from alcohol. The Minister of State with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, Mr Eoin Ryan, spoke of the need for responsible marketing campaigns by the drinks industry and expressed concern over their sponsorship of sporting events. Independent TD, Mr Tony Gregory, criticised the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, for identifying alcohol abuse as Ireland's greatest drug problem, but doing nothing about it.
A great deal of common ground existed amongst the contributors. Such a response might be expected when there has been a 50 per cent increase in alcohol addiction in the under-25s during the past ten years. Rising death rates, social dislocation and road carnage are all by-products of drug abuse. The glossy advertising of attractive life-styles drives the sale of drink. As a first step, there is arguably a case to ban all such advertising - as is the case with tobacco products - to protect our young people and in pursuit of a more balance attitude towards alcohol.