Travellers accessing addiction services in Ireland
by Anne Marie Carew
A recently published paper based on data from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) for the years 2007–2010 describes individuals from the Traveller community who were assessed or treated for problem drug or alcohol use.1 This study provides an insight into the needs of Travellers with problem substance use and will be useful in informing and developing policies and strategies to tackle barriers and issues faced by the Traveller community.
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Melting the iceberg of fear: drug-related intimidation in Blanchardstown
by Johnny Connolly
The issue of drug-related intimidation, much of it related to drug debt, has emerged as a major concern for many communities in Ireland in recent years.1 It is an issue that has been highlighted by community-based advocacy groups such as the Family Support Network and the CityWide Drugs Crisis Campaign at a number of recent conferences.2 It has also been identified as a key issue in the National Drugs Strategy 2009–2016 (NDS). Action 5 of the NDS aims ‘To develop a framework to provide an appropriate response to the issue of drug related intimidation in the community’.3
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The overdose risk information (ORION) project
by Ena Lynn
The final report on the ORION project co-funded by the EU Drug Prevention and Information Programme was published in January 2013.1 This project was set up to develop an e-health psycho-educational overdose risk assessment tool which could be implemented effectively in substance misuse fields across Europe. The model is based on known risk factors presented in an easy-to-use, computerised and interactive format for patients and health professionals to use together.
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Alcohol Action Ireland conference on alcohol and mental health
by Deirdre Mongan
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| Dr Bobby Smyth, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, speaking at the AAI conference |
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Alcohol Action Ireland held a conference entitled 'Facing ‘The Fear’: alcohol and mental health in Ireland’ on 20 November 2013. The conference was opened by Minister Alex White, who confirmed the government’s commitment to introduce minimum unit pricing in 2014. Dr Bobby Smyth, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, stated that teenagers are drinking at an earlier age than in previous generations, and upon entry into adulthood most young people in Ireland are drinking in a harmful manner. He described the risks that this posed to young people’s brains and their ability to learn effective and proactive coping strategies.
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Alcohol consumption in early pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes
by Deirdre Mongan
A recent study examined the association between maternal alcohol consumption in early pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes including low-birth-weight, spontaneous preterm birth and pre-eclampsia.1 Many women continue to consume alcohol in pregnancy despite recommendations that they should abstain from alcohol in order to minimise potential risks to the fetus.
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Substance use prevention education in schools: an update on actions in the drugs strategy
by Martin Keane
It would appear that school-based universal substance use prevention education, particularly among second-level students, is moving towards an integrated hybrid model incorporating a whole-school approach to overall health and social education alongside an emphasis on development of personal and social competencies. It is not clear to what extent attention will be given to including substance-use-specific components in any such hybrid model, such as the Social Norms approach, where young people’s perceived norms of substance use among their peers is directly challenged by empirical evidence.1
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