For the third year in a row, women from all over Ireland have come together to discuss issues relating to their experiences as ‘women in addiction and in addiction services’.  The themes in the previous two years were My Story in Recovery, and Ten Tips for Professionals Working with Women in Addiction (see box). This year women were asked to work on ‘a message for the Minister’.

Organised by SAOL, a community-based recovery project for women in Dublin’s north inner city, and UISCE (Union for Improved Services Communication and Education), a drug users forum based in Dublin’s north inner city, the forum was held in the Sheriff Street Community Centre on 4 March 2015.¹ Some 100 women, including women from Cork and Belfast, attended the forum and local TDs Maureen O’Sullivan and Mary-Lou MacDonald spoke to the group. O’Sullivan talked about the importance of prevention in tackling the drug problem and the need also to tackle the housing and homelessness problems. MacDonald stressed that communities as a whole have a responsibility to tackle the drug problem and invited service users to let their communities, including their TDS, know what their needs and issues are.

In breakout groups the women addressed three open-ended questions:

1. What is the number one thing that you think should be provided in services, which are presently not available?
2. If you could change one thing to positively change the drug scene in Ireland, what would it be?
3. What responses do women need from the government to help the unhealthy relationship with alcohol?

The breakout groups reported back on the outcome of their discussions. The organisers will use this feedback to prepare a document that will be used to seek to influence the government to provide better services for women.