13th January 2025

Deadly new drugs found in fake medicines in the UK

Super-strength drugs linked to hundreds of deaths have been found in samples of fake medicines bought across the UK, the BBC can reveal. We found more than 100 examples of people trying to buy prescription medicines such as diazepam – commonly used to treat anxiety, muscle spasms and seizures – and instead receiving products containing nitazenes. The synthetic opioid drugs have been connected to 278 deaths across the country in a year, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). Nitazenes can be stronger than both heroin and fentanyl, a prolific killer in the US. Anyone with problems with either opiate or benzodiazepine use needs ready access to addiction rehab and treatment interventions.

Read the BBC article Here

10th January 2025

Government must prioritise full implementation of Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 (PHAA)

Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) welcomes the broadcast watershed ban on television and radio alcohol advertising which comes into force tomorrow (Friday, January 10). The watershed – Section 19 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 (PHAA) – will ensure a daytime broadcasting ban on alcohol advertising, with no advertisements for alcohol products on television from 3am to 9pm and on radio on a weekday from 3pm to 10am the following morning. This measure will help to reduce the level of exposure of children to alcohol marketing, which is known to be a key driver of both initiating alcohol use by children and increasing use. It is a particularly important restriction given that Diageo is currently the Number 4 advertiser to children in Ireland and at least 50,000 children start to drink every year. Alcohol dependence and problematic use underscore the need for greater availability of alcohol addiction rehab and recovery programmes.

Read the Alcohol Ireland article Here

9th January 2025

Simon Harris and Micheál Martin at odds over cannabis decriminalisation

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil continue to be at odds over the decriminalisation of cannabis. The two parties are engaged in ongoing government formation talks, after policy approaches to drug use emerged as a flashpoint during the election. Fianna Fáil’s election manifesto called for the decriminalisation of cannabis. On Thursday, party leader Micheál Martin stressed that decriminalisation is not the same as legalisation. A health led approach, as set out by the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly on Drugs, requires the removal of sanctions associated with drug possession and also called for the expansion of addiction rehab services for people who develop problems with their use.

Read the Irish Examiner article Here

8th January 2025

John Mulaney’s Most Candid Quotes About His Addiction and Recovery Through the Years

John Mulaney is choosing honesty when it comes to sharing his struggle with addiction and his attempts to stay sober. During his 2012 comedy special, New in Town, Mulaney explained why he decided to stop drinking years prior. “I used to drink too much, and then I would black out and I would ‘ruin’ parties, or so I’m told,” he joked. “When you do that enough, when you black out drinking and you do crazy things, you kind of become, like, Michael Jackson. Like, any story anyone says about you might be true, and even you don’t know by the end.” Timely treatment for alcohol dependence with addiction rehab is essential to long term recovery.

Read the Usmagazine.com article Here

7th January 2025

‘I spent my wedding night gambling away our money’

A woman who spent her wedding night secretly losing all the money she and her wife had been gifted has accused betting companies of “predatory” behaviour. Elissa Hubbard, 38, spent what was meant to be the happiest day of her life in 2021 hidden away gambling as part of an addiction that – at its peak- cost her £40,000 a year. It comes as BBC analysis suggests about one in five gambling premises are in Wales’ poorest areas. An expert in the psychology of gambling called clusters of betting shops in deprived areas “a huge problem”. Gambling addiction requires a tailored addiction rehab approach and far too many people who develop problems remain under the treatment radar.

Read the BBC News article Here

6th January 2025

I got addicted to gambling during school lunch breaks

“A £1 spin led to a £7 win” and that is all it took for Declan Cregan to get hooked on gambling at the age of 16. That first win on a roulette wheel then led to online gambling and trips to the bookies – it was a habit that spiralled out of control and would eventually cost him about £500,000. “People never think it’s going to be them,” said Declan who is now in recovery after a 10-year battle with gambling addiction. Gambling addiction is insidious and a lot of people with the problem don’t come forward for addiction rehab treatment.

Read the BBC news article Here

3rd January 2025

I was dying but still couldn’t get a bed in addiction rehab

Stephanie Ritchie says she was at the point where doctors were about to amputate her leg because of her drug use, but still could not get a rehab place. It took a recovery charity making an appeal on her behalf to secure a place, she says. Stephanie, who is now drug-free for the first time in 29 years, says she would not be alive today if she had not got into rehab. Campaigners have called for everyone who needs it to have the right to access addiction recovery services.

Read the BBC article Here

2nd January 2025

Irish tobacco companies look to vaping to safeguard bumper profits as cigarette sales fall

Vapes can be picked up, often for less than a tenner, in every town and village. In a few short years, they grew from a new to a common product, easy to buy no matter where you live in Ireland. So when you hand over your tenner at the till, who is profiting? The Journal Investigates dug into lobbying records, company accounts, shareholder reports and other statements to find, not too deep under the surface, the tobacco industry. Smoking kills approx. 6,000 people a year in Ireland. The evidence shows that among interventions for  tobacco dependence, e-cigarettes can play a critical role in reducing the number of people who smoke.

Read the Journal.ie article Here

1st January 2025

One arrest every hour in the last month: Shock figure for drink and drug driving revealed

Arrests for driving while intoxicated on Irish roads were made on an hourly basis over the past month, with drugs a “significant factor” in a third of cases. It comes as almost 300 gardaí have been placed on lists following a competition to be transferred to traffic units across the country as the force boosts its efforts to prevent further carnage on Irish roads. Roadside testing, currently, only tests for metabolites of drugs. A more robust system is required which should include sobriety testing. People who are addicted to illicit drugs present a particular risk and need the help of addiction rehab services to help them overcome their problem.

Read the Independent.ie article Here

31st December 2024

Benzodiazepines in Canada: Is a Withdrawal Crisis Looming?

n February 16^th, CBC News published an online article: ‘ Quebec doctors to face increased scrutiny for over prescription of anti-anxiety medication’. Clearly a commentary on the subject of Cauchemar sur ordonnance, this piece names “misuse of benzodiazepines [as a] concern in Quebec”. In response to this issue, the college of physicians in Quebec, The College des medecins du Quebec’ will be increasing its monitoring of those physicians thought to be overprescribing benzos. Whilst over prescribing may well be a problem, the under recognition and treatment of people with benzodiazepine dependence is also a significant problem and tailored addiction rehab and treatment services are needed.

Read the Mad in America article Here

30th December 2024

Developing new drugs to treat addiction

Drug addiction is by no means a modern problem. Historians have found references to various types of drug addiction in the earliest known recordings of human history. Since the beginning, people have often viewed drug addiction as a moral failing of the individual, rather than as a disease that can be treated with pharmacological interventions. Starting in the 20^th century, however, new scientific findings finally began to shift the blame away from the individual as studies revealed how drugs of abuse hijack the brain’s reward circuitry. Yet, widespread stigma still exists today that harms individuals with substance use disorders and hinders efforts to develop effective pharmaceutical treatments. 

Read the Discovery Drugs article Here

27th December 2024

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly wanted 20c on price of a pint in Budget 2025, but proposal rejected

26th December 2024

Minister says he faced ‘extraordinary’ lobbying over legislation to reform rules on gambling

Over Christmas about 60,000 punters are expected to throng Leopardstown for the traditional festive-season horse-racing festival. Many will be there just to enjoy the sport and most will have a flutter, with several million euro likely to change hands between bookmakers and punters over the four days. But it may be the last year in which long-standing rules surrounding gambling are in force, with a whole new set of regulations due to come into effect. Any change in legislation should also factor in the need for gambling addiction and rehab treatment services for people who have developed problems.

Read the Irish Times article Here

25th December 2024

Minister of State Colm Burke grants licence for Ireland’s first pilot Supervised Injecting Facility in Dublin city centre

24th December 2024

Editorial: Benzodiazepine addiction: from lab to street

Benzodiazepine-type drugs (benzodiazepines and newer non-benzodiazepines, such as “Z-drugs”) are important therapeutic tools in psychiatry and general medicine. Despite their clinical usefulness, benzodiazepine-type drugs also are associated with several unwanted side effects, including abuse and dependence. Benzodiazepine addiction treatment and rehab programmes help people overcome their dependencies and more services are needed.

Read the Frontiers article Here

23rd December 2024

Research Shows Continued Cocaine Use Disrupts Communication Between Major Brain Networks

A collaborative research endeavor by scientists in the Departments of Radiology, Neurology, and Psychology and Neuroscience at the UNC School of Medicine have demonstrated the deleterious effects of chronic cocaine use on the functional networks in the brain. Their study titled “Network Connectivity Changes Following Long-Term Cocaine Use and Abstinence”, was highlighted by the editor of Journal of Neuroscience in “This Week in The Journal.” Cocaine addiction has increased significantly over the past 20 years and early intervention addiction rehab programmes are essential to help sufferers overcome their addiction.

Read the UNC Health article Here

20th December 2024

Over 3 million annual deaths due to alcohol and drug use, majority among men

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that 2.6 million deaths per year were attributable to alcohol consumption, accounting for 4.7% of all deaths, and 0.6 million deaths to psychoactive drug use. Notably, 2 million of alcohol and 0.4 million of drug-attributable deaths were among men. The importance of alcohol recovery and treatment programmes cannot be overstated in helping people with alcohol addiction.

Read the WHO article Here

19th December 2024

Alcohol-related deaths are spiking. So why don’t we take alcohol addiction more seriously?

Alcohol kills nearly 500 Americans every day, and nearly 3 million have an alcohol use disorder. An addiction specialist whose brother died of alcohol-related causes describes how doctors can help. Early intervention by way of addiction treatment and rehab can considerably reduce the burden of the disease.

Read the aamc.org article Here

18th December 2024

 Minister of State Colm Burke grants licence for Ireland’s first pilot Supervised Injecting Facility in Dublin city centre

17th December 2024

 Ireland’s first medically supervised injection facility to open

Ireland’s first medically supervised injection facility is due to open its doors this month at Merchant Quay Ireland’s Riverbank centre in Dublin city centre. Located in the basement of the building, it will provide a clean and supervised space where intravenous drug users can use pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of trained medical professionals. It was also help to link people who use the site to other addiction treatment and rehab services.

Read the RTE.ie article Here

16th December 2024

Promoting healthier youth by addressing the risks of online gambling and gaming – Kick-off meeting of new project in nine EU countries

The first meeting of the Advisory Group of the Project “Promoting the mental health of children and youth by addressing the risks of online gambling and gaming” took place online on 13 December 2024. Started on 1 October 2024, this new project will support the national authorities of Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia in enhancing their responses to risks posed by online gambling and gaming among children and youth. At this first meeting, the Advisory Group adopted the work programme of the project, laying thus the ground for the two years of its duration. Online gambling and gaming has increased considerably in recent years and underscores the need for tailored addiction treatment and rehab programmes for people of all ages.

Read the Pompidou Group article Here

13th December 2024

Almost four in ten Cavan teens have consumed alcohol

Healthy Ireland Cavan, in association with Alcohol Forum Ireland and the North-West Regional Drug & Alcohol Task Force, is supporting a survey by MaCYSS in an effort to delay the onset age of drinking in adolescents. Alcohol addiction is a longstanding issue in Ireland and early addiction rehab intervention and prevention are important to reverse the damaging effects of youth alcohol use.

Read the anglocelt.ie article Here

5th December 2024

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) announces strategic partnership with the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) will now advise consumers they can direct complaints around gambling advertising to the Advertising Standards Authority. The Advertising Standards Authority, the independent advertising self-regulatory body responsible for promoting, regulating and enforcing the highest standards of marketing communications in Ireland, has partnered with the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), the new statutory body that, once established, will be responsible for the licensing and regulation of gambling services in Ireland, to streamline the process for complaints around advertising for gambling. Gambling addiction is a pervasive and often hidden problem and these measures aim to protect problem gamblers and aid them in their addiction recovery.

Read the adstandards.ie article Here

4th December 2024

EU countries seek to include vaping in tobacco tax law

Sixteen EU countries have asked the European Commission to propose a new law in the coming months on taxing tobacco in the bloc to include new products such as electronic cigarettes which are not covered under the existing legislation. The initiative, led by the Netherlands, has the support of Ireland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Portugal. Unfortunately this is likely to create a barrier for people with a smoking addiction to break their habit.

Read the RTE.ie article Here

3rd December 2024

RSA launch Christmas road safety campaign

The Road Safety Authority is urging drivers nationwide to stay safe and sober this festive season as new data from the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS) show concerningly high levels of alcohol and other drugs in driver toxicology testing. New survey research from the RSA has also identified concerning behaviours and attitudes among motorists in relation to driving under the influence. Driving intoxicated is an even greater challenge among people with problematic alcohol use or people with an established addiction.

Read the RSA.ie article Here

2nd December 2024

Drivers urged to stay safe, sober during Christmas period

The Road Safety Authority has urged drivers to stay safe and sober during the Christmas period. Last December 14 people lost their lives on Irish roads and 124 were seriously injured.  So far this year, 165 people have been killed in road traffic accidents. Speaking at the RSA’s Christmas Road Safety Campaign launch, its Chief Executive Sam Waide said the majority of road deaths have been drivers. He added that 84% of those fatalities have been on rural roads.

Read the rte.ie article Here

29th November 2024

Nearly 160 Million Americans Harmed by Another’s Drinking, Drug Use

28th November 2024

‘Largest addiction rehabilitation center in the Northeast’ to come to University City

Real estate investment group Creating Shared Communities will build a 517,000-square-foot addiction rehabilitation center at 3700 Ludlow St., blocks away from Penn’s campus. When completed, the 40-story building is set to have both inpatient and outpatient services and will be the largest addiction rehabilitation center in the Northeast. General manager of CSC Sal Smeke called the facility the “Mayo Clinic of drug abuse in the Northeast.” This significant development underscores the need for timely and accessible addiction rehab and treatment services to people suffering from dependency issues.

Read THE thedp.com article Here

27th November 2024

HPRA warns of health risks of semaglutide type products sold illegally online

1,401 units of illegal semaglutide and other GLP-1 agonists detained in 2024 to-date. In light of its increasing detention of illegal products, the HPRA is today warning the public to only source GLP-1 medicines, including semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepatide, from a registered pharmacy using a valid prescription from their healthcare professional. As a result of its proactive enforcement work in this area, the HPRA has detained some 1,401 units of illegal GLP-1 products in 2024 to date.

Read the HPRA article Here

26th November 2024

Gunnebah drug, alcohol rehab deepens Bond Uni medical students’ understanding of addiction

Medical student Gordon Nguyen knows he’s lived a relatively sheltered life when it comes to substance abuse. “I don’t really have a background in addiction — I’ve never really been affected by it,” he said. So when he spent six weeks at a rehabilitation clinic as part of his medical degree, the 24-year-old had an “eye-opening” experience. “It’s not just the medical side, like the drug — addiction is more of a symptom of something else,” he said.

Read the ABC.net article Here

25th November 2024

A controversial but effective addiction treatment for meth addiction gains ground

Bernard Groves has spent five years trying to quit methamphetamine. He lost his job. He lost his car. He nearly lost his apartment. Worse than that, he says, his addiction has hurt his family. “I went [to lunch] with my auntie and I saw such sadness in her eyes,” Groves said. The 35-year-old checked himself into several rehab programs in San Diego and San Francisco hoping “to be that Bernard I used to be for the people that I love.”

Read the npr.org article Here

22nd November 2024

Vapes with cannabinoids causing psychosis in users as young as 13

Dangerous synthetic cannabinoids being sold in vape shops are causing psychosis in children as young as 13 that may damage them for life, a leading psychiatrist has warned. Professor Bobby Smyth, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinical professor at Trinity College Dublin, said 20-25% of presentations to adolescent addiction services he works in now involve hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) — a semi-synthetic cannabinoid with broadly similar effects to cannabis.

This highlights the lack of good regulation around cannabinoid products. The Citizens Assembly last year advocated for greater resources for addiction rehab and treatment and a vote to legalise cannabis was narrowly defeated by the Citizens.

Read the Irish Examiner article Here

21st November 2024

Drivers must wait for checkpoint drug test result, Supreme Court rules

The Supreme Court has ruled that a suspected drug driver was required to wait at the scene of a roadside Garda checkpoint for the result of a drug test. And while it was an error of law for a garda to tell the driver that he was obliged to wait for one hour for the result, the law requiring him to provide a breath specimen for the drug test encompassed a requirement to wait for the result, the court said. The case concerned an appeal brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) against a High Court decision that found the garda was not entitled to detain the driver at the roadside for up to an hour for the test result.

Read the Irish Times article Here

20th November 2024

‘This will save lives’ – Ireland’s first supervised drug injection centre to open this December

Ireland’s first medically supervised drug injection facility (MSIF) is set to open in Dublin in December, according to the charity overseeing the service. Homeless and addiction services charity Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) told The Journal that construction is at a “well-advanced” stage, and they facility is expected to open before Christmas. MQI chief executive Eddie Mullins said the charity is aiming for a mid-December opening date, adding that the charity is “right up to the line in terms of the work with our builders”. As well as an increase in funding and resources for addiction rehab and treatment this service will strengthen the harm reduction options for people who inject drugs.

Read the Journal.ie article Here

19th November 2024

Parties urged to back drug decriminalisation

A coalition of community drug projects has called on all political parties to commit to implementing the recommendations of the citizens’ assembly on drugs and the Oireachtas committee on drugs — including their calls to decriminalise the possession of drugs for personal use. Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign is also urging concentrated investment in the most disadvantaged of communities and in local drugs task forces. The recent Citizens Assembly on drugs recommended a health led approach with expansion of addiction rehab and treatment services.

Read the Irish Examiner article Here

18th November 2024

Next government must establish an Office for Alcohol Harm Reduction

Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) welcomes the upcoming General Election as an opportunity for the people of Ireland to have their voices heard on the issues that matter most and AAI believes that reducing harm from alcohol is one of them. Political parties are setting out their positions on multiple issues from crime to health to the economy. Alcohol harm permeates all these areas, yet government responses are disjointed and often contradictory. Alcohol harm costs high-income countries like Ireland 2.5% of GDP – €12bn annually – according to the World Health Organisation. 1,500 hospital beds are in use daily due to alcohol harm; almost one million people have grown up with a problem drinker in the home; 600,000 people are classified as having alcohol use disorder and 37% of driver fatalities with a toxicology result available had a positive toxicology for alcohol. Readily available alcohol rehab treatment options also need to be expanded.

Read the AAI press release Here

15th November 2024

Cannabis users spiked with heroin while dealers offer free cocaine to expand their market

Young cannabis users are being spiked with heroin and pushed to take cocaine by dealers intent on hooking them to expand their market. Children as young as 13 are being offered free cocaine samples by dealers when they buy cannabis, according to addiction therapist Michael Guerin. As the cocaine high is short and the drug is expensive, users can quickly end up in debt and be forced to become mules, carrying large quantities of drugs for organised crime to pay back debt. This is a very worrying development and the greater the use of cannabis the greater the risk of negative outcomes relating to a contaminated supply. Any person who feels they have a problem with cannabis use should explore addiction rehab treatment.

Read the Irish Examiner article Here

14th November 2024

Where have Fine Gael (and Simon Harris) stood on drug decriminalisation in the past?

Drug Policy has become a campaign talking point this week since Taoiseach Simon Harris took aim at Fianna Fáil’s manifesto pledge to decriminalise the possession of drugs for personal use. Fianna Fáil’s manifesto states the party would “continue to develop our health-led response to drug addiction” and “decriminalise drug possession for personal use”, without naming specific substances. When questions were raised about the party’s position, Fianna Fáil narrowed the scope of its ambition to cannabis and ruled out substances like heroin and cocaine. A health led approach would look at treating drug possession with an intervention and offering rehab addiction treatment for people who have a problem.

Read the Journail.ie article Here

13th November 2024

Is it right to force someone into rehab? The man whose life inspired a landmark law

Sitting at his dining room table, Kelsey Klausmeyer, 41, looks at a picture of his late husband, Enrique Klausmeyer-Garcia, known to most as Ricky. He died almost exactly a year ago, at the age of 37. Kelsey can’t make sense of it. When they met, Kelsey was awed by Ricky’s story: his long battle with addiction, his years of sobriety, his advocacy for recovery.

Read the Guardian.co.uk article Here

12th November 2024

Ireland’s Aaron Connolly opens up about alcoholism and rehab

Sunderland and Ireland forward Aaron Connolly has revealed he has battled alcoholism for several years, saying he spent a month in  an addiction treatment rehab clinic this summer after realising the addiction was killing him. The 24-year-old, who opened up about his alcoholism in an interview on second-tier Sunderland’s website to mark World Mental Health Day, pointed to his brilliant Premier League start when still a teenager as the beginning of his downward spiral.

Read the Breaknews.ie article Here

11th November 2024

‘Most drug users are functioning people. They go to work, go to college’

A suggestion in a workplace survey that 16 per cent of employees are addicted to or have an unhealthy relationship with at least one Class A illegal drug is probably an underestimate, according to the head of one of the country’s leading addiction and rehab services.

Read the Irish Times article Here

8th November 2024

‘I was spending up to £400 a day on cocaine’

A man who spent up to £400 a day on cocaine at the height of his drug and alcohol addiction is now helping others turn their lives around. Dan Robinson, 30, from Telford, started drinking at the age of 14 and later tried to take his own life due to poor mental health. Since attending recovery groups, he now works for a service called Shropshire Recovery Partnership to support others with their addiction, providing addiction rehab and treatment.

Read the BBC article Here

7th November 2024

Admitting I had a problem was hard. Then came the even harder part

Rehab was a battlefield, but I liked the person who emerged from the fog of alcoholism. My name is Matthew and I’m an alcoholic. An addict. That sullen string of words has taken me a long time to say aloud, let alone write and lay bare for all to see. I began drinking at 18. It was a way of escaping the complexity of life at home. My mother was also an addict. Her vice was sleeping pills and pain medication given to counter the effects of her cancer. 

Read the cbc.ca article Here

6th November 2024

Man in addiction recovery from gambling problem on a mission to help others

  A man who ended up behind bars from a gambling problem is helping to run a support service for others. Ben Jones, 34, was jailed for three years in 2019 for stealing money from his employer to feed his addiction. Now he is part of a service commissioned by Nottingham City Council – and he says he wishes it had been available to him at the time. The TimeOut project, run by recovery charity Double Impact, offers a range of help, including one-to-one holistic support and peer-led support groups.

Read the BBC article Here

5th November 2024

Disappointment at gambling addiction rehab and treatment centre delay

Jersey’s gambling regulation chief has said he is disappointed a specialist gambling addiction treatment centre has not been delivered. Cyril Whelan, chairman of Jersey Gambling Commission, said plans for a centre had come up against obstacles “with dull regularity”. Last year, the commission was close to signing a contract with an overseas treatment specialist who ended the partnership in order to focus on other work. Mr Whelan said this was a “cruel blow” but he was determined to work with the Government of Jersey to provide a rehab and addiction treatment service.

Read the BBC article Here

4th November 2024

Minister Donnelly announces passing of the Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024 by Houses of the Oireachtas

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has today announced the passing of the Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024 by the Seanad, completing its passage through both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Bill will increase the minimum legal age of the sale of tobacco products to 21 years of age. The measure is being introduced in order to accelerate the decline in adult smoking prevalence, which has remained at 18% for several years, and to reduce smoking prevalence among children to zero. On enactment, Ireland will become the first country in the EU to raise its age of sale to 21. Smoking addiction results in over 6,000 premature deaths in Ireland every and smokers needs a range of treatment options to overcome their smoking habit.

Read the Gov.ie article Here

1st November 2024

New gambling regulator to begin work on phased basis next year

The State’s new gambling regulator is likely to begin overseeing betting businesses in the Republic midway through next year, industry figures predict. President Micheal D Higgins recently signed the new Gambling Regulation Act, which overhauls licensing and creates a new authority to govern betting firms, into law. Industry figures forecast that the new regime should begin operating midway through next year, a key point for many businesses as they will have to renew online betting licences by that time. Gambling addiction is an increasing problem in Ireland and the new gambling Bill along with tailored addiction rehab and treatment services are important for those suffering from this condition.

Read the Irish Times article Here

31st October 2024

‘I had six cans of lager and two bottles of wine on the way to rehab’

After alcohol-induced seizures nearly killed him, Ben Robinson went to Steps Together in Nottinghamshire – and he is now six years sober thanks to receiving alcohol rehab treatment. Timely treatment for alcohol addiction is essential if people with problematic alcohol use are to be given the best opportunity to achieve recovery.

Read the Telegraph.co.uk article Here

30th October 2024

The Budget Is A “Critical Moment” For Drug And Alcohol Rehab Services

29th October 2024

How ‘pink cocaine’ – the drug that killed Liam Payne – an addiction that is taking a grip in Ireland

The seizure earlier this month of €91,000 worth of “pink cocaine” in Dublin signaled how the lethal drug that killed Liam Payne is taking a grip in Ireland. Gardai also discovered an estimated €180,000 in cannabis herb and MDMA tablets believed to be worth €7,650 in that operation in Dublin 12, but it was the pink cocaine that stood out. Despite its name, pink cocaine does not necessarily contain cocaine but is often a mixture of various substances, including MDMA, ketamine, and 2C-B. This drug is typically found in powder or pill form and is known for its vibrant pink colour, which makes it visually appealing to users. This addictive drug could put a strain an already under resourced and challenged addiction treatment services.

Read the Sunday World article Here

28th October 2024

It’s time to change our approach to drug use and addiction

An excellent article by Lynn Ruane about the need to change our drug laws to help people who are in active addiction and who need addiction rehab and treatment.

My social media feed is dense with discussions about topics like addiction, trauma, connection and recovery. Videos of people like Gabor Maté talk about how our early childhood experiences shape our outcomes in life and how important compassion is in our understanding of the decisions people make in their lives.

Read the Journal.ie article Here

25th October 2024

Minister of State Colm Burke announces funding for enhanced addiction treatment and rehab services for homeless people

24th October 2024

23rd October 2024

Centres in the US for problem gambling are noticing an alarming rise in calls to their helplines

In state after state, centers for problem gambling are noticing an alarming rise in calls to their helplines. The circumstances reported are also getting more severe, according to the directors of five problem gambling centers, a gambling researcher and an addiction counselor. People are filing for bankruptcy or losing homes or relationships. At the same time, callers are skewing younger, the experts said — often men in their 20s and 30s.

Read the NBC article Here

22nd October 2024

Stress and substance misuse are a ‘scourge’ on doctors, says medical council president

The Medical Council President, Dr Suzanne Crowe, said there had been an increase in mental health-related issues within the profession in recent years.“We’ve seen it in complaints and representations coming into the council. There are serious concerns around substance misuse. That is reflective of a profession who doesn’t feel heard, who doesn’t feel supported and who increasingly feels disconnected from those who are making decisions,” she said.

Read the Irish Times article Here