A Prevalence Study of Drug use by Young People in a Mixed Suburban Area

This report aims to determine the levels and patterns of drug use, including tobacco and alcohol, among young people in the Kilbarrack area. Questionnaires were sent to students from all primary and secondary schools in the target area, and were also sent to young people in the area who had already left school. The survey showed that 24% of respondents had smoked tobacco at some stage in their lives, with 25% listed as current smokers. Older students reported higher tobacco use, with over 40% of 16-18 year olds currently smoking. Alcohol was the drug most widely used by respondents, with 76% of all students having taken it at some stage in their lives. Prevalence of current alcohol use was higher in older children, with 84% of 16-18 year olds currently drinking as opposed to 61% of 13-15 year olds and 17% for 10 to 12 year olds. Cannabis was the most widely used illicit drug, with 37% of respondents using the drug at some stage. The next most widely used drug was inhalants, with 16% having used them at some stage, with 6% having used cocaine at some stage in their lives; the same proportion had used it within the last 12 months. There little or no significant evidence of heroin use. The report recommends prevention programmes that ensure that young people have other things in their lives other than alcohol/ drugs, such as a comprehensive range of properly resourced sporting and youth work in the community.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

A manual in quality standards in substance use education.

A Manual in Quality Standards in Substance Use Education is published by The Drug Education Workers Forum (DEWF). The manual looks at different areas of substance use education, such as schools, youth work and community settings, and provides clear information on the best practice for delivering such education.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

A Ghost in Daylight: Making Sense of Substance Misuse

The inability to deal with substance misuse is a universal human problem. No country has discovered a failsafe way of tackling it. In Ireland there is an annual public outcry about an ever-deepening drinking culture but once the outcry is over the problem subsides below consciousness. Strategies are created and launched and quickly forgotten. Everybody is aware of the problem in their own family or neighbourhood and everybody has their own opinion on causes and remedies. Why then does nothing seem to work? After demonstrating the shortcomings of previous models of addiction, Jack Houlahan identifies a pattern that all human use of substances has in common. In A Ghost in Daylight, the general reader will find many popular stereotypes re-examined in a way that will illuminate their own experience; the specialist addiction worker or researcher will find reason to challenge first principles; a new approach to counselling and advice work is suggested; the policy-maker will find a firm foundation for what will be the first attempt at an integrated policy for dealing with the range of issues we group under the title 'substance misuse'.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

A Mind of their Own. A Qualitative Study of Drug Education from a Young Person's Perspective: Exploring their Experiences, Views and Opinions

The main aims of the research are to explore young people's experiences and opinions of drug education and to discover whether it is, in their opinion, meeting their needs. The study was conducted with twenty young people aged fifteen to nineteen years in two towns in North County Dublin. The principal school teachers from three secondary schools in the area were also interviewed. The findings reveal there is a lack of planned drug education in the schools mainly, according to principal school teachers, due to timetable constraints. Another key finding is the need expressed by the young people for accurate and balanced drug education. The study also shows that there is a conflict between young people's negative opinion of teachers as drug educators and that of the literature and research, which identifies teachers as the most appropriate drug educators. In view of these findings the following recommendations are recommendations are suggested. Firstly, the role of teachers as drug educators needs further research. Secondly, the Substance Abuse Prevention Programme needs to be extended to include the over fifteen year's age group with a harm reduction/safety module as part of the programme. Thirdly, the Social, Personal and Health Education as a core subject needs to be fully implemented in the schools. Finally, the inclusion of young peoples' views in the form of a 'reference' or 'representative' group in each school would be a positive recommendation. This would give young consumers of drug education programmes some input into drug policy within the schools they attend.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Drug Misuse in Dublin, July 1982

In this report for the Medico Social Research Board the author provides an overview of the drug problem in Dublin's inner city. On 12-14 July 1982 the author visited the Sean Mac Dermott street area of the inner city, the Eastern Health Board, Coolmine Community, Jervis Street Drug Advisory and Treatment Centre and the Garda drug squad. From these interviews, the author concludes that Dublin's inner city has a serious problem with drug use, in particular the injecting of heroin. Heroin addicts steal on a regular basis to fund their habit, and frequently inject themselves in public spaces of local authority flat complexes. Despite the best efforts of the support services (Social workers, doctors, Gardai and clergy) there is a high prevalence of injecting heroin use. There has also been abuse of prescription services. Addicts frequently seek opiates from a small number of doctors who are willing to prescribe. Drug education is severely lacking or inappropriate, according to the author, and the Garda drug squad is severely over stretched. While cannabis use is said to be prevalent in Dublin's two universities, drug use has been most problematic in the deprived parts of the city. The author presents the drug epidemic, which has developed over the last two years, in moral terms, and wonders if Christian society, in particular the Catholic Church, and the health authorities can do anything to stop the crisis from worsening. Recommendations include; conducting epidemiological surveys to determine the true extent of the problem, cross disciplinary co-operation, greater drug awareness through education, and more rehabilitation units.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Psychosis with coexisting substance misuse: assessment and management in adults and young people.

This guideline offers best practice advice on the assessment and management of people with psychosis and coexisting substance misuse. Psychosis is a condition that affects a person’s mental state, including their thoughts, mood and behaviour. The symptoms of psychosis are:• hallucinations – hearing voices and sometimes seeing things that are not really there• delusions – having fixed beliefs that are false but which the person believes in completely. Substance misuse is a broad term encompassing, in this guideline, the harmful use of any psychotropic substance, including alcohol and either legal or illicit drugs. Use of such substances is harmful when it has a negative effect on a person’s life, including their physical and mental health, relationships, work, education and finances or leads to offending behaviour.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Primary School Survey 2006 - Knowledge and use of Alcohol Cigarettes and Drugs (PDF 565 KB)

Primary School Survey 2006 - Knowledge and use of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs.

New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs (2006-2011) (Online Publication)

Executive Summary and Strategy Document (May 2006) The New Strategic Direction has a set of overarching long-term aims to: • Provide accessible and effective treatment and support for people who are consuming alcohol and/or using drugs in a potentially hazardous, harmful or dependent way. • Reduce the level, breadth and depth of alcohol and drug-related harm to users, their families and/or their carers and the wider community. • Increase awareness on all aspects of alcohol and drug-related harm in all settings and for all age groups. • Integrate those policies which contribute to the reduction of alcohol and drug-related harm into all Government Department strategies. • Develop a competent skilled workforce across all sectors that can respond to the complexities of alcohol and drug use and misuse. • Promote opportunities for those under the age of 18 years to develop appropriate skills, attitudes and behaviours to enable them to resist societal pressures to drink alcohol and/or use illicit drugs, with a particular emphasis on those identified as potentially vulnerable. • Reduce the availability of illicit drugs in Northern Ireland åÊ

New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs (2006-2011) Executive Summary

Executive Summary and Strategy Document (May 2006) The New Strategic Direction has a set of overarching long-term aims to: • Provide accessible and effective treatment and support for people who are consuming alcohol and/or using drugs in a potentially hazardous, harmful or dependent way. • Reduce the level, breadth and depth of alcohol and drug-related harm to users, their families and/or their carers and the wider community. • Increase awareness on all aspects of alcohol and drug-related harm in all settings and for all age groups. • Integrate those policies which contribute to the reduction of alcohol and drug-related harm into all Government Department strategies. • Develop a competent skilled workforce across all sectors that can respond to the complexities of alcohol and drug use and misuse. • Promote opportunities for those under the age of 18 years to develop appropriate skills, attitudes and behaviours to enable them to resist societal pressures to drink alcohol and/or use illicit drugs, with a particular emphasis on those identified as potentially vulnerable. • Reduce the availability of illicit drugs in Northern Ireland

Drug and Alcohol Knowledge and Use Amongst Primary School Children (PDF 246 KB)

Mar-04

Drug and Alcohol Use Among Young People in NI (PDF 424 KB)

A Secondary Analysis of Drug and Alcohol Use Surveys - Final Report

Prevalence of Problem Heroin Use in NI (PDF 227 KB)

Mar-02

Heroin Use in Northern Ireland (PDF 141 KB)

A Qualitative Study into Heroin Users' Lifestyles, Experiences, and Risk Behaviours

European Schools Survey Project on Alcohol and other drugs (ESPAD)

ESPAD is a collaborative effort of independent research teams in about forty European countries and the largest cross-national research project on adolescent substance use in the world. Data are collected every fourth year with 1995 as the starting point. The fourth data collection was carried out in 35 countries during the spring of 2007 and the results were published March 26, 2009 The overall purpose of the ESPAD project is to study adolescent substance use in Europe from a comparative and longitudinal perspective. The basic goal is to collect comparable data on the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs among students throughout European countries. Data should be collected in cooperation between countries using a strictly standardised methodology, in order to offer as comparable results as possible. In the long run the most important aim is to monitor the of trends of the adolescent substance use in European countries and to compare trends between countries. This includes the mapping of differences and the monitoring of trends for policy purposes as well as the scientific study of the context, predictors and consequences of adolescent substance use. In relation to the EU action plan on drugs and the WHO Europe declaration about young people and alcohol, ESPAD-data can provide information for the evaluation of these charters. It is intended to repeat the surveys every fourth year. All European countries are welcome to join the ESPAD study, in the effort of making the coverage across Europe as complete as possible. Click here to download PDF 2.1mb