2,500 dead from drug abuse/OD in Ireland from '98-'05, does anyone care?

gurramok

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1106/breaking59.htm

Shocking numbers, 4th highest in Europe.

75% of deaths due in part to heroin in their bodies.:eek:

Should we have a memorial to the victims or something to highlight the dangers of drug abuse to the next generation?

Almost 2,500 people died from drug abuse and overdosing in the State between 1998 and 2005 - the fourth highest rate in Europe - new research revealed today.

Over the eight-year period 2,442 people died directly or indirectly from drug use, according to a report by the Health Research Board (HRB). Heroin played a part in around three-quarters of these deaths, while cocaine was a factor in 100 deaths, the research found.

A total of 1,553 deaths were directly linked to the consumption of drugs, either alone or with other substances (poisoning), and 889 deaths were indirectly attributed to drug use (non-poisoning).

The research showed the numbers who died either directly or indirectly from drug use rose from 242 in 1998 to 400 in 2005.

MagicMarker

Nope.

Prof.Badass

Pity, most of them could have been prevented. Guess some people never learn (and i'm not talking about the drug users).

seamus

**** 'em.

Bloody junkies.

Gummy Panda

nope. don't care

oztots

You obviously do, you sound angry about it.

I know, theres not half enough of them dead. I feel your pain.

Pighead

seamus wrote: »

**** 'em.

Bloody junkies.

:eek: Pighead is actually stunned that these words have come from kind, reasonable, gentle, intelligent Seamus' account.

Does anybody know if Degsy is housesitting for lovely seamus this week?

CO19

gurramok wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1106/breaking59.htm

Should we have a memorial to the victims or something to highlight the dangers of drug abuse to the next generation?

No they chose to take the drugs why should they get a memorial to doing something stupid.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

that's it?
2500 people in seven/eight years. How many have died from alcohol abuse? car crashes? stabbing themselves in the throat with a fork while trying to eat spaghetti?

Run_to_da_hills

gurramok wrote: »

Should we have a memorial to the victims or something to highlight the dangers of drug abuse to the next generation?

No need to, we already have, its called the "Spire" in O"Connel St.

ScumLord

I wonder how many of those deaths where caused be "dirty drugs" rather than an overdose of the intended drug?

Zangetsu

In all fairness, they're shooting up dirty heroin and mixing it with Deco's latest batch of "quality cocaine". Bah... Fools tbh...

I don't like the way they say DRUG DEATHS!!!!! No no, its BAD gear and BAD coke thats doing the damage, not your friendly e or bag 'o grass...

I'd love to see a full breakdown of what causes each death. I'd bet over 98% involved heroine and mixing coke with other drugs...

"A study has found that 1,775 people died as a result of problem alcohol abuse between 1995 and 2004."

Same time frame and only a few less deaths. That isn't including road accidents...

Mr. Presentable

I don't care about them. In many ways I'm sorry there's not more of them gone. The only "illness" they suffer from is selfishness. They are a burden on the health services at a time when other services (the cuts today, eg) for people who are victims of actual illness are being curtailed.

gurramok

CO19 wrote: »

No they chose to take the drugs why should they get a memorial to doing something stupid.

For prevention purposes. Educate kids to tell them what will happen to them in their lives if they start take heroin.

Get 'em young and society will be better as a result i believe.

The huge financial cost of health programmes and the financial/emotional cost of crime where 80% of all crime is supposed to be drug related.

_blank_

Horrible junkball bastards, imo.

Glad they died.

We should kill the rest of them.

EVERYONE knows the dangers of heroin, so anyone who takes it is a retard and deserves everything they get, including death.

Pighead

Des wrote: »

Horrible junkball bastards, imo.

Glad they died.

We should kill the rest of them.

EVERYONE knows the dangers of heroin, so anyone who takes it is a retard and deserves everything they get, including death.

Here here.

Well said Des, now go and have a cigarette in celebration of your excellent post.

_blank_

Pighead wrote: »

Here here.

Well said Des, now go and have a cigarette in celebration of your excellent post.

Yeah, I smoke

If I get cancer I'll deserve it.

Pighead

Des wrote: »

Yeah, I smoke

If I get cancer I'll deserve it.

Did you just call yourself a retard? Low self esteem is never attractive!

gurramok

Des wrote: »

Yeah, I smoke

If I get cancer I'll deserve it.

And if you naievely take your first hard drug at 12 thinking its the latest cool thing, do you deserve a lifetime of misery(and misery on your family) and then an early death for that?

My pity is for kids who took up drugs especially the hard drugs and they did not understand what they were getting into. Any adult starting first time has zero sympathy of course.

fcukedvirgin

Interesting post

Do I care? No not really. There are enough people getting sick and suffering things totally outside their control who get sweet FA from the government so why on earth should we bother getting all upset about some idiots who decide to get off their face?

Fair play to anyone on drugs though who decides to get help..they deserve our full support but I have no time or sympathy for drug users of any kind

SheroN

fcukedvirgin wrote: »

Interesting post

Fair play to anyone on drugs though who decides to get help..they deserve our full support but I have no time or sympathy for drug users of any kind

Is someone who is on drugs getting help not a drug user any more? You say fair play to them on one hand but on the other you say you have no time or sympathy for them?

Nehaxak

I find heroin heads just mostly pathetic.
Thing that kind of annoys me a little though, with those stats it's clear that Heroin causes the most deaths yet the deaths caused by Cocain get the most media coverage probably due to famous people using/abusing/dieing.

ScumLord

gurramok wrote: »

For prevention purposes. Educate kids to tell them what will happen to them in their lives if they start take heroin.

Get 'em young and society will be better as a result i believe.

The problem is the kids really at risk of becoming heroin addicts aren't the kind of kids that would pay much attention to teachers telling them right from wrong. I'm not saying their a lost cause just lost in the system. From birth these kids are doomed unless they completely abandon the community they grow up in and become the runt of the litter in the eyes of all their peers.

It's not as easy as just saying they should know better, kids learn from their environment we can't really blame them for turning out the way they do.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Memorial might be a good idea, for family members etc. And as a message. Two guys I know started smoking heroin a few years back. Both from decent areas too.

Should say illegal drugs or that figure is far too high

fcukedvirgin

SheroN wrote: »

Is someone who is on drugs getting help not a drug user any more? You say fair play to them on one hand but on the other you say you have no time or sympathy for them?

I have no sympathy for drug users of any kind be they the hardened herion addicts or those people who take it at the weekend. Mind you if one decides they want to kick the habit we should support them fully.

Prof.Badass

fcukedvirgin wrote: »

I have no sympathy for drug users of any kind be they the hardened herion addicts or those people who take it at the weekend. Mind you if one decides they want to kick the habit we should support them fully.

I wouldn't go that far, but there's better things we could be doing with our taxpayers money than chasing after a few druggies. Throwing them in jail does them no favours (and costs us loads).

In switzerland they give out prescription heroin to those that have tried and failed with methadone. They have 1000 people on the program and afaia none of them have died.

Proper unbiased education (un-biased means no lies!) and proper help for those who actually want it, would go a lot further than today's pathetic efforts.

bondgirl

Drug users should be given the help they need to come off the drugs, everyone makes mistakes and bad decisions, they should be allowed a second chance to turn their lives around

SV

"does anyone care?"


nah.

Nodin

gurramok wrote: »

2,500 dead from drug abuse/OD in Ireland from '98-'05, does anyone care?

Only about the good looking middle class famous ones.

O, and Pippa O'Connor, when she falls off a horse. That was rough. So rough it was in the news for three days. Its not drugs....not on her part anyway.....

Nodin

Des wrote: »

Yeah, I smoke

If I get cancer I'll deserve it.

Though you might end up like me and not get it in your lungs. As a 60 a day man, I felt somewhat betrayed.

phantom_lord

that's not many, how many died on the roads, alcohol, or smoking? and sur' drugs are way more fun than all of those!

Venom

Dont care in the least.

Hammered hippie

Silly thing then that the governement is intimidating headshops were legal and safe drugs are available from known sources with known ingredients.

With a bit of bad luck the governement will try to close down these shops driving tens of thousands of people right into the hands of dealers of the illegal stuff...and all that for a meazly hand full of extra voters!!

Way to go!....one can really tell that politicians have the welfare of the public in mind...untill they cast their vote and then they can bugger off!

So just wait for the increase of drug deaths once headshops are being closed down and then take your complaint to the governement since they are doing the right thing at this moment to get the annual amount of drugs deaths up instead of down

staker

Venom wrote: »

Dont care in the least.

+1

Dudess

A lot of heroin users tried it "for the buzz", oblivious to how easy it is to get addicted. Plenty of us did something "just to try it".

I hate the judgemental crap on these threads of "they deserve to die". It's profoundly ignorant and stupid.

Hammered hippie

@Dudess
And to satisfy many a person's curiosity headshops provide safe content and professional information.
Usually the information about the stuff keeps people away from it since it turns out it was not the buzz they were looking for...they go back to drinking a beer and that's that
Often when they try they didn't like it and won't try drugs again.
The ones that like it usually stick to headshop stuff.

Imagine those curious people having gone to a dealer of the illegal stuff.

staker

Anyone who tries heroin "for the buzz" deserves what's coming.
Nothing judgemental or crap about it,just plain fact.
I'll refrain from labelling you stupid or ignorant because you normally post good sound opinions but sorry Dudess, i don't agree with your 'blanket slander'.

Hammered hippie

@Staker

You are apparently well informed about the dangers of stuff like Heroin.
Some people weren't,... especially in the 80's or before.
Mind you..information about such a simple thing as contraception was basically illegal here until recently..let alone proper info about such a thing as Heroin.
So instead of slanting those who had the misfortune of not being as well informed as you ...well......you could be a bit more mercyfull

dotsman

Dudess wrote: »

A lot of heroin users tried it "for the buzz", oblivious to how easy it is to get addicted. Plenty of us did something "just to try it".

I hate the judgemental crap on these threads of "they deserve to die". It's profoundly ignorant and stupid.

Agree with you on the "deserve to die" being a tad strong. But at the same time, I'd have more sympathy for someone who's death was not down to their own actions.

With regards to "just to try it", everyone's aware of the risks. It's not like anybody actually shot up on heroin without knowing that most people end up as junkies after "just trying it". For me, I don't blame anyone for me being a smoker. I was well aware that they're addictive when I first smoked, the same way junkies (including those that have died) have to take full responsibility. They gambled, they lost, but it's nobody else's fault.

Dudess

staker wrote: »

you normally post good sound opinions

Thanks.

i don't agree with your 'blanket slander'.

It's not slander - I'm only referring to the posts, not the posters.

And yes, I strongly dislike the moralising on these threads. It's unfair to make blanket generalisations about heroin addicts also. Sure, plenty of them are scumbags anyway, plenty of them are irresponsible idiots, but some of them made a stupid mistake and by god they are paying for it.

dotsman wrote: »

With regards to "just to try it", everyone's aware of the risks. It's not like anybody actually shot up on heroin without knowing that most people end up as junkies after "just trying it".

Strongly disagree. People "just try" smoking and convince themselves they won't become addicted. Sure, they're lying to themselves, but they don't think "I'm gonna become a smoker but meh, so what..."
Similar principle with heroin - users don't generally start out injecting anyway, they smoke it, then they "upgrade" to needles.

For me, I don't blame anyone for me being a smoker. I was well aware that they're addictive when I first smoked, the same way junkies (including those that have died) have to take full responsibility. They gambled, they lost, but it's nobody else's fault.

Completely agree but that's still no reason for the dismissive attitudes towards them. Like people don't treat smokers or alcoholics with half as much derision, simply because heroin is an illegal, dirty drug.

phantom_lord

staker wrote: »

Anyone who tries heroin "for the buzz" deserves what's coming.

life nit

staker

merciful? why?
i've done nothing wrong.
i've expressed my opninion is all.
like i said, i'm pretty certain the information regarding the dangers of taking heroin and other related drugs is as widely accessible and available as the information available as how to "shoot up" or "skin up" is.
it's up to the individual to take responsibility for his/her actions and stop laying blame at other people's doors.

Hammered hippie

That info is available now indeed
But it was not always

Dudess

But I'm not for one second saying the heroin addicts aren't accountable for the situation they're in, I'm just saying I disagree with the dismissal of them as little more than dog droppings. Just because they made their own mess doesn't mean they're not deserving of a little compassion.

Shryke

A lot of people who do drugs have problems. Real problems. Whether they have had rough lives or gone through some traumatic situations or they're from a broken home or suffer a mental illness, drugs is a release from all of that. So is alcohol to an extent and a lot of people turn to the bottle rather than narcotics but others don't. I'm really sickened by some of the posts people make. Whether it's the latest peadophile thread or something like this there's always a big ugly mob shouting for castration and death and all kinds of horrible punishments. Sure this is After Hours. But this is a place for a bit of banter, not vindictive hate from a buch of self righteous keyboard warriors.
And yes I ****ing care. I knew one of those 2500. And **** everyone in this thread who says 'Good enough for them'.

Hammered hippie

Then again
Many people know what heroin does and brings and use it anyways...why? one can wonder

Believe me

It is the sullen, desinterested and harsh view of many people like you Staker that makes people crave that bit of oblivion.

Then again..you probably never wondered why people end up in lesser situation than you are...or did you.

Kicking the 'weak and wandering' will only make more of them

Hammered hippie

+1 for Sandor!!!

staker

maybe so hippie,at least the information is more widely available now.
i don't know you're circumstances but surely you'll agree in saying that an initial fear and weariness exists in potential drug users before that first joint/shot?
that's the responsibility i'm talking about.... i can feel (slightly) for the user once he hes got himself into this situation but my arguement is his freedom of choice first day.
it's a complex scenario coz i've messed up too in other ways but drug users looking for empathy usually brings out the worse in me.

Hellm0

I for one think its a pity that so many people resort to heroin as an escape from life, regardless of background or economic situation. As dudess put it, generalizations about user's deserving death are not really constructive and usually just belay a lack of experience with addiction.

dotsman

Dudess wrote: »

Strongly disagree....Completely agree...

How do you strongly disagree and yet, completely agree with what was, in essence, the same point

Oh I know a newbie pretty much thinks "that won't happen to me", but that's what people always think before they take risks (speeding/drink driving/wrestling Amazonian women). But they are still well aware of the risks. It's not a case of "if only they had been told one more time that heroin was addictive". As I said, same for me. I didn't take my first drag thinking that I would end up addicted. But 2 years later (my 16t birthday) I realised I had to sneak out of the house and have a cigarette on my own, just because, I needed a smoke!

I wish I didn't take up smoking, but I don't blame anyone for it. If I get cancer, the only person I have to blame is myself. And I would also hate for people to feel sorry for me if it turns out that my death (some time in the next 120 years I predict) was caused by smoking!

As for why people junkies are far below smokers/alcos on the social ladder? Well, smoking doesn't really inhibit a person's ability to interact with society (ie they can still function as an everyday person, working, family life, friends, finances etc). Alcos are the same until it gets totally out of control, at which stage they are ostrocised from society in the same manner as junkies.

Dudess

dotsman wrote: »

How do you strongly disagree and yet, completely agree with what was, in essence, the same point

Well no... I strongly disagree with your assertion that a person who uses heroin for the first time (and they won't necessarily shoot up, they'll smoke it) knows they'll become an addict. They might genuinely think they'll be strong enough to just stick with "dabbling"
I strongly agree with your statement that at the end of the day, the user is responsible for their decision. Having a degree of compassion for them though, doesn't mean one is deflecting personal responsibility from them.

As for the risks being publicised - many junkies are uneducated to the point of illiteracy in the first place.