Heroin in Ireland

pugwall

The Minister for Health has been asked to take immediate steps for the introduction of a new heroin addiction treatment programme in Portlaoise. This follows an escalation in the use of drugs in the town over the last twelve months.

This is from the 9:00 news on RTE today. Up until now I've been ignorant to the fact that heroin is affecting towns and cities all over Ireland. I only thought that heroin was a (well hidden) problem in Dublin City and Bray.
How bad is the problem? Does anyone have any statistics on Heroin addiction in the state? I would be interested in hearing what other areas around the country are affected by this.

Frank Grimes

I only thought that heroin was a (well hidden) problem in Dublin City and Bray.

I take it you don't live in Dublin then? Try walking down O'Connell Street or Lower Abbey Street at almost any time of the day and you'll see in about 10 seconds how bad it is.

Paddy20

Try asking the "Governer" of - Portlaoise prison.
I know he is a very decent human being, who in the past has introduced a "Treatment Centre" within the prison for Alcoholics.

The "Alarmingly high" number of - suicides - in prison that are related too - heroin addiction - is staggering.

Anything, that can be done too help these addicts - who are from all over Ireland - should have our FULL support.

Another worrying factor is that so many of the - suicides - both in prison and outside are related too addiction to one drug or another, including that so called acceptable "POISON" called Alcohol?..

Your,paddy20.

phobos

A good friend of mine is a cop in Ballyfermot. Which reminds me I perhaps should relay some of the posts in the Guarda thread to him. He is not one of the bad cops, as in he doesn't have a cop attitude (well not yet anyway). He doesn't mind people openly using the words Pigs/Shades/whatever around him, to describe the guards.

Anyway he has told me some stories about heroin in the area, and it's indeed scary stuff. First and foremost, let me just say to anyone out there dabbling in any sort of drugs, I don't giv a toss what you might be taking/using, but don't touch heroin. I have heard about teenagers who are completely fukked. Their life revolves around thievery to feed their habbit. They share needles, they come up, the come down, they rob, they come up....., and these are people that were going to school, and one weekend partied a little too hard, and tried the stuff out of curiosity.

He told me how they arrested a suspected dealer in a nearby dart station. But as soon as the guy noticed the guarda presence, he threw some of his stash on top of the shelter of the station platform. The lads noticed him doing this, and one of the trainee cops went over to retrieve the stuff (unknown to the other cops), by simply reaching up with his hand to feel around and grab what was up there. Worse case scenario, he could have pricked his hand on a needle, because surprise surprise there was one up there. Crazy sh1t!!

;-phobos-)

The Gopher

I think i heard once theres 10,000 users in Dublin.

TacT

get on a 46A headed for the methadone clinic Dun Laoire and watch the freaks in action....

On a side note, I got upstairs on a number 11 several months back and some dirty junky got on, sat beside me, pulled out a king-size cadbury's choco bar, discarded the chocolate, kept the foil, used the foil as a replacement for a teaspoon to burn it into an oil which he then preceeded to do god knows what with because by then I was downstairs sitting beside the driver just thinking about this FREAK upstairs and his "habbit" and all the poor souls that lose their lives to this **** day in and day out.

Nm the abusers themselves, think about a Mother who can't keep cash in the house because her son might rob her/beat her for the contents of her purse so he may buy his fix. I know people that have come home only to find they had no more t.v/radio etc. because one of their sons had become a heroin addict.

It's a v.sad state of affairs, someone who lives off O'Connell street told me that when it snowed a few yrs back they could see trails of blood in the snow and all sorts of crap, it's disgusting.

Victor

Originally posted by tactical anni
get on a 46A headed for the methadone clinic Dun Laoire and watch the freaks in action....

I think that is a bit unrepresentative seeing as tens of thousands of people use that route every day.

Cake Fiend

Today on the Dart, I sat with three skagheads talking about selling their 'Fi' to buy gear (great the way state-paid methadone helps keep these junkies in their habit). I carried on playing my Gameboy (keeping a tight grip on it), fairly oblivious to the conversation - that's how used to it I've become.

Clintons Cat

i once had a conversation with a small time dealer who was bragging about getting his first Heroin adict,it was like a rights of passage to him.he went into how he would ease off the presure then offer the occasional "freebi"," just to tide you over."
After hes paid for the cost from his supplier that one teenage kid brings him an income of £160 English Pounds a week.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Heroin addicts never get over their problem, there is seriously no point trying to help them, once you inject that stuff you might as well be dead

Clintons Cat

People can beat Heroin Addiction but they will probally still be associating with users and their former dealers.The temptation is always there,"one for old times sake" syndrome.