There has been a “clear shift” in drug addiction patterns, a leading treatment centre has said, with an increasing number of older women presenting with cocaine misuse problems.
Coolmine Therapeutic Community, a drug and alcohol treatment centre based in Dublin but with services elsewhere in Ireland, on Wednesday published data on services provided during the first quarter of this year.
It said there has been a “sharp rise” in cocaine use, which is creating a sustained demand for addiction services nationwide.
Coolmine said it worked with 1,328 people between January and March, broadly consistent with the same period last year.
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However, the profile of those accessing support continues to evolve, with male clients accounting for 60 per cent of presentations, a 6 per cent year-on-year increase.
Alcohol remains the most common drug Coolmine’s clients seek treatment for, accounting for 40 per cent of its work, but the centre noted 35 per cent sought help over their cocaine use, a 5 per cent rise year-on-year.
This trend was particularly pronounced in the midwest region, where the proportion of people seeking treatment for cocaine use increased sharply from 31 per cent to 44 per cent year on year, notably among women. Similar increases were also seen in the east region, the report notes.
The data indicates a change in patterns of use compared to last year, with cocaine addiction increasingly present among older women clients, challenging traditional assumptions about substance use demographics.
Pauline McKeown, chief executive of Coolmine Therapeutic Community, said the service is seeing “a clear shift in the nature of addiction in Ireland”.
“The rise in cocaine use, particularly among women and in regions where it was previously less common, is deeply concerning. It highlights how widespread and normalised cocaine has become across our communities,” she said.
Coolmine noted pressures on its midwest services, which supported 125 clients in the first three months of this year but has a waiting list of 40 individuals.
However, the east region continues to see the highest demand, with 794 clients supported in the first quarter of this year.
The organisation recorded significant growth in wraparound support compared to the same period last year. A total of 192 families were supported, up from 112 in the same period last year, representing a 71 per cent increase.
Furthermore, 45 children were supported across services this quarter, including 30 in full-time residential care. Engagement with the Traveller community also increased, rising from 60 individuals to 102.
McKeown said the significant growth in demand for family support shows “that when we invest in accessible, holistic services, we can reach not just individuals, but entire families impacted by addiction”.
“Our focus is to continue to expand these supports while responding quickly to emerging trends.”
