News
Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI), the national addiction and homeless services charity, has seen an increase in cocaine use in young adults in the Wicklow area. The charity operates its CRIS (Community-based Recovery and Integration Support) service in Greystones, Arklow and Wicklow town, and operates on an outreach basis.
Service Manager at CRIS, Shane von Metzradt says: “Year on year, we are seeing an increase in cocaine use, especially amongst younger clients. In fact, it is now second only to alcohol as the most common substance addiction our clients and their families seek help for. We are also seeing increasing demand for our services, so we want to ensure people know we are here to help them.
Our service provides community-based drug and alcohol supports to people suffering from addiction issues, and their families. We support clients through one-to-one interventions, family support groups and stabilisation programmes.”
A parent whose daughter is now in recovery explains: “People just don’t understand how traumatic it is for the family. We stopped looking forward to anything because it was always compromised by my daughter’s addiction. We were on our knees, in desperation looking for help for us and my daughter. I found the CRIS service tremendous in terms of being responsive and offering guidance.
The fact the service is in the community is so important, it makes it more accessible and less frightening. If we hadn’t had support from CRIS I don’t know where we would be, we mightn’t have our daughter alive today. CRIS has been just like a light in the dark.”
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction issues, you can contact the CRIS service on 0404 34009 or email crisinfo@mqi.ie.
