The number of cases of Clare people treated for drug addiction in the last year has climbed by 20%.
New figures from the Health Research Board show there was also a notable surge in the number of under 18s in this county receiving treatment.
In total , there were 203 cases of Clare people treated for drug addiction in 2023, which is 32 more than the figure for 2022 and is the highest annual total ever recorded in this county.
88 of these cases related to people who had never received treatment before.
A case in this regard relates to an episode of treatment and not a person.
Cocaine remained the greatest main drug problem in Clare, with 81 treatment episodes recorded, an increase of 26% in the last twelve months.
There was also a significant increase in treatments for heroin addiction , rising by 30% from 30 cases to 39, there were 35 cases of Cannabis treatment, while 32 episodes of addiction in this county involved benzodiazepines.
One in four cocaine users involved in the report say they’re taking the substance everyday, compared to 35% of heroin users and over 80% of benzodiazepine users.
15 of the cocaine addiction treatment cases involved people who only completed their junior cert, 30 only completed a leaving cert, while 13 have a college or university degree.
68% of those treated for drug addiction in Clare last year were male, while 32% were female.
50% of cases in the county involved those aged 25 to 34, making it the predominant age bracket.
There were also 121 cases of people treated for Alcohol addiction in this county last year, which was an 11% drop on 2022’s figure.
Of those 52% were male , 48% were female.
Clare also saw a rise in the number of youths admitted for drug and alcohol addiction, rising by over 50% to 17.
