Community Group Helps Underage Addicts

Community workers responding to drug and alcohol misuse in Ballymun, Dublin, have reported treating school children from as young as 10, who exhibit patterns of addiction.

The community group is this month celebrating a series of events to mark its 30th year of services, which were founded after three young people died from heroin use in 1981.

The Ballymun Youth Action Project will receive a visit from President Mary McAleese who will open an exhibition with works by artists with links to the area.

Organisation director Dermot King said drug use had changed over the years in the area, but that drug users were now trying to beat their addictions through treatment and training with the project.

King commented: "In the early period, deaths were more related to [drug] tablets and alcohol, whereas in other parts of the city at that stage heroin was much more entrenched. That came here as well.

"At the moment there has been a mix of drugs, with people using head shop and illegal drugs and cocaine.

"Here there are people who have experimented with drugs, cannabis being the most common one, but also alcohol and cigarettes, at that age. With the schools, we try and link them with our programmes.

"The fact that a 10, 11 or 12-year-old would be smoking cannabis would be itself quite significant as well as accessing alcohol at that age. But we wouldn't see them at that age injecting heroin.

"There are people [those ages] who would use it more than once who would have a patterned use. At 10 or 11, it would be less frequent but by the age of 14, it would be a real issue."

One young mother from the area explained how the project had helped her overcome her addiction with heroin, which she had been struggling with since the age of 14.

Sarah Jane Murphy said: "I was a heroin addict from a young age. It was madness. I tried it because other people liked it. And I was using it up until I was 18. Then I went into a clinic after my partner died. It's important now that there's no cutbacks in drug services. Some people are quick to give out about drug users and then they take away the money. If anything, services need more funds," said the community member.

Ms Murphy, whose daughter is 11, has in recent years completed rehab and has also come off methadone as well as getting treatment for behavioural difficulties.

The project has brought her hope and she has also worked on the art that will be unveiled by President McAleese.

Ballymun Youth Action Project helped, treated and trained 1,400 individuals from the area last year.

(JG/GK)