A new report on substance abuse among young people underlines the depth of drug and alcohol misuse by a vulnerable section of our society. It also highlights the inadequacy of the official reaction to this problem and the need for sustained and effective responses.
To too great an extent, society is content largely to ignore the deeply destructive side-effects of alcohol abuse, in particular, and to carry on in the hope that the resultant problems will remain with someone else. But as is seen from illegal drug consumption and related gangland violence, and the weekly carnage on our roads as well as random, unprovoked urban violence (both frequently linked to alcohol abuse), these problems are not confined to someone else - they affect real families every day.
The new report, Teen drinking and other substance abuse, which has been compiled by Crosscare, is based on data provided from its Teen Counselling centres at Mater Dei in Dublin 3, and in Clondalkin, Tallaght, Ballygall and Ballybrack. It was published yesterday with Teen Counselling's annual report which analyses a wider range of problems affecting young people and efforts to deal with them by Crosscare social workers and psychologists.
Of the 442 individuals accepted by the five Teen Counselling centres in 2006, the majority - 243 - were referred by their mothers. A further 108 young people were referred by others who also have caring roles: community care and social workers (42 cases), schools (38) and fathers (28). An encouraging 70 per cent of teens who were offered assistance kept their appointments with social workers or psychologists. The reasons why young people were referred are varied and overlapping but included behavioural problems at home (38 per cent), at school (31 per cent), mood or anxiety problems (29 per cent) and conflict within the family (25 per cent).
The substance abuse report shows that smoking and other drug taking are reducing (down from 46 per cent to 16 per cent from 2000 to 2005 in the case of smoking; and 32 per cent to 15 per cent for drug taking) but alcohol abuse remains stubbornly high (38 per cent in 2000, 36 per cent in 2005).
Half of teenagers seeking help are abusing alcohol and their mental health is deteriorating. The reasons for this are varied but, as one social worker asks in the report, is it related to a lack of time devoted to our young people? "It is undoubtedly our duty to implement policies and services that will foster growth, development, health, safety, enjoyment and fun in Irish teenagers' lives," she writes. And it is undoubtedly the duty of the incoming government to do better than heretofore.