Record numbers contact HSE drug helpline with increase in calls about alcohol and cocaine

Seán McCárthaigh

A record number of people are contacting the HSE’s Drugs and Alcohol Helpline with a large and consistent increase in calls about both alcohol and cocaine.

The latest annual report of the helpline, which also provides information about HIV and sexual health, shows that almost 6,000 calls were handled by the service in 2023.

A total of 5,983 contacts were logged – the highest annual total since the service began 28 years ago – which represented an annual increase of 18 per cent.

However, the level of contacts with the helpline service about alcohol and cocaine increased at an even faster rate.

There was also a record number of calls received concerning cannabis and benzodiazepines.

The report highlighted that 27 per cent of all cases in 2023 recorded the co-occurrence of substance use and mental health issues – up from 13 per cent the previous year.

In addition, it revealed that 91 per cent of callers were first time contacts of the service with approximately half of callers seeking help or support for themselves.

Alcohol was recorded as a feature in 53 per cent of all calls received in 2023 ahead of cocaine (21 per cent), cannabis (12 per cent), opioids (11 per cent) and benzodiazepines (eight per cent).

In contrast, alcohol was only mentioned in 16 per cent of calls in 2009 with cocaine referenced in only two per cent of total contacts that year.

The helpline manager, Aileen Dooley, said the number of contacts where alcohol was mentioned as a substance of use increased by 31 per cent in 2023 to 3,159.

The report shows that 23 per cent of callers had already spoken to their GP or hospital staff about their drinking, often having been prescribed Librium for alcohol withdrawals.

Ms Dooley said it was not uncommon for callers to the HSE’s helpline to say they had previously had more than one Librium detox in the past without having accessed any form of addiction support.

She added: “Navigating addiction services can be difficult and it may be challenging for GPs to offer the full range of options to people in the course of a short GP consultation visit. It is the helpline’s experience that people often will need a longer conversation to help them determine their next steps and also to help them consider any barriers to seeking help.”

The report recommended that people attending family doctors should be given contact details for the helplines so that they can be directed to local addiction counsellors, key workers, peer support meetings as well as given them greater time to talk through their concerns.

A total of 1,260 contacts were also made with the helpline in 2023 in relation to cocaine – an annual increase of 28 per cent and up from 983 in 2022.

The report noted that the dramatic rise in contacts about alcohol and cocaine in recent years has not been reflected elsewhere in other data such as figures on demand for treatment.

“We can see new trends emerging such as increased combined cocaine and alcohol use as well as increases in synthetic cannabinoids and increases in queries about other opioids,” said Ms Dooley.

The operators of the HSE headline claimed the growing combined use of alcohol and cocaine warranted some action through continued awareness promotion due to the known increased risk when both drugs are used together.

Ms Dooley said it was noteworthy that cocaine was cited in more than three-quarters of the 55 contacts mentioning drug-related intimidation when talking about debts due to their cocaine use.

An analysis of contacts showed most substance users over 40 years are most likely to be using alcohol, whereas people aged 21-30 were more likely to be using cocaine while those aged 20 years or less were more likely to be using cannabis.

There were a record number of calls about cannabis in 2023 with 705 contacts logged – an annual increase of 19 per cent.

The helpline which was established in 1997 to provide support and information about drugs and HIV evolved into two separate services since 2010 with one helpline dedicated to drugs and alcohol and another on HIV and sexual health.

The helplines which are available on the same number – Freephone 1800 459459 – have operating hours of 9.30am-5.30pm from Mondays to Fridays while queries are also handled via e-mail at helpline@hse.ie.

The latest report shows that the rate of calls to the helpline about HIV and sexual health has been declining steadily in recent years with numbers down 66 per cent since 2017 to 157 in 2023.

The decrease has been linked to more accessible and rapid testing as well as the provision of needle exchange services.

Calls about HIV and sexual health now account for less than three per cent of all contacts.

The report shows that four per cent of calls were from professionals which typically include doctors, social workers, probation officers, solicitors, employers and teachers, with regard to a person that they work with who is drinking.

It highlighted how nine per cent of calls related to queries about how to force someone into treatment against their will with another seven per cent seeking information on how to talk to or confront a substance user.

The report showed four per cent of contacts reference violence or violent aggression from the substance user – a total of 242 cases.

Contacts about or from young people aged 20 or under accounted for seven per cent of all cases in 2023 – a total of 416 cases, of which over 80 per cent were from family or friends of the substance user.