A report by a Co Roscommon-based treatment centre for offenders with addiction problems has highlighted the growing use of drugs among young men.
The first programme report of Harristown House, which was unveiled yesterday, shows a startling contrast in the addiction patterns between younger and older men.
Only a very small percentage of men over 30 used drugs in addition to alcohol, but 82 per cent of those referred who were under 30 used drugs "to some degree, ranging from occasional use to what may have become a second addiction".
The report states that "the use of drugs in addition to alcohol is now a very significant factor among the younger men".
Harristown House, which is just outside the walls of Castlerea Prison, provides an alternative to prison for men who get into trouble primarily because of a drink or drug problem. It opened in November 1998 as a pilot project funded by the Department of Justice and is the only centre of its kind in the State.
More than 120 men ranging in age from 17 to 75 years have passed through Harristown House and its director, Ms Margaret Prendergast, said there were always people waiting to be admitted. "The people are out there and they do need the treatment."
Having worked as a probation officer for 14 years before taking up her present position, she estimates that alcohol was a factor in at least 85 per cent of the cases she dealt with.
While primarily a service for the western region, men from Donegal, Clare and Offaly have been referred. Of the referrals, nearly half had served at least one prison sentence.
Ms Prendergast described the treatment programme as "very tough" but said it had proved "a very positive intervention" for most of the men. "No matter how chaotic or unmanageable or out of control someone's life may become, recovery from addiction is possible."
The report highlights the difficulties some of the men face upon leaving the centre, particularly the younger ones who have been taking drugs.
"Having spent most of his adolescent years in a drug-taking sub-culture he cannot easily remove himself and be labelled a `sissy' or, even worse, `a rat'. The grip that the sub-culture has on the young person can be paralysing," writes addiction counsellor Mr Gerry Farrell.
A young man who completes the programme and thus avoids a custodial sentence "arouses suspicion among his former associates about his status as an informer or `rat', and he could become the subject of a vendetta".
One case history is that of a 20-year-old who had a string of convictions for mugging, robbing, burglary and assault. After leaving Harristown House he drifted back to old friends and drug-taking and was readmitted on a relapse programme. Back home again "he lives in fear of his old network, some of whom believe he is a `rat' and others that he owes money for drugs".
The men come from a range of backgrounds, from "relatively affluent" to "severely disadvantaged" and from rural and urban areas. Those aged between 20 and 30 make up the biggest group.
Offences include repeated drink driving, assaults, public order offences, domestic violence and breaches of barring orders.
While drug-taking is a factor for younger men, alcohol addiction is the main problem. Ms Prendergast said parents needed to be more aware of the dangers of alcohol and where their children were and what they were doing. Most of those she has seen started drinking as young as 13 or 14.
Families play an important part in the treatment programme, which is based on a model used by the AA. The men live in the house full-time for six weeks but a follow-up programme lasts for two years. During this time there are regular meetings for the men and their families.
Ms Prendergast stressed that it was not an "easy" option for people trying to avoid prison. The aim is to make the men confront their addictions and each day is timetabled with group therapy sessions, counselling, assignments and household chores from 9 a.m to 9.30 p.m.
The only drugs allowed in the house are those for serious medical conditions. Mobile phones are not allowed, there is no contact with friends or family for the first three weeks and TV is strictly limited in the evenings.
The house can cater for 12 men and much of the work is done in group sessions. For many, it is their first experience of group therapy or of talking openly about their problems. Ms Prendergast said these sessions were about confrontation and not about blame.
Families are asked to complete questionnaires about how the person's addiction and behaviour affected them and these are discussed in the group.
"A mother may write down on paper how she was frightened as she watched helplessly as her son smashed up her home, how she had to lock her bedroom door out of genuine fear . . . For an addict in a group of his peers, reading such harrowing and graphic detail openly can be very painful but beneficial to himself and his peers," the report said. Help and support are also offered to family members. They are encouraged to look at how they may have unwittingly prolonged the man's addiction by protecting him from the consequences of his actions.
However difficult it is, Ms Prendergast said the proof that it worked lay in the fact that the majority of men are coming back for aftercare and have stayed off drink and drugs.
She praised local people for their support - the house is managed by a local voluntary management committee.