HSE Drug Education Officer Andy Hargreaves, addressing WWSN meeting at The Granville Hotel
made in how heroin addicted
mothers are treated by certain
agencies in contrast to how
addicted fathers are handled:
that’s the view of a Waterford-
based Drug Education
Officer.
The HSE ‘s Andy Hargreaves,
who is based in
Saint Otterans, speaking at
a meeting of the Waterford
Women’s Support Network
(WWSN), stated: “I’ve 95
male clients on methadone
and I’ve never had one of
them threatened about having
their children taken away
from them unless they stop
using heroin whereas the vast
majority of our female clients
have it as a condition that
they must stop using heroin
so that they can keep their
children.”
Speaking at the Granville
Hotel, Andy Hargreaves
added: “If you imagine what’s
led a lady to use heroin and
the life experiences that she
has been through…and when
you think about anxiety and
emotional stress – all of the
female clients who come
through our services, whether
it’s alcohol or right through
to heroin – they have all got
problems that are destroying
them emotionally.
“And so what people do is
that they tend to ‘hide’ in their
favourite drug and heroin
absolutely knocks emotional
pain on its head.”
Mr Hargreaves continued:
“Heroin is a massive pain
killer- it’s very similar to morphine,
but more importantly,
it’s an emotional pain killer
– heroin completely blocks
out all emotional pain. And
the second they’ve injected
the heroin into their body, all
their emotional pain is gone
for the next hour or two.”
Andy Hargreaves also said
it was worth thinking about
what such a woman has to do
in order to obtain that drug
they use to bury their pain,
albeit temporarily.
“If you’re using €25 to €50
worth of heroin a day, in most
cases you’re going to have to
steal to feed that habit.,” he
said.
“Sex work is also extremely
common. They will, in other
cases, be dealing drugs too
– they’ll have to be doing
things that are terrible and at
some point they’ll be caught:
they’ll be barred from shops.
Shoplifting is also endemic
amongst our clientele.”
Mr Hargreaves told a
packed Granville Hotel
function room: “And if you
imagine the traumas that
female clients have had that
has led them to their drug use,
which includes emotional,
physical and sexual abuse,
then you can get an idea as
to why people might be using
a drug which is incredibly
powerful and stops, even
temporarily, emotional pain.”
Regarding alcohol, Andy
Hargreaves said: “Let’s face
it, a lot of us in this room
use it to relax, except if you
go and have your few glasses
of wine, and you wake up
the next day with a hangover
and you’re grumpy with the
kids, then it’s probable that
you’re not going to be urine
tested and have your children
taken off you for doing so.
Probable.”
As for prescription drugs,
particularly Benzodiazepine
(‘benzos’), Mr Hargreaves
stated: “They are being massively
abused in Waterford
– Valium, Xanax and lots of
different prescription drugs
– they’re being abused and
misused.”
As reported by Michelle
Clancy in our April 14th
edition, a Health Research
Board report revealed that the
Waterford area has experienced
a 675 per cent surge in
the number of people seeking
help for addiction to sedatives
and benzos over the past
five years.
“Commonly known brands
like Valium and Xanax are
now recognised by local
drugs workers as a major
problem in Waterford, with
predictions that the situation
will only get worse in
the coming years,” wrote
Michelle.
“The prevalence of heroin
in the locality was evident in
a 53 per cent jump in treatment
for opiate (in most
cases heroin) abuse. Overall,
418 people in Waterford were
treated for drug addiction in
2013, up 63 per cent on 2009
figures.”
Andy Hargreaves advised
parents: “If you’re noticing
something wrong – a change
in your son or daughter’s
behaviour – then there’s
something wrong…
“It’s then, up to you, as a
parent or a carer to use your
skills in the best way you can
with your kid to find out what
the problem is.”
