The HSE’s Adolescent Addiction Service in Dublin has reported an increase in youth gangs bullying, threatening and intimidating other teenagers at the treatment centre they run. The youth gangs force other young people to kiss their shoes, pull hats off their head, urinate on them or challenge adults, including the gardaí. The prevalence of such youth gangs, which include both males and females, is an emerging and worrying feature of youth activity in some Irish communities. The Adolescent Addiction Service provides support and treatment for addiction issues to young people and their families in Dublin. The latest annual report shows that 65% of young people attending the service last year came from families with some history of alcohol or drug abuse, and the report recorded a 10% increase in the number of young people referred to the service for treatment for alcohol and drug abuse during 2022.
The report also found that cannabis is overwhelmingly the drug used with 98% of teenagers receiving treatment. Adolescents were taking drugs for an average of 17 months before being referred to the service. The report shows a decrease of 19% in alcohol usage and a decrease of 7% in cocaine usage. However, the use of nitrous oxide, or “laughing gas,” has increased with 22% of teenagers admitting to taking the substance. The report also says almost seven in 10 teenagers attending the service have a history of contact with HSE’s Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service, reflecting how adolescents who use drugs and alcohol face mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.issues.
Despite the closure of schools and other services due to Covid-19 restrictions, the service worked with 53 young people and their families last year, and it also worked with concerned individuals in relation to two other teenagers who did not attend the service—an increase of five over 2021 levels. The average age of adolescents attending the centre was 15 years old, with participants ranging in age from 13 to 18. More than three-quarters of those using the service were male, while 7% were non-nationals. The report also shows that the parents of 44% of young people attending treatment from the service last year were separated compared to 28% in 2021.
The report also shows that the prevalence of youth gangs is an emerging and worrying feature of youth activity in some parts of Ireland, unsurprisingly given the difficult year-plus that Ireland, like so many places globally, has gone through with Covid. The study shows that issues with some teenagers included absconding and indebtedness as well as carrying, distributing, or dealing drugs. The report recommends the need for intervention strategies that support cohesive community and family functioning to help address the issue of youth gang violence.
