Ireland has the third highest drug-death rate in the European Union. Ireland’s numbers alone are four times higher than the average rate of drug-death across the EU as a whole. 6,096 people died of drug related deaths between the years of 2004 and 2014 in Ireland. 697 people died in 2014. The National Alcohol Diary Survey revealed that 150,000 people in Ireland are dependent upon alcohol. 1.35 million people or more are classified as harmful drinkers. For the survey, 30 percent of the people said they have experienced harmful consequences because of their drinking. Throughout the country of Ireland, there is a drastic increase in drug and alcohol addiction, leaving millions in a struggle for their lives. Though treatment is available, there are not enough counsellors to treat those with addiction in some areas. Areas like Limerick have seen their amount of addiction counsellors cut in half as the number of people in need of counseling increases.
The problem is not isolated to Ireland. Around the world, the ratio between treatment services, such as residential programmes, therapists, psychiatrists, and counsellors is shrinking. As the drug and alcohol epidemic continues to spread at rapid rates, there are more people in need of help. Unfortunately, the addiction treatment business, especially in roles of therapists and counsellors, is not always lucrative. It also takes an extreme amount of patience, as well as empathy, compassion, and understanding to work with clients addicted to drugs and alcohol. In most treatment centers, the employees of all kinds are in recovery themselves and have become treatment providers in order to give back. However, as the numbers become increasingly imbalanced, there is less of a chance for many people to recover and then become counsellors or therapists themselves.
