Women represent one of the fastest growing groups seeking treatment for cocaine, according to rehabilitation facility the Rutland Centre.
Its latest annual report found there was also “a surge” in complex, multi-addiction cases last year.
Treatment for cocaine as a primary addiction rose from 17% in 2023 to 23% in 2024, signalling one of the “sharpest single-year increases” recorded for any substance at the centre.
In recent months, the Health Research Board said cocaine was the most common problem drug among new treatment cases, accounting for over 30% of all new presentations, overtaking cannabis for the first time.
The report said that of the 72% of those who presented at the Rutland Centre with a secondary addiction, gambling comprised 10.5% and cocaine comprised 33%.
In response to what it has described as an “escalating crisis”, the centre announced plans to open a dedicated inpatient detox unit later this year.
While the number of women seeking addiction for cocaine has grown, men made up two-thirds, or 66%, of those treated at the Rutland Centre last year.
Women accounted for 34%.
The largest age groups seeking help were adults aged 25 to 44, indicating that younger adults and men are continuing to face particularly acute risks.
The primary addiction treated at the centre is alcohol, however, the number of people for whom alcohol is their main addiction fell last year.
In 2023, alcohol was the primary addiction for 65% of those who attended the centre.
In 2024, the figure dropped to 52%.
Head of Clinical Services Emma Kavanagh said the profile of addiction is “shifting”, which presents “challenges on many levels”.
“It is no longer isolated to one substance or behaviour – we’re seeing high rates of poly-addiction, often accompanied by serious mental health challenges,” she said
Over 200 people received intensive treatment through the Rutland Centre’s residential and outpatient programmes in 2024.
The centre also engaged with thousands through aftercare, free screening clinics and family support services.
Staff answered over 16,800 calls and facilitated over 11,000 aftercare attendances, which it said underscored the scale of need in Irish society.
The Rutland Centre has benefitted from a financial surplus for the first time in years, which allowed for further investment in free community-based services such as the new Addiction Screening Clinic and Family Intervention & Access Programme.
