UNDERSTANDING AND CARING FOR YOUNG ADDICTS

What causes teenagers to become addicted to alcohol and drugs? The
answer, says Sister Veronica Mangan, is simple: "Alcohol and drugs".

She allows a moment for the reply to register before explaining: "It
would be lovely to be able to say `I'm an addict because of X, Y or
Z'. The primary thing is they abuse alcohol and drugs."

Highlighting background issues, such as family problems, is dangerous,
she believes. "You might have the same issues in another family but
there may be no addicts in that home . . . We need to look at
addiction as being just that, addiction to alcohol and drugs."

The Mercy Order nun is sitting in the tranquillity of the Aislinn
Centre, an 18th-century house and former convent in Ballyragget, Co
Kilkenny, which is now a residential treatment centre for drug addicts
aged between 15 and 21.

She says it is the only residential centre in the State providing
service of this kind for addicts under 18.

The decision to open it in 1998, adjacent to a local primary school,
was initially met by intense local opposition. "Once we spent some
time with the local people and educated them about what we were doing,
and what we were providing, they became very supportive," said Sister
Veronica.

Set on 14 acres of land off the Kilkenny-Durrow road, the centre is a
haven of peace and security for its residents, who come for six weeks
of treatment and then begin two-year programmes of after-care.

Sister Veronica saw the need for a specialised service for young
people when she worked as an addiction counsellor at the Aiseiri
Centre for adult addicts in Cahir, Co Tipperary.

"I began to see that they needed a treatment centre of their own, that
they needed to be with their own peers. And I was inspired by a
recovering addict who also saw that need and encouraged me to do
something about it."

Sister Veronica carried out research at centres for young addicts in
the US before the board of management and trustees at Aiseiri agreed
such a facility should be established in Ireland.

The building itself was provided by the Sisters of Mercy, but
substantial funding was required to adapt it to the needs of residents
and take on specialised staff such as addiction counsellors and care
workers.

Raising the initial funds was a "horrendous slog", says Sister
Veronica, but a fund-raising committee secured pounds 300,000 for
start-up costs. There is now support from three health boards and the
probation service, but the fund-raising never stops, according to the
centre's director of administration, Sister Bernie Ryan.

"We have a full-time recreational therapist who has a room here, but
it's inadequate," she says. "Our major project for this year is to try
and build a recreation room which can facilitate 12 residents and two
members of staff. We have to go out and look for the money for that."

The centre caters for up to 12 residents at a time, and last year 92
young people, from all socioeconomic backgrounds, were treated there.
Most came from the south or the midlands and each had a different
story to tell.

"Addiction is a very individual thing," says Sister Veronica, and
accordingly a separate treatment programme is drawn up for every resident.

The extent of the drugs problem is increasing, she adds, and young
people are experimenting with a wider variety than used to be the
case. "They're using a cocktail, whatever gives the buzz, really. It
could be ecstasy, speed, acid, hash, alcohol, cocaine . . . You ask
`How big is the problem?' We can only go by what we see here, and the
demand for treatment is ongoing."

Alcohol is as much part of the problem as any other drug, she points
out. "We're getting calls now from 13- and 14-year-olds," says Sister
Bernie. "They're starting much earlier and they're getting addicted
much quicker."

Education, particularly for families, must be part of the response to
the drugs problem, Sister Veronica believes. "What we're hearing from
the families who come to us is that they weren't aware of the problem
for a length of time."

One of the warning signs to look out for, she says, is when a son or
daughter swaps an entire circle of friends for a new one and becomes
less open about their activities. Support for addicts' families is a
major part of the service the Aislinn Centre provides.

The centre has an open referral policy. Potential residents are
screened for suitability and there is a waiting list, but no one
requiring treatment is turned away for financial reasons. "If someone
cannot afford to pay we say to the parents `Your son or daughter needs
treatment. We can offer a bed, and after that we'll work something
out' ", says Sister Bernie.

Families with BUPA health insurance are covered for treatment at the
centre, but it is not recognised by the VHI, which does provide cover
for adults receiving the same kind of treatment at the Aiseiri Centre,
she says.

Addiction to drugs is an illness, says Sister Veronica, but one with a
stigma attached, and people need to address their prejudices about how
addicts are viewed. "The clients we've had here have been extremely
gifted young people . . . I've been working with recovering addicts
for the past 12 years and more amazing people you couldn't meet.
Fantastic people."