A homeless charity has warned of an "alarming" change in drug use trends during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The Depaul charity said a "worrying shift" in drug use has led to greater use of heroin, Roxicodone, diazepam and suboxone. Depaul is a cross border charity working with homelessness and homeless prevention.
Senior services’ manager, Deirdre Canavan said its staff have had to administer Naloxone (an antidote to drug overdose) on a number of occasions to reverse suspected overdoses.
The charity has had to train ten service users in the use of Naloxone as well as a number of family members of people at risk.
“Drugs which were readily available prior to Covid-19 are not as easily accessed now and this has caused people to experiment with drugs they may not have taken before.
“We have also found that with lockdown, people’s social groups have narrowed and the lack of social interaction and isolation has had a huge impact on people’s everyday routines. This has led to people going to places they would not usually go and be with people they may not have socialised with on a daily basis prior to Covid-19,” Ms Canavan said.
The Depaul representative said problems in the north west were increased further by the closure of its Foyle Haven day centre in Derry. The centre provided support for between 35 and 40 people who used it daily.
Ms Canavan urged people in “active addiction” or their families to contact Depaul as it is the main provider of Naloxone and Naloxone training in the western area.
