Limerick hurling All-Star and psychotherapist Ciaran Carey is worried that the issue of cocaine use in sports clubs isn't going away.
Carey has admitted that the drug is 'well and truly alive' among both young men and women in Ireland, noting that he has noticed an increase in people suffering from the drug within his practice over the last year.
With cocaine use prominent in GAA clubs around the country, the 51-year-old hopes that those suffering can seek help.
“I just doesn’t appear to be going away,” he told Newstalk on Monday morning.
“It is well and truly alive and as I said, I am going by the ten years I worked in residential treatment and the last two years I am out on my own.”
He added: “It depends where you’re at emotionally in your own life and I suppose cocaine is no different to having your first drink – unfortunately, if you are a bit emotionally derailed, you dabble and unfortunately, if you dabble often enough or long enough it will grab you,” he said.
“It is like steps of the stairs, the progression of it unfortunately it gets worse and worse the longer you’re on it.
“The biggest thing of all is picking up the phone and reaching out for a bit of help.
“It sounds so simple verbalising it but for some people who are in the throes of it, it can be an extremely hard thing to do and that is what they need to do first.”
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