Alcohol made up 50% of presentations at Cork & Kerry addiction treatment centre

An addiction treatment centre with operations in Cork and Kerry has said that half of all people it treated so far this year had issues with alcohol, with a quarter presenting for cocaine addiction.

Nearly 850 people have received addiction treatment from Coolmine in Cork and Kerry so far this year, with one in five of those having both a mental health diagnosis and an alcohol addiction.

The statistics for the first nine months of the year were released by Coolmine Therapeutic Community.

They show a continued predominance of alcohol-related treatment in the South-West, with 50% of all presentations linked to alcohol use, followed by 24% linked to cocaine use and 11% linked to cannabis use.

Stephen Cashman, south-west regional services manager, said: 

“Over half of all people seeking help in the South-West are doing so because alcohol is devastating their health and family life. We are committed to helping individuals rebuild their lives with compassion, respect, and belief in their recovery.”

Coolmine delivers community supports across its hubs in Cork City, Mallow, Midleton, Ahiohill, and Tralee.

Between January and September 2025, some 829 individuals accessed Coolmine’s South-West services, including 415 seeking alcohol treatment. This means the number of people is on course to increase from the 995 people seen in 2022, and set to be roughly in line with the 1,117 presenting in 2023, but down on the 1,185 seeking help last year.

The regional profile differs from national trends in that clients are predominantly male (64%), over 50 years of age (31%), and living alone (28%), while younger clients and women, and cocaine as a primary substance rather than alcohol, are increasingly more common in Dublin.

Notably, 20% of those present with both a mental health and alcohol-related diagnosis, an issue known as ‘dual diagnosis’, which has traditionally seen people struggle to access services as they are told their addiction makes them unsuitable for a residential mental health treatment, and vice versa.

Coolmine also published its 2024 annual report which shows that, nationally, Ireland saw a sharp rise in demand for drug and alcohol treatment services last year, with more than 3,293 people seeking help from Coolmine in 2024, a 35% increase compared to the previous year.

In 2024, Coolmine supported 3,293 individuals and their families, including 1,396 women (42%) — an 11% year-on-year increase.

They also supported 365 parents who completed the Parents Under Pressure programme. This was a 28% rise from 2023, with 326 families accessing direct support, including counselling, parenting and education, and 52 children entering women’s residential services with their mothers, each receiving a care plan and dedicated key worker.

Coolmine achieved a 74% retention rate across residential services, which is double the international average, while there was a 60% increase in detox bed capacity and a 7.5% rise in dual diagnosis placements across Ireland over the year.

Coolmine’s chief executive, Pauline McKeown, said: “Ireland is witnessing an unprecedented rise in people seeking help for addiction. This reflects both growing need and greater willingness to reach out for support.

“Our mission is to ensure that every person, regardless of background, has access to compassionate, evidence-based treatment that helps them rebuild their lives.”

- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.