This article is from page 3 of the 2007-12-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
CHILDREN as young as I1 are being dried out after they binge on alcohol, according to the mayor of Clare. Councillor Patricia McCarthy (Ind) made the comment this week, amid a public debate on the dangers of the combination of alcohol and drugs. The scourge of drugs came to prominence again last week after the death of model Katy French (24), af- ter she had taken cocaine. Two young
Waterford men Kevin Doyle (21) and John Grey (23) also died last week, days after they had taken cocaine at a house party in Waterford.
One of Cllr McCarthy’s colleagues on Shannon Town Council said the situation in Waterford happens “on every street corner”.
The debate arose at the town coun- cil on Tuesday night when Cllr Greg Duff (Lab) proposed that the council support the call by the National Youth Council for stiff measures to control
the availability of alcohol.
Councillor Sean Hillery (FF) said the combination of alcohol and drugs isa “lethal cocktail’. He said, “I think it is time the Government stopped the advertising of alcohol in relation to games. We are glorifying alcohol. It is very hard for young people.”
Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) said alcohol has become more easily ac- cessible for people of all ages.
“From 11 up they are going into hospitals to be dried out. Alcohol is
glamourised. It is a dangerous, dan- gerous drug. It is time for the Govern- ment to take control,’ she said.
“With the smoking gone out of public places, people are drinking at home and there are no measurements. You don’t measure the whiskey. You don’t measure the brandy. It is a dan- gerous situation. The Government has been negligent. It should address the situation with the same vigor as it addressed the cigarettes.”
Labour’s Tony McMahon said he
Kor -DUCLOM MOT LMOODN (CUNO MOST hYmolom- lm Ul emr-ks alcohol takes over.
“Children may not be cared for properly in those situations and can lead in places to domestic violence. The danger is children would accept this as Some kind of norm,” he said.
Referring to the association between alcohol and sport among young peo- ple, he said, “Everywhere you go your head is stuck in a cup of alcohol. If you weren’t going to get drunk on it, you would get drowned.”