Irish kids drink and drugs hell

929 children hospitalised over 'recreational toxicity' |  Doc warns of cannabis and cocaine rises as heroin falls

- EOGHAN MURPHY

MORE than 900 children were hospitalised as a result of alcohol or drug poisoning last year.

Details released to the Irish Mirror under the Freedom of Information Act, show over three quarters or 724 - were girls.

A total of 3,662 people had inpatient admissions in 2022 due to drink or subtance abuse.

They had taken a range of substances, such as paracetamol, cocaine, cannabis and heroin.

The figures do not include those who were only treated in A&E.

But the European Journal of Emergency Medicine, show 3,381 people were treated in emergency wards between 2014 and 2019, due to "recreational drug toxicity".

It's the third highest rate among the 24 countries who participated in the study, behind only Norway and the UK.

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