Ireland's only residential adolescent addiction centre

This week, medical experts from the Royal College Of Physicians in Ireland outlined their concerns at the level of harm being caused by alcohol in Ireland. The group pointed out that discharge rates for alcoholic liver disease increased by 247 per cent for 15-34 year-olds between 1995 and 2007. Separately, a recent study carried out by academics at University College Dublin found significant levels of binge drinking among secondary school students, and Irish teenagers are consistently found to drink in higher volumes than the European norm. When those young persons with alcohol and other difficulties seek help, often they and their parents find options limited. This week, I visited the Aislinn Adolescent Addiction Centre, in Co Kilkenny, which caters for 15-21 year olds and their families. Here are some of their stories.