Staying positive and proactive in the community...

RURAL Ireland has changed. Social media has made it as easy for you to connect with a person from a different country, as with your neighbour. This brings positive and negative influences. As drugs are initially used as a social activity, social media has proven equally good for increasing drug awareness amongst our youth and for drug dealers to connect with their customers. The expression ‘show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are’ rings true today just as much as it always did. But seeing who the ‘friends’ are is now more difficult. There is no stereotype of drug users, drugs are abused in all areas of Irish society, from cities to the most rural villages. Drugs follow young people and addiction doesn’t discriminate. Whether drug use begins from peer pressure, curiosity or boredom, the potential outcomes remain the same: addiction, overdose, criminal conviction and mental illness. Even more potent and dangerous drugs regularly come on the market, creating even greater risks to users.

Fortunately, sport continues to be an area of positive influence, the G.A.A. has it’s own long established social network of clubs and groups which is interwoven through the fabric of our society and has provided a safe and healthy environment for people to connect. However, like social media, this network can be exploited by drug user and dealers.

As drug use is clandestine in nature you will only see the signs when you go looking. This unfortunately creates a reticence among some to tackle drug abuse for fear of creating an image of having a problem. The problem begins when it’s ignored and left unchecked. The adoption of an anti-drug strategy by the South County Board should be commended and supported, as it shows their dedication and determination to provide a safe environment for our youth to develop into healthy adults.

Sergeant Eoin Donovan, Cahersiveen Garda Station

Walsh’s SuperValu Staff and Management left to right; Dermot Walsh, Aoife Fitzgerald, Angela Brennan, Valerie Courtney, Jackie Courtney and Tim Priestley, proud sponsors of the South Kerry Championship and the South Kerry Team.

Quinlan’s Fish Shops and Seafood Bars, proud sponsors of South Kerry GAA Youth Coaching Academy.