‘Cocaine is in GAA every club, it’s frightening’ – Limerick legend Ciarán Carey

[Eire90]

Ciarán Carey insists that this "taboo" subject in GAA circles must be tackled before the horse has bolted with the three-time All-Star adamant that "cocaine is well and truly alive in every little club in Ireland now".
"It's frightening where it's after going in the last year and a half, frightening! There isn't too much talk about it in the GAA because it's such a taboo subject. It mightn't be a popular thing to say, but it's reality and it's real," Carey told the Irish Independent.

"It's rippling through most villages and parishes in the country and there aren't too many clubs where cocaine isn't alive. I wouldn't be a bit afraid to say that about all codes; soccer, rugby, GAA or whatever, it's gone that serious."

Carey outlines how some GAA clubs are making strides to solve the growing issue by educating their members about the dangers involved, but he is abhorred with how drug use has been normalised in recent years.

"People are trying to normalise it and make it as if it's somebody having a cigarette outside, 'Sure go out and have a line instead of a fag, You're fine, no one will really mind'. That will be disastrous as a nation if we continue to go down that road," he added.

"Fifteen years ago, you'd be lucky to get a bit of hash in villages and now these places are awash with cocaine and tablets so that'll tell you how far it's after coming. It isn't going away and it's actually growing.

"I'm flabbergasted with the way it is allowed to go where it's going. It doesn't take a vacation, there's no Bank Holiday for addictions, so I'm going to do my best to confront it in whatever way I can.

"Addiction has no boundaries. It's inevitable that anyone who takes cocaine recreationally, if you take it long enough and often enough then the drug will snap them and hijack them.

"You're masking, you're hiding, you're ducking and diving from something, you're obviously taking this to cope. I need to stress also, this isn't just a male issue, cocaine is fairly strong in both sexes."

[Derryman forever]

That sounds like a great crusade for the incoming President.

[RedHand88]

I completely agree. You notice in pubs and the like too. Back in the 00s and even 10s it would have been unheard of. Now it's literally everywhere. Was talking to someone who works in the pub industry recently and they were saying the amount of people ordering pints of water all night and are still off their face is sky rocketing.

It's a cultural shift in recent years that has caused this where being opposed to drugs is now seen as old fashioned, too conservative etc. It's part of the huge swing to the left by younger people where nothing is off limits, let's do everything, take everything, to hell with the consequences. So long as I feel good in that moment, that's all that matters.

[Rossfan]

That's classic right wing philosophy

[clarshack]

Whatever happened to DAAD?

[Eire90]

Its not just young people at it they say lots of oider ones at it aswell you think after 30 you lay of the stimulants for your heart

[tonto1888]

I completely agree. You notice in pubs and the like too. Back in the 00s and even 10s it would have been unheard of. Now it's literally everywhere. Was talking to someone who works in the pub industry recently and they were saying the amount of people ordering pints of water all night and are still off their face is sky rocketing.

It's a cultural shift in recent years that has caused this where being opposed to drugs is now seen as old fashioned, too conservative etc. It's part of the huge swing to the left by younger people where nothing is off limits, let's do everything, take everything, to hell with the consequences. So long as I feel good in that moment, that's all that matters.

Yes. People doing drive is left wing. Bloody hell

[Milltown Row2]

I don't know where you lot hung about back in the late 80's through the 90's but drugs was a massive part of the nightlife, while people may not have been snorting coke in the bogs, they were popping pills and smoking dope flat out..

If someone thinks the new president should take this on he'd be wise not to make it top billing as it will not make one iota of a difference

I've no answers in how to get people to get past this, its just the new wave of stuff and hopefully like most adults they wise up start a family and crack on with their lives

And as for DAAD, are you serious? You'd need to send them to Colombia to sort out the problem ffs, if they are serious about cracking down that stuff coming in they tell the cops where its coming in who's bring it in and stop at source, but like any drug if it becomes limited they move on to something else, probably something far worse

[thewobbler]

I don't like connection made here between GAA and cocaine.

It suggests that as both can be found in every town and village in Ireland, then the former is naturally in a position to take control of the latter.

It suggests that when education fails, commonsense fails, policing fails, self-control fails and parenting fails, then the GAA must step in.

Which makes we wonder. Are us GAA folk also responsible for the alcoholism and gambling problems rife on our island? Is it our fault that our locals won't integrate nicely with those "freeloading foreigners"? Was it our fault that paedophilia was allowed to run rampant in the Catholic Church, or that wifebeating was traditionally such a popular pastime in Ireland?

Seriously, Carey and his like need stopped in his tracks.

Ireland has a cocaine issue. Not the GAA.

[RedHand88]

I don't like connection made here between GAA and cocaine.

It suggests that as both can be found in every town and village in Ireland, then the former is naturally in a position to take control of the latter.

It suggests that when education fails, commonsense fails, policing fails, self-control fails and parenting fails, then the GAA must step in.

Which makes we wonder. Are us GAA folk also responsible for the alcoholism and gambling problems rife on our island? Is it our fault that our locals won't integrate nicely with those "freeloading foreigners"? Was it our fault that paedophilia was allowed to run rampant in the Catholic Church, or that wifebeating was traditionally such a popular pastime in Ireland?

Seriously, Carey and his like need stopped in his tracks.

Ireland has a cocaine issue. Not the GAA.

100%. I think people expect sporting bodies to solve every social issue.

[gallsman]

Ireland has a cocaine issue. Not the GAA.

Take the blinkers off. The social and community structure of the GAA provides an opportunity for it to thrive. If it's Ireland's problem it's the GAA's problem and vice versa. It is not up to the GAA to "solve" it, but it is inescapably part of it.

As someone in my mid 30s heavily involved in a club abroad where we have a lot of pass through of students and younger travellers, I am genuinely shocked at the availability and widespread use of "hard" drugs. Pills, ketamine, coke, all of it. Maybe I'm naive and it's all a bit "old man yells at cloud" but it absolutley terrifies me. When I was their age I wouldn't have had the first clue about how to even ask someone how I would go about buying coke. Nobody I knew would have a clue. A few of them would smoke weed but nothing more. Now it seems young people are in the minority if they don't do drugs. It's not just lads either. Rural and city folk. It's completely rampant, and not as if it's cheap either.

[Rossfan]

Someone has to keep the Kinahans and all the rest in their luxury lifestyles

[BrotherMore6592]

Seems perfectly acceptable to be on it 24/7 if you're irelands most famous MMA star

[clarshack]

I don't know where you lot hung about back in the late 80's through the 90's but drugs was a massive part of the nightlife, while people may not have been snorting coke in the bogs, they were popping pills and smoking dope flat out..

If someone thinks the new president should take this on he'd be wise not to make it top billing as it will not make one iota of a difference

I've no answers in how to get people to get past this, its just the new wave of stuff and hopefully like most adults they wise up start a family and crack on with their lives

And as for DAAD, are you serious? You'd need to send them to Colombia to sort out the problem ffs, if they are serious about cracking down that stuff coming in they tell the cops where its coming in who's bring it in and stop at source, but like any drug if it becomes limited they move on to something else, probably something far worse

No I wasn't being serious lol.

[armaghniac]

Which makes we wonder. Are us GAA folk also responsible for the alcoholism and gambling problems rife on our island? Is it our fault that our locals won't integrate nicely with those "freeloading foreigners"? Was it our fault that paedophilia was allowed to run rampant in the Catholic Church, or that wifebeating was traditionally such a popular pastime in Ireland?

I'm not sure that the GAA has not turned a blind eye to a bit of wife beating even in more recent times.

In relation to cocaine, the GAA didn't originate the problem but it should not turn a blind eye either.