'It starts fun': Four women on cocaine's impact on their lives
Addiction services in Ireland report a sevenfold increase in women seeking treatment for cocaine use over the past eight years. Many women report using the drug as a tool for weight management and appetite suppression.
Why it matters
The trend highlights a growing public health crisis and the intersection of substance abuse with societal pressures regarding body image.
Cocaine use among women in Ireland is increasingly coming to the attention of addiction services, with the number seeking treatment rising sevenfold in eight years.
Four women have spoken to Prime Time about their experiences with the drug, from recreational use on nights out to addiction, isolation and recovery.
Their accounts also highlight a less widely discussed aspect of cocaine use: women taking the drug to suppress their appetite and manage their weight.
When Áine O'Donnell began using cocaine, she was working as an occupational therapist and maintaining what appeared to be an ordinary life.
But as her cocaine use progressed, the Limerick woman began withdrawing from family and friends.
"When I first started, I would have been quite high functioning. I held down a job, I had the car, you know, I had somewhere to live, I had everything.
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