The impact of the Celtic Tiger and Great Recession on drug consumption
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Published Version
Date
2022-12-29
Authors
Windle, James
Cambridge, Graham
Leonard, James
Lynch, Orla
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Published Version
Abstract
Purpose: This paper aims to explore how the Celtic Tiger economic boom and Great Recession influenced drug and alcohol use in one Irish city. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 48 people, living in Cork City, who had previously used drugs and/or alcohol problematically. All participants had engaged with services for their problematic use and had at least one year of abstinence at time of interview. Findings: Some participants reported that their drug and/or alcohol consumption increased during the economic boom; others, who were already in (self-defined) active addiction, reported how full employment lessened some of the harms of their problematic use. For others, problematic use struck once the economy entered a downturn and, heavy drink and drug use became a means of soothing the strains of economic recession. Originality/value: The paper provides two key contributions. Methodologically, it demonstrates how large-scale national quantitative data can mask local idiosyncratic tendencies, suggesting the need for mixed-method approaches for understanding drug market trends. The paper also provides insights into the impact of global and local economic conditions on drug and alcohol consumption in Ireland.
Description
Keywords
Addiction , Alcohol , Celtic Tiger , Drug consumption , Great Recession , Insider-researcher , Ireland
Citation
Windle, J., Cambridge, G., Leonard, J. and Lynch, O. (2022) 'The impact of the Celtic Tiger and Great Recession on drug consumption', Drugs, Habits and Social Policy. doi: 10.1108/DHS-05-2022-0021