Booze kills 42 but drugs kills9 in RAAD land

Today the Sentinel can reveal that in the Triax neighbourhood renewal area, which includes RAAD’s main stomping ground of the Bogside, Brandywell, Bishop Street and Creggan, there were 42 alcohol-related deaths and just nine drug-related deaths over the five years.

Across the wider Londonderry, Limavady and Strabane area the mount of booze-related deaths outweighed drug deaths by an even larger ratio.

Six times more people were killed by alcohol than by drugs in the North West as a whole.

According to the latest data released by the Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service (NINIS) 127 people died of alcohol related conditions across Londonderry, Limavady and Strabane over the five year period.

But only 22 verifiable deaths were due to drugs: eight in Outer North Londonderry; nine in the Triax area of Londonderry; and five in the Waterside.

There were less than five drug-related deaths in Limavady, Strabane and Outer West Londonderry, according to NINIS.

Ironically, there were far more deaths from alcohol in RAAD’s backyard than almost anywhere else in Northern Ireland.

In the Triax area there were 42 drink-related deaths compared to just nine drug related deaths. Only East and North Belfast had a worst booze death record.

Elsewhere, there were nine deaths due to alcohol in Limavady; 20 in Outer North Londonderry; 19 in Outer West Londonderry; 10 in Strabane; and 27 in the Waterside.