Bray Drugs Awareness Forum

09/10/2026

- HSE Warning Oct 9th 2026 -

The HSE Emerging Drug Trends lab has identified meclonazepam in two separate products being sold as counterfeit benzodiazepines (alprazolam) in the Dublin region.
Meclonazepam is a potent new psychoactive substance ‘NPS’ or ‘designer’ benzodiazepine.
It has been associated with adverse health effects including severe sedation or fatality.
It’s safer not use to use, but if you choose to use create a rescue plan, avoid using alone and get medical help immediately.

09/10/2026

- Training/Info Opportunity with PsyCare Ireland -

PsyCare Ireland is a registered Irish charity and social enterprise that provides 24-hour psychological welfare, crisis intervention, and substance harm reduction services at music festivals, concerts, and nightlife events across Ireland.

Psycare is bringing its NITE Programme to Bray on Thursday 22 October, in partnership with Wicklow Local Community Safety Partnership, funded and supported by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.

It’s a completely free, practical training day, open to youth, nightlife attendees, club-goers and anybody who wants to learn more about harm reduction and how to support peers in distress.

The programme content will explore self care, reasons things can go wrong in nightlife and recreational settings, recognising distress, checking in with someone compassionately, practical harm reduction, and knowing when further help is needed.

The training day also includes interactive scenarios and it provides skills that people can use to look after themselves, their friends and people they may encounter.

When: Thursday 22 October, 10am–4pm
Where: The Holy Redeemer Parish Centre, Herbert Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow, A98 T9C5.

Sign up at the link below :
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeToSMp3-umYc_mVhS-otnIdBAIuRUzoazK-sOkwxngA56hnA/viewform

You can also view a video about the programme, here :
https://youtu.be/8ZZAbWbIviM?si=iW-yPBujC0PVUp9b

NITE — Nightlife Intervention & Training for Empowerment — is PsyCa...

06/10/2026

- BDAF Art Competition Closing !! -

The final date for submissions to this year's Art Competition is, Friday October 9th, with entries to reach the Bray Youth Service office by 5PM.

We may have some availability in the preceding days, to collect bulk entries, please contact the BYS office or Drug Ed Project staff, to confirm and arrange.

Entries will be judged on Tuesday October 13th, with winners notified shortly afterwards. The grand prize award ceremony will be held on Wednesday November 4th.

Good luck to all who enter. 🖌 👩‍🎨 🎨

28/09/2026

- BDAF Art Competition 2026 : Closing Date Approaching -

The final day for submission of entries to the BDAF Art Competition, is Friday October 9th. Please ensure that your entries reach the office of Bray Youth Service, by 5pm that day.

Due to work schedule commitments, we will not be able to collect entries on the final day and we would appreciate if they could be dropped to the office before the deadline. We may be able to collect large group entries in the days before the submission deadline - please contact us to confirm and arrange.

Al entries received will be judged at a meeting of The Bray Drugs Awareness Forum on Tuesday October 13th and winners will then be notified shortly after, with an invitation to attend the grand prize ceremony on Wednesday November 4th.

Good luck to all.

It's all verrrry exciting!!

The pic below is of the overall prize award winner for 2025. Harrielle , with 'One touch of kindness'.

15/09/2026

- Art Competition 2026 continues ... -

A reminder that our children's art competition is still underway.
Local schools and youth groups have been telling us that they are working away on their entries.

The closing date is Friday October 9th - to reach the Bray Youth Service office by 5pm. Entries can also be submitted at any time before that date. Due to our current work schedule, we will not be in a position to collect entries on the final day, but if completed before the deadline date, we may be able to call to collect school & group entries.

All of the entries received will be judged on Tuesday October 13th with the prize award ceremony held on Wednesday November 4th.

Thanks are due to the teachers and youth/community workers that use this annual opportunity to talk about drug and alcohol aspects with the young people of Bray. Your participation in the process, is very much appreciated.

Best of luck to all 🙂

See below for some previous winning artworks.

31/08/2026

- Back to school and open for business -

The schools are back! ... and that means two things for us.

1) The start of our new academic year schools programmes.
2) The launch of the BDAF annual children's art competition.

We will be delivering information about the primary level programme to each school, in the coming week and we will be confirming schedules as soon as responses are received back. The programme is supported by the vast majority of primary schools in the Bray Task Force area and we very much appreciate that support.
Details of our secondary school programme will be circulated to schools, next month.

In the meantime.... the BDAF Art Competition 2026 .... is nowwww (drum roll for effect) ........Open!. The competition is judged in three age categories and it is open to primary and secondary school pupils in the Bray area and/or young people attending youth and community groups and clubs.

The theme is 'positive attitudes and lifestyles for young people' as an alternative to involvement in drink/drug culture. Life is to be enjoyed safely, promote the positive aspects of family support and healthy peer friendships. The competition provides a valuable opportunity for teachers, parents and youth/community workers, to talk to young people about drug/alcohol risks and harms, while they consider and work on, their artwork theme.

See the poster below for full details and good luck!. We look forward to seeing your entries.

A video of winning entries in the 2025 competition, can be viewed on the BDAF YouTube Channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSydzG2SXhs

20/08/2026

- From The National Ambulance Service -

Ahead of tomorrow's Leaving Cert results, we're appealing to parents to talk to your child about being sensible when it comes to alcohol, drugs and going out.

While we want everyone to enjoy themselves and the celebrations, it's important to be safe - make sure they've made a plan for getting home, that they know to never drive under the influence, to stay with their friends while out and to call 999 in an emergency, no matter what has happened.

20/08/2026

- Leaving Cert Results -

See below for information about leaving cert results day, from our colleagues at YouthSpin Wicklow.

Leaving Cert results will be out tomorrow at 10.00am

We have complied a useful guide on all aspects of ‘Results Day’ from where to get your results to how to calculate CAO points.

Best of Luck to Everyone https://crosscareyouthinfo.ie/results-day-what-next/

20/08/2026

- Drink Spiking -

'Spiking' is the intentional act of adding alcohol, prescription drugs, or illegal substances to another person's drink without their knowledge or consent. In recent years there has also been an increase in reports of 'needle spiking' where substances have been injected directly into people without their knowledge or consent. Drinks spiking is an aspect that we discuss in the 'Staying Safe' final session of our primary school drug and alcohol awareness programme.

The subject is included in our programme because it has arisen as an aspect that pupils have already heard of, either through seeing reports about it on TV or online, or from the relayed experiences of older siblings or relatives.

While it is something that thankfully they probably have no direct experience of, they are quite likely to have confusing and inaccurate information about what 'spiking' actually is and particularly about how someone might know that a drink has been spiked and what action they should take to keep themselves safe. In discussions at primary level, we are taking about someone interfering with a non alcoholic drink at an age appropriate social event (teenage disco or party). Discussion at this age is relevant in view of the fact that they will soon be embarking upon their secondary school journey and they will be expanding their social circles and experiences.

Recent statistics have revealed that a total of 339 cases of drinks spiking were reported to Gardai from 2021 - 2025. This amounts to an average of 67 cases per year, but victim support groups believe that there may actually be more cases that go unreported through victim fear or stigma. One HSE sexual assault treatment unit has said that 209 of the people that they treated suspect that spiking may have been a factor in their assaults. Dr Clíona Saidléar, executive director of R**e Crisis Ireland, said the yearly spiking figure is “very low” compared with the real occurrence of the crime.

Sinn Fein Community Safety Spokesperson , Mark Ward, has called for 'spiking' to be defined in law as a specific offence. Dr Saidléar said that naming spiking as a specific offence may help in increasing public awareness of the issue and may also reduce the fear and perceived stigma that victims might feel about reporting spiking incidences.

The UK Government has recently introduced a specific offence to cover drink and needle spiking through their Crime and Policing Act 2026.

19/08/2026

- Psychiatry expert says that Government action on cannabinoids and their synthetic variants, is 'ineffective' -

The law introduced in 2010 to ban the sale of psychoactive substances for human consumption, has largely been ineffective based on recently published HSE stats of 'test purchases' undertaken in v**e shops and from chemical tests carried out on the products offered for sale, all around the country.

RTE News has reported this morning that out of 76 v**es, v**e juices or edibles (gummies) tested by the HSE laboratory, '28 contained hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), or related synthetic or semi synthetic cannabinoid compounds, while eight contained potent synthetic cannabinoids, and 10 had acetate containing a compound linked to lung disease. 12 tested samples contained cannabis, or related compounds, and 41 contained cannabidiol.'

Speaking on RTE Radio 1 'Morning Ireland', Senior Registrar in Psychiatry at St. Vincent's Hospital, Dr. Brian O'Mahony, said that smoking cannabis can increase the risk of a person developing psychosis by as much as four times and consuming the various synthetic variants that have been detected in tested v**e shops around the country 'increases the risk even further'. The chances of developing long term mental health issues as a result of consuming cannabinoids are also increased with use in teenage years.

Dr. O'Mahony also stated that part of the issue is that 'it takes time and research to identify substances as psychoactive'. This delay in the legal process effectively catching up with developing substance misuse issues, leaves a lucrative loophole that can be exploited by street shops and online suppliers.

The recently published HSE findings about sale of the products to minors and the contents of substances being sold in v**e shops, has resulted in calls for new semi synthetic cannabinoids to be named and banned specifically under the 2010 Psychoactive Substances Act, instead of being covered under a non specific 'blanket coverage' approach as is done at present.

The six minute radio interview with Dr. O'Mahony, can be heard here https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/ad6f2630-74fe-4bca-8706-b4ab008d2f51/

Click below for an RTE News report on the issue, from Health Correspondent Fergal Bowers.

The HSE has said it has identified high-risk cannabinoids in v**es, v**e 'juice' and other products, like edibles, sold in shops and on the illicit market in Ireland.