Travellers and Substance Use—Implications for Service Provision

Abstract Introduction: The Traveller community as ethnic minority experience many risk factors for problematic substance use relating to their life circumstances, which include; “peer pressure, stress, anxiousness, family crisis, community or neighbourhood disorganisation, sibling use, parental use, sensation seeking behaviours and depression” (Fountain, 2006). The extent of Traveller drug use remains unknown due to the lack of ethnic identifiers in reporting systems and a lack of Travellers accessing services (Paveepoint, 2005c). Research Aim: The research aimed to yield an anecdotal presentation of Traveller substance use from the perspectives of drug, social, law and community service providers in Ireland. Methods: The research was qualitative in design and consisted of semi structured interviews with service providers (n = 45) in order to generate a more comprehensive picture of current dominant perceptions of the “experiences and issues relating to drug and alcohol use among Travellers“. Results: The...