EXCLUSIVE: Over 1300 kids in hospital since 2013 due to drugs
There have been over 1300 kids admitted to hospitals in NI due to drugs in the past five years, with over 70 of those under the age of three.
Last updated 22nd Oct 2018
Figures obtained by Downtown/Cool FM reveal the extent of the drugs crisis among young people locally.
However, those statistics don't include the Belfast Trust area, so the reality is the numbers are likely much more pronounced.
Dr Aisling Diamond works at the Mater Hospital A&E and said they have teenagers being admitted daily due to high levels of substances in the bloodstream.
"There appears to me to be a huge drug problem, that's getting worse," she said.
"It's now very prevalent and the type of drug coming into Belfast, it's much more dangerous and much more sinister.
"We're seeing trends with MDMA and pregabalin, the street name for that is 'Bud' or 'Lyrica'.
Another issue which we flagged up as part of our Save The Next One campaign earlier this year, is that drugs are not being used on their own as much anymore, rather they form a complex concoction on many occasions.
"The biggest issue is you don't know what you're dealing with," Dr Diamond said.
"The kids think they know, so they'll sometimes declare they've taken Bud or their friends will say.
"But you can never be sure."
Londonderry parents Sarah and Mark (their names have been changed for confidentiality) were shocked in March of this year when they had to rush their son to hospital while he suffered a bad acid trip.
"All of a sudden, we just heard this 'help'," Mark said.
"He was in the next room and all we could hear was this 'help!'."
He was treated at the hospital and suffered no long term negative effects.
They have been working with charity Start360 in the wake of the incident, but Sarah said she has been worrying constantly.
"Even in schools, it's going round schools like wildfire," she said.
"If you're in any way weak or vulnerable, I would just be afraid that he would fall into the trap.
"It's just a constant kind of worry."
It got to the point where Sarah was able to even one of the people who had been contacting their son trying to sell him drugs.
"I actually spoke to a supplier that I knew he was getting text messages from," she said.
"Somebody around the same age as himself.
"I personally messaged the guy and had asked him had he any idea of the lives he was ruining?
"He actually said 'I do, but I've got myself into a situation and I can't see any way out of it'."
The parents hope that by speaking out and drawing attention to the problem, they can help start a conversation around drug misuse among young people here.