The country's largest private addiction rehabilitation centre has expressed concern about an increase in the number of young people attending.

According to Dr John O'Connor, medical director of the Rutland Centre in Dublin, the number of young people presenting with addiction issues has jumped in recent years.

In the last two years alone, the number of people aged between 18 and 25 attending the centre has more than trebled, while the number of people aged between 25 and 40 has doubled.

"I am concerned to see a much higher prevalence of younger people presenting with addiction issues. While it's always a positive step to seek treatment for addiction, my concern is that drinking and drug abuse is beginning in adolescence and it is clearly getting out of a control at a much younger age.

"The brain only matures in adults in their mid-20s so the effect of alcohol and drug abuse on the brain will be a serious issue for these young people in the future," Dr O'Connor commented.

He also pointed out that in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of women seeking help with addiction issues, with excessive drinking a particular problem.

"We are seeing a distinct shift in addiction patterns. Typically alcoholism would have predominantly manifested in men in their 40s and 50s. This is still the case, however, it's prevalence among women has been on the increase over the past number of years.

"The factors driving this change are the higher volumes of alcohol being consumed. On a per capita basis, alcohol consumption is much high higher today than it was 10-15 years ago. Also the prevalence of drinking at home and the culture of drinking regularly throughout the week are now manifesting in a rise in addiction among women," Dr O'Connor said.

He added that Christmas and the New Year period is the Rutland Centre's busiest time for enquiries and admissions because as families tend to spend more time together, ‘often a person's addiction issues will become more obvious'.

"It can be a fraught time with family tensions brewing and the pressures of Christmas can often be the spark that brings a person's addiction to a crisis point," Dr O'Connor added.