Up to one third of Irish people suffer from chronic pain on a daily basis.
Consultant in Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology, Dr. Conor Hearty, says this has resulted in an increase in opioid dependency in Irish society.
Overuse of pharmaceutical drugs like codeine can result in severe damage to the liver and kidneys, as well as an increased risk of depression.
Dr. Hearty says people’s everyday lives are being affected:
