Welcome to the website of Paul Egan, Alcohol/Addiction Counsellor. I am one of the leading Counsellors in Ireland in this field and I have a vast amount of experience.

I practice in the North East. Having worked as a facilitator at the Rutland Rehabilitation Centre for seven years and graduating in addiction studies from Trinity College Dublin. I am a fully accredited member of the Addiction Counsellors of Ireland.

Is addiction affecting your life?

Addiction affects us all. Those who have not experienced an addiction problem first-hand are likely to have a family member, friend or colleague who has.

Addiction is described as a recurring compulsion to engage in an activity, despite harmful consequences to one's health, mental state or social life. This is characterised by recurrent failure to control the activity. The term usually refers to drug (prescription or otherwise), alcohol, gambling, compulsive shopping, eating difficulties, sexual behaviour or the internet. Although addiction affects men and women of all ages, rates are 2-3 times higher in men.

As a result of the challenges life presents, the misuse of alcohol and other substances has become widespread. A geographical depiction illustrates the following dependency:

Substance use problems can occur even with low levels of alcohol or drug use in people who are both dependent and non-dependent. Estimates suggest that on average internationally more than 25 percent of men and nearly 9 percent of women who drink alcohol are high-risk drinkers.

These are people whose drinking is hazardous and harmful to themselves or others, even though they may not be alcohol dependent.