You’ll find that most young people at some point will experiment with drugs,’ says Thea Ozenturk, chief executive officer at Douglas-based addiction charity, Motiv8.

And she goes on: ‘It is a rite of passage and, whereas years ago in my era it was alcohol, in the generation of today it is likely to be cannabis or cocaine or other substances.’

The difference is that, although potentially equally addictive, alcohol is not an illegal substance, as drugs are.

And, for a youngster, getting caught with even a small amount of drugs can be life changing.

‘These are our kids: they’re police officers’ kids, teachers’ kids, doctors’ kids.

‘They’re not the kids that you would think would normally be going through the courts.

‘That’s what used to happen, and you can’t imagine how many lives have been irrevocably changed in direction because of that,’ says Thea.

It’s to help adults and young people in this situation that, for the last few years, the charity has run the drug arrest referral scheme in partnership with the police which helps as many as 150 adults and young people a year.

Thea explains: ‘Now the police have got the choice, when it’s someone with a small amount of drugs for personal use, instead of sending them down the criminal justice route, which could damage their career pathway, they can be referred to Motiv8.

‘Our dedicated counsellors will see people that they never see again because for them it’s a huge wake-up call.’

Thea added: ‘Motiv8 fundraises to run this scheme every year and without it young drug users lives could be irrevocably changed.’

But, when it comes to youngsters and addiction that is not the whole story: there is a whole other world out on the streets that most people in the island never see and have no idea even exists.

It’s a dark, scary place where vulnerable children, some as young as 12 or 13, are exploited as drug runners – the so-called ‘county lines’ model that brought illegal substances into rural areas in the UK.

Thea says: ‘This is another trend you would never have heard of here a few years ago, where the dealers out there are thinking: “Well actually, why am I putting myself in the front line when I can get some foot soldiers to do it for me?” – that’s what county lines is.

‘And the children are getting a feeling of family, a sense of “somebody wants me”, if it’s not going well at home.

‘They feel like they’ve got the support of some people who are supposed to be mates/friends but actually they’re not that.

‘They’re ending up within the criminal justice system and not able to tell, because the fear of the dealers is far greater than the fear of the system.

‘Two of our counsellors are seeing children like this on a weekly basis and we’re currently fundraising to be able to offer a much more intensive level of support for them.’

Thea is pleased to report that Motiv8 has just receive a grant of £50,000 from the Manx Lottery Trust, to launch a pilot project for this initiative.

Often, these children are vulnerable because of their home situation, family breakdown, domestic abuse or even parent’s addictive behaviours.

They are referred by social services to Motiv8’s family service, another element of the charity’s work, which is there to support the families of those with addiction issues.

This has highlighted the plight of some children in this situation.

Motiv8 regularly encounters youngsters who, because of their parents’ misuse of alcohol or drugs, are not getting their most basic needs met at home: not getting enough food, or warm clothing, or even products to wash themselves.

‘Our counsellors will spend time with children like these, buying them a few toiletries, getting them a haircut and clothes, and showing them there’s another way forward.’

While Motiv8’s ‘core’ services – counselling those with addiction issues – receives government funding, the family service does not, and the charity has to fundraise for this.

Thea says: ‘A couple of years ago the Henry Bloom Noble Healthcare Trust helped us when we were going through a funding crisis, because of Covid.

‘We were firefighting what was coming through the door which had shot right up during Covid, so we had no time to fill out application forms for assistance.’

The Trust gave Motiv8 £120,000 which kept this vital service going for another two years.

Thea says: ‘It has very quickly become an integral service for Social Services.

‘We get lots of referrals from them where are were some quite significant drug and alcohol problems within the family.’

In 2022-3, 76 families were referred to Motiv8.

Thea says: ‘It’s about giving children an opportunity, and a voice, to talk about how they are feeling about how it is at home so that they know they didn’t cause [their parent’s addiction], that it wasn’t their fault.

‘The support is also there for parents so they too can receive counselling and support and help to address their own substance use as they also can often have trauma and life events that have not been addressed.’

l You can find out more about the work of Motiv8 on its website at www.motiv8.im