Fiona Taaffe completed the Dublin City Half Marathon last month - a remarkable achievement which marked her sixth year in recovery from drug addiction.
She is among the rising numbers of Irish women who have had to seek treatment for cocaine use.
"Cocaine was my drug and actually destroyed me, totally destroyed me. It took everything away from me. And took me soul away. I had no respect for myself. Lost total respect for myself and people pulled away from me."
Ms Taaffe said that at the time she did not even realise she was addicted.
"I just followed the party scene," she said, "I never realised it was an addiction until I was actually in my bedroom on my own...dry sniffing...losing the inside of my nose".
Her family intervened. They took custody of her daughter and enrolled her in a rehabilation programme in Cuan Mhuire in Limerick.
'It took my soul away' - Fiona Taaffe describes experience of cocaine addiction
"I knew nothing about the help that was out there. I knew nothing about treatment centers - CA, Cocaine Anonymous, NA, Narcotics Anonymous.
"I went into treatment for five months down in Limerick... that was hard. But you know what I think was one of the best five months... I really, really got a lot from it."
She is now six years drug and alcohol-free, but she is not surprised that the numbers seeking help for drug addiction is on the rise.
"It's more available and the amount of people I've had reach out to me and asked me for help. It's unreal."
The number of people being treated for drug problems reached a record high last year, according to new figures from the Health Research Board (HRB).
It shows there were 13,295 cases in 2024, an increase of almost 200 on the previous year.
According to the HRB's report, excluding alcohol, cocaine remains Ireland's most common drug for treatment, accounting for 40%.
Ms Taaffe said Irish society has become more accepting of cocaine use
"It's like walking into a pub and ordering a drink. It's readily available everywhere, everywhere. Nobody blinks if somebody is using."
Pople should realise they have an issue when they find themselves becoming depressed from their usage, Ms Taaffe said.
"There is a lot of a lot of help out there. There is, it's just a matter of looking for it, reaching out to people," she said
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Four-fold increase in women receiving treatment for cocaine use
The number of women receiving treatment for cocaine use has increased four-fold over the last eight years - from 284 cases in 2017 to just under 1,500 cases last year.
The report also shows cocaine is the main drug problem for almost half of cases who are new to treatment.
The figures, the board says, show how prevalent cocaine use has become.
The HRB also found that opioids, mainly heroin, were the second-most common drug people sought treatment for - although the number seeking treatment fell for the second consecutive year.
The third most common drug was cannabis.
Commenting on the findings, Senior Researcher at the HRB Dr Suzi Lyons said the rise in previously treated cocaine cases indicates its sustained use.
The report also found that in 2024, cannabis was the main problem drug for cases aged 19 years or under; cocaine was the main problem drug for cases aged 20-44 years; and opioids were the main problem drugs for cases aged 45 years or over.
It says this highlights an aging cohort of opioid users continuing to require treatment.
