Problem drinkers exceed weekly allowance in a day
The Health Research Board (HRB) reports continued demand for alcohol treatment in Ireland.
The latest figures from the HRB show 53,200 cases were treated for problem alcohol use in Ireland between 2013 and 2019.
A total of 7,546 cases were treated in 2019, a slight increase from 7,464 in 2018.
Seven in ten cases are already alcohol dependent when seeking treatment.
Many cases in treatment had been drinking more in a typical day than is recommended in a week based on HSE low risk guidelines, the HRB states.
There is a steady increase in the number of cases presenting with problem use of cocaine as an additional drug, from 458 in 2013 to 844 in 2019.
Chief executive Dr Mairead O’ Driscoll said the report highlights high levels of alcohol dependence when people first seek treatment, as well as differences by gender and age.
Researcher Dr Suzi Lyons said “Seven in ten cases are seeking help when their alcohol use is already severe which makes treatment more complex and recovery more difficult.”
“We are also seeing men and women presenting for treatment who were drinking more in a typical day than would be recommended by the HSE in an entire week for low risk drinking.
“Women typically drank 15 standard drinks on a typical day, while men drank 20 standard drinks on a typical drinking day.’
One in five cases in treatment also report problem use of other drugs along with alcohol, she added.
“What our data shows is there has been a significant rise in the number of alcohol cases that also report problem cocaine use,” the researcher said.
“This is of particular concern because mixing cocaine and alcohol can result in greater physical harm and more severe side-effects.
“Over the same period, the number of cases reporting cannabis, benzodiazepines and opioids as additional problem drugs has been declining since 2013."
Level of problem use
A total of 53,200 cases were treated for problem alcohol use between 2013 and 2019.
In 2019, there was a small increase in the number of cases, from 7,464 in 2018 to 7,546 the following year.
More than 5,100 cases were classified as alcohol dependent in 2019, an increase of 16% from 4,450 in 2013.
Similar to previous years, the median age at which cases first started drinking was 16 years.
Mixing drugs
In 2019, a total of 1,570 of cases treated for problem alcohol use reported problem use of another drug.
Mixing drugs was reported by one in five cases each year since 2013.
Cannabis was the most common additional drug used, with 881 cases reporting problem use of cannabis in 2019, a decrease from 1,008 in 2013.
Cocaine was the second most common additional drug used, with 844 cases in 2019, an increase from 458 in 2013.
Benzodiazepines were the third most common additional drug, with 342 cases in 2019, a decrease from 424 in 2013.
Opioids as an additional problem drug were reported by 206 cases in 2019, a decrease from 236 in 2013.
Median age of 41
Similar to previous years, the median age of cases entering alcohol treatment in 2019 was 41 years.
Almost two-in-three cases were men.
Just under half of all cases were unemployed.
The number of cases who were homeless increased from 507 in 2013 to 654 in 2019.
The number of cases recorded as Irish Traveller in ethnicity increased from 144 in 2013 to 178 in 2019.
The number of under 18-year-olds presenting for treatment has decreased, from 220 in 2013 to 107 in 2019.
Similar to previous years, the median age of treated cases was higher for women (43 years) than for men (40 years).
One in three women entering alcohol treatment were 50 or over, compared to one in four men.
Preferred drinks
Preferred drinks for men were beer (43%), spirits (37%) and wine (9%), whereas preferred drinks for women were wine (35%), and spirits (35%) followed by beer (19%).