There were 8,745 cases of treatment for alcohol-related issues in Ireland last year, as reported by the Health Research Board (HRB), reports RTE.
This marks the highest number of alcohol treatment cases in more than a decade, according to the main national agency funding health and social care research.
In 2024, close to one-third of the cases also involved problems with substances other than alcohol, reports RTE.
Among those substances, cocaine was the most frequently used in combination with alcohol, at 71%.
The percentage of individuals citing cocaine as an additional substance rose from 42% in 2017 to 71% in 2024.
The HRB reported that, since 2017, half of the people who had consumed alcohol in the 30 days before entering treatment were drinking on a daily basis, reports RTE.
Yet the data also reveals that from 2017 to 2024, the share of treatment cases classified as alcohol dependent fell from 72% to 56%.
Although this most recent report reflects the highest volume of alcohol treatment cases recorded in Ireland over ten years, the drop in the number of dependent drinkers getting help is a good sign, according to Dr Suzi Lyons, a Senior Researcher at the HRB, reports RTE.
“This is because we now know that more people are accessing treatment before they become alcohol dependent, which leads to better recovery and outcomes,” she said.
The typical age for someone entering treatment for alcohol use is 43, and men make up the majority of cases at 60%, reports RTE.
Men and women alike consume more alcohol in a single day than is recommended for an entire week. Nearly 50% are unemployed, and 8% have no fixed residence.
According to the report, two-thirds of women undergoing treatment live with at least one child, reports RTE.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Dr Lyons said: “What we are seeing within the data is a positive trend and that is the number of cases who are alcohol dependent has decreased, and this is indicating that cases are presenting for treatment earlier, before they become alcohol dependent and before they experience the worst harms of problem alcohol.”
Alcohol Action Ireland, the country’s independent voice advocating for reduced alcohol harm, has stated that children remain the unseen victims of alcohol-related harm, reports RTE.
It renewed its appeal for the rollout of Operation Encompass, an early alert system between gardaà and schools in cases of domestic abuse, reports RTE.
In 2024, nearly a third of people treated for alcohol issues also reported using multiple substances.
Following cocaine (71%), the next most frequently used drugs alongside alcohol were cannabis (49%), benzodiazepines (18%), and opioids (10%).
Earlier this week, the Rutland Centre, a rehabilitation service, noted that women are becoming one of the fastest growing groups seeking help for cocaine use and reported “a surge” in complicated, multi-addiction cases in the past year, reports RTE.
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