55,675 treated for booze illnesses in 7yrs
75% are dependent on alcohol, study reveals
MORE than 55,000 people were treated for alcohol abuse in Ireland over seven years, figures have revealed.
Statistics released by the Health Research Board found the number of addicts seeking help fell from 8,876 in 2011 to 7,350 in 2017.
Of all 55,675 treatment cases, three in every four were alcohol dependent – with women having similar rates of reliance to men.
HRB chief Dr Darrin Morrissey said: “Alcohol remains the main problem drug that people enter treatment for in Ireland.
“The HRB generate this report each year by analysing data from multiple treatment services across Ireland, which provides solid evidence to inform policy and plan health services for alcohol treatment.
“One-in-five cases seeking treatment reports problem use of more than one drug, which is known to make recovery harder.
“That, in conjunction with the very high percentages of cases that are alcohol dependent, point to the chronic nature of addiction.”
Senior HRB researcher Dr Suzi Lyons added: “We can see a continued increase since 2011 in the percentage of new cases who were already dependent on alcohol when they present to treatment for the first time, from 50% in 2011 to 68% in 2017.
“This means more people are presenting when the problem is already severe which makes treatment more complex and recovery more difficult.”
The report also shows in 2017 the age at which most people first started drinking was 16.
Cannabis was the most common additional drug used but the number of cases reported declined steadily from 68% in 2011 to 61% in 2017. Drink’s addictive