Rate of chronic alcohol use jumps over last five years

Rates of chronic alcohol use have jumped over the last five years, official figures show.

This has come at a time when the number of people seeking treatment who are unemployed has also risen sharply.

A report by the Health Research Board also discovered that opposite ends of the country report by far the highest level of alcohol abuse — with rates in the south-east and north-west as many as three times higher than the national average.