Alcohol treatment reverses recent trend with rise in 2022

Among those who said they drank in the last 30 days when starting treatment, there has been a significant jump in both daily drinking and the amount of alcohol being consumed.

Alcohol treatment cases rose in 2022, reversing a trend in recent years, figures show.

The Health Research Board (HRB) said there was an 8% increase between 2021 and 2022, bringing treatment cases to over 7,400 last year.

And the HRB said that their National Drug Treatment Reporting System was probably an underestimate—as 30% of treatment services don’t provide figures, with GPs currently not sending any data to the NDTRS.

The 2022 Alcohol Treatment Demand report also reports a huge increase in those in treatment mainly for alcohol also receiving treatment for another drug, with cocaine now the most common second drug.

Among those who said they drank in the last 30 days when starting treatment, there has been a significant jump in both daily drinking and the amount of alcohol being consumed.

“Between 2021 and 2022, the number of treated cases increased by 8.2%, from 6,859 cases to 7,421 cases following a period of decline between 2016 and 2020,” the report said.

The total number of cases breaks down between 3,278 new cases in 2022 (3,026 in 2021) and 3,868 previously treated cases (3,596 in 2021). Two-thirds of all cases were classified as alcohol dependent.

Among those who consumed alcohol in the 30 days prior to starting treatment, the proportion who drank daily increased from 34% in 2016 to 57% in 2022.

The amount of alcohol consumed on a typical drinking day rose from 15 standard drinks in 2016 to 18 in 2022. A standard drink is around half a pint of beer, a small glass of wine or one pub measure of spirit.

Alcohol and drugs

Around a quarter of cases involved treatment for alcohol and at least one other drug (polydrug use). There was a 35% increase in these cases between 2016 and 2022 (1,328 to 1,796).

In 2022, for the first time, cocaine surpassed cannabis as the most common additional drug (61% v 49%). Cocaine and cannabis are more common among new cases than previously treated cases, where rates of benzodiazepines and opioids were higher.

For those aged 19 or younger, cannabis was the main drug reported with alcohol, while for those aged 20-30 it was cocaine. Females reported higher use of benzodiazepines and opioids as their secondary drug, while cocaine and cannabis was higher for males.

Further findings

Almost 60% of cases in alcohol treatment were parents, with almost two-thirds of these having children aged 17 or younger. The proportion of cases in paid employment has increased between 2016 and 2022, from 25% to 34%.

Of the 7,421 cases, 43% received a “brief intervention”, 38% received counselling (individual and/or group), 22% received medication-free therapy, 21% education programmes, and 17% detox. The majority of cases reported just one treatment intervention (62%). 

Five of the nine HSE regions reported a drop in overall cases between 2016 and 2022, including CHO4 (Cork and Kerry), down 32% (from 1,411 to 953). Four regions recorded increases, including CHO 3 (Clare, Limerick, and North Tipperary), up 15% (from 507 to 582).