National Drug Treatment Reporting System 2010 to 2016 data – Alcohol Treatment (Health Research Board)

This is the updated bulletin from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System(NDTRS) on cases of treated problem alcohol use in Ireland from 2010 to 2016. In this seven-year period 53,763 cases were treated for alcohol as a main problem. The number of cases has plateaued in the last four years.

Key findings in 2016

Overview

• Between 2010 and 2016 53,763 cases were treated for problem alcohol use, with 7,643 cases during 2016.
• The number of cases reported decreased from a peak of 8876 in 2011 to 7819 in 2013, and have plateaued since then.
• The proportion of cases of who were previously treated has risen slightly from 46% to 50%.
• The annual rates of all cases treated per 100,000 of the population among the 15-64 year age group decreased in 2016.
• One in five cases treated mixed alcohol with other drugs, cannabis is the most common additional drug.
• Two thirds of cases are male.
• Nearly four out of 10 cases were treated in residential facilities, similar to previous years.

Level of problem alcohol use

• Median age to start drinking was 16 years.
• The number of new cases who presented as hazardous drinkers** has decreased over time from 18% to 10%.
• In 2016, almost two thirds (65%) of all cases were classified as alcohol dependent.
• Three out of five (60%) new cases (those who have never been treated for problem alcohol use before) were classified as alcohol dependent.
• Almost three-quarters (73%) of cases classified as alcohol dependent were unemployed.
• Three in ten cases classified as alcohol dependent were aged 50 years or older.

Polydrug use in 2016

• Almost one in five (17%) of those treated for problem alcohol use reported using other drugs in 2016, similar to previous years.
• Cannabis (58%) was the most common additional drug used.
• Cocaine (35%) was the second most common additional drug reported
• Benzodiazepines (29%)were the third most common additional drug reported among cases treated for problem alcohol use.
• The proportion of cases reporting benzodiazepines as an additional problem increased from 18% in 2010 to 29% in 2016.
• The proportion of cases who reported a novel psychoactive substance (NPS) as an additional problem peaked at 7% in 2010. The proportion dropped to a low of 1% in 2014, but has risen slightly since then to 2% in 2016.