The Health Research Board’s most recent data indicates a peak in the number of individuals seeking aid for “hazardous” and “destructive” alcohol consumption over the past ten years, rising by 10% compared to 2022. Last year, the National Drug Treatment Reporting System’s alcohol treatment report, released on Wednesday, noted that 8,163 individuals looked for help for their alcohol consumption. Furthermore, one-fourth of these individuals were mixing alcohol and another substance, with cocaine featuring as the most common additional drug. The number of cocaine related instances saw a twofold increase from 607 cases in 2017 to 1,310 last year.
The report indicated that while those designated as “alcohol dependent” comprised 61% of first-time treatment seekers, there was a decrease in this group’s ratio from 72% in 2017. In the thirty days leading up to treatment, of those who consumed alcohol, 51% were daily consumers during the seven years from 2017 to 2023.
Details from the report revealed that in a common drinking session, the average intake for women was more than two bottles of wine or 15 standard drinks, while men consumed about nine pints of beer or over a half-litre of spirits equating to 18 standard drinks on average. Unemployment rates affected the “typical” person seeking treatment, with a man generally in his early 40’s and a woman often in her mid-40’s. These groups both faced higher unemployment rates than the average population, accounting for 60% of all treatment seekers.
People with children under 18 entering treatment often had one at home, as seen in more than half of the cases. The most frequent substances combined with alcohol were cocaine and cannabis. Among those under 35, cannabis was more popular, whereas cocaine was more commonly used by those between 20 to 34 years old.