Southeast report: Almost three-quarters of people receiving drug or alcohol treatment in the southeast are male, according to a new report.
The South Eastern Health Service Executive has released its Overview of Drug Misuse report for 2004, which states that three- quarters of patients treated for alcohol and drug abuse last year were men.
Tony Barden, regional drugs co-ordinator for the South Eastern Health Board, said women generally "take more heed of health warnings and are more actively involved in their own health".
However, Mr Barden warned that with more evidence in recent years of women drinking excessively, the number of females seeking treatment for alcohol and drug abuse was set to rise.
According to the report, 68 per cent of drug treatment in the region was received by people with alcohol problems.
Mr Barden said this statistic "reflects the ongoing abuse of alcohol across the country".
The report also shows that of the 96 southeastern patients who had injected drugs, almost one in three had shared equipment.
The use of blunt communal needles puts them at increased risk of contracting hepatitis, Aids and other infections.
Some 2,549 people received assistance from established services in Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford in 2004.
Their treatment can take a variety of forms, with in-patient detoxification, counselling, residential facilities and a methadone clinic.
Mr Barden hopes that services will become increasingly community-based, to facilitate early assessment and make treatment more accessible.
"For many people, the smallest intervention will work for them," he said.