THE NUMBER of people seeking treatment for problem alcohol use in the Republic is increasing and the age at which people are beginning to seek treatment is getting lower, according to preliminary figures released yesterday by the Health Research Board (HRB).
The figures show there were 16,020 instances of people aged between 15 and 64 years being treated for problem alcohol use in the State between 2004 and 2006. In some instances individuals were treated more than once.
The figures also indicate that the number of new cases treated for alcohol as their main problem drug rose by 21 per cent from 2,827 in 2004 to 3,432 in 2006.
More than one in four of the new cases who presented for treatment had started drinking by the time they were 15 years old.
But the HRB warned that the real figures for those with alcohol problems could be a lot higher than these numbers suggest as not all alcohol treatment services have yet provided information on the numbers they treated during the period in question. For example, data on numbers treated in Wicklow, Kildare and Dublin, as well as in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, is still incomplete.
The figures released show that one in five of the treated alcohol cases during the years under review reported that they had also used other drugs. In 2004 the top three additional drugs used were cannabis, followed by ecstasy and then cocaine. In 2005 and 2006, the rank order changed, with cocaine ranked second and ecstasy ranked third. This pattern was similar for both new and previously treated cases.
Dr Jean Long, head of the Alcohol and Drug Research Unit of the HRB, said the the number of cases receiving treatment for problem use of both alcohol and cocaine increased by 40 per cent in the three-year period under review, although this number was "still low".
She pointed out that the use of these two drugs together increases the risk of heart attack and the likelihood of violent thoughts, which can lead to violent behaviour.
Dr Long said the increase in numbers seeking treatment could be explained by an increase in problematic alcohol use in the population, an increase in the number of service providers reporting treated cases to the National Drug Treatment Reporting System managed by the HRB, or a combination of these two factors.
The data also indicates there is an association between socio-economic status and problem alcohol use. Only 44 per cent of new treatment cases reported were in employment.
Meanwhile, the HRB report found a link between when young people start to drink alcohol and when they start to take other drugs. It said this highlighted the importance of delaying the initiation of drinking among young people.
"The easy access to and availability of alcohol and other drugs among young people should be minimised," it said.
Ireland, according to the report, has one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption per capita in Europe.