This paper describes trends in treated problem alcohol use in Ireland over the six-year period 2005 to 2010, as recorded by the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS). This information will assist policy makers, service planners and public health practitioners to develop appropriate responses to problem alcohol use in the future.

It is important to note that each record in the NDTRS database relates to a treatment episode (a case), and not to a person. This means that the same person could be counted more than once in the same calendar year if they had more than one treatment episode in that year.

Since 2004 the NDTRS has collected data on cases in which alcohol was recorded as the main or only reason for seeking treatment. The process of recruiting treatment services that have not participated in the NDTRS to date is ongoing. Coverage of cases remains incomplete in some counties. It may be assumed, therefore, that the data presented in this paper underestimate the true extent of treated problem alcohol use in Ireland.

The main findings from the analysis are: In the period 2005–2010, a total of 42,333 cases presented with alcohol as a main problem substance, accounting for more than half (52.7%) of all cases treated for problem substance use during that period.

The incidence of these cases increased from 109.9 per 100,000 of the 15–64-year-old population in 2005 to 133.2 per 100,000 in 2010. The prevalence increased from 187.6 per 100,000 in 2005 to 251.6 per 100,000 in 2010. This is an indication that problem alcohol use is a recurring addiction that requires repeated treatment over time. These increases in incidence and prevalence may be explained by a true increase in problem alcohol use in the population, an increase in reporting to the NDTRS, or a combination of both.