A report by Byrne¹ aimed to calculate the quantifiable costs imposed on Irish society in 2007 by harmful use of alcohol. These cost estimates can assist policy makers in justifying and evaluating policies, such as taxation measures, that are aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm, and can help to identify research needs and gaps in national statistical reporting systems. Cross-national comparisons of cost estimates are useful in assessing the negative consequences of alcohol use in different countries and the different policy approaches to dealing with these consequences.  

These estimates include only the tangible costs of harmful use of alcohol and are an underestimate of the total costs insofar as sufficient data are not available in Ireland to calculate some of the intangible costs included in estimates from other countries. Intangible costs include the pain and suffering caused to both the drinker and those affected by his/her behaviour. No attempt is made in this report to calculate these human or emotional costs. When the unquantified human costs are considered, estimates of the tangible costs greatly understate the true cost to society of harmful use of alcohol.