The HRB launched its strategy for 2016­20 and rebranding on 19 January. As part of the HRB’s new strategy the National Documentation Centre on Drug Use has changed its name to HRB National Drugs Library. Our new name and new look website was introduced on the same day as the HRB strategy. We will continue to develop our online resources and evidence services during 2016 and we’ll have details of our plans for the coming years in the next issue of Drugnet Ireland.

As part of our ongoing work in making data relating to drug and alcohol use available to those who wish to research this topic, the HRB National Drugs Library recently published interactive tables on data gathered through the 2013 National Alcohol Diary Survey1. This survey estimated the personal consumption of, and expenditure on, alcohol among the general population aged 18–75 years living in private households in Ireland. The survey included a comprehensive series of questions on both the rates and patterns of alcohol consumption and on alcohol-related harm, and involved interviewing 5,991 respondents in 3,897 households. 

The respondents were randomly selected using a two-stage probability sampling procedure. The survey was completed between July and October 2013, and achieved a household response rate of 67.2 per cent and a within-household response rate of 77.1 per cent. The survey population was weighted by age, gender and regional distribution, to ensure that it mirrored the Central Statistics Office’s population estimates for 2013.  

The new interactive tables will enable you to search the survey data for information relating to the: 

• age at which respondent started drinking alcohol;
• number of respondents who consumed alcohol in the 12 months prior to the survey and in the week prior to the survey;
• number of standard drinks respondents consumed on a typical drinking occasion;
• amount of money the respondents spent on alcohol;
• number of standard drinks typically consumed on a drinking occasion; and
• harms that have resulted from the respondent’s own drinking or as a result of other people’s drinking.  

Use the interactive tables at https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/national-alcohol-diary-survey/

1 Long J and Mongan D (2014) Alcohol consumption in Ireland 2013: analysis of a national alcohol diary survey. Dublin: Health Research Board. https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/22138/