Alcohol consumption is a leading risk factor for mortality and disability worldwide, with higher levels of alcohol consumption associated with a greater burden of disease.(1) Reducing and preventing harmful consumption levels of alcohol is a global public health priority. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Strategy on the Harmful Use of Alcohol, published in 2010, aimed to promote and support local, regional, and global actions in this regard.(2) The WHO’s Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022–2030 has placed a renewed focus on the effective implementation of the strategy, while recognising the associated challenges and complexity.(3) An objective of the action plan is to raise awareness among decision-makers and the general public of the risks and harms associated with alcohol consumption.

Low-risk alcohol guidelines aim to improve awareness of the risks associated with alcohol use and to support individuals to make informed decisions on their alcohol consumption. When developing low-risk alcohol guidelines, the impact of alcohol consumption on both physical and mental health should be considered. The purpose of this protocol is to outline the process by which the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) will conduct a systematic review of the evidence regarding the association between various levels and or patterns of alcohol consumption and mental health outcomes. This systematic review will focus on the association between alcohol consumption and the development of mental health outcomes within an individual. Although it is acknowledged that alcohol misuse may effect the health and well-being of those around the person who consumes alcohol, (4, 5) this will not be examined in this review.

The information contained in the review will support the update of Ireland’s current low-risk alcohol guidelines, (6) being led by the Department of Health.