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Welcome
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Alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harm, and alcohol policy in Ireland
The Health Research Board (HRB) Alcohol Overview was published in April 2021, the fourth in a series
that provides updates on alcohol consumption, its related harms, and policy responses in Ireland.1
Using the HRB National Drugs Library, the overview is compiled using a variety of Irish data
sources, published Irish literature, and existing information systems and surveys.

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In brief
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In brief
Substance use in young people (aged 10–24 years) is a significant health and social problem
throughout the world. The 2013 Global Burden of Disease estimated that substance use among young men
was responsible for 14% of total health burden. Recent findings have underlined the neurobiological
vulnerability of young adults and the impact of co-occurring substance use disorders and mental
health problems that emerge in adolescence. Adolescence is the peak period for initiation of
substance use. A consistent finding from the international literature is that levels and frequency
of use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco begin to increase in mid-adolescence and peak in very early
adulthood. These are key periods of change, cognitive and emotional development, and transitioning
into employment, stable relationships, and parenthood.

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Policy
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New priorities for the British–Irish Council
by Lucy Dillion
On 11 March 2021, a ministerial meeting of the Misuse of Substances work sector of the British–Irish
Council (BIC) was held online. The Irish Government is the lead administration for this strand of
work. The meeting was chaired by Frank Feighan TD, Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing
and the National Drugs Strategy. The meeting was also attended by ministers from the Northern
Ireland Executive, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, and the British Government.1

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Law Reform Commission report on suspended sentences
by Ciara H Guiney
In August 2020, the Law Reform Commission (LRC) published a report on suspended sentences.1 The
report, which was carried out as part of the Fourth Programme of Law Reform, examines how the
principles of suspended sentences are operated and applied in Ireland. It builds on the LRC 2017
document, Issues paper: Suspended sentences.2 The overall aim of the report is to improve and
supplement these principles from a practical and procedural perspective (p. 11).1

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European drug report, 2021
by Brian Galvin
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) published the European drug
report 2021: trends and developments1 on 9 June 2021. The purpose of this report is to provide an
overview and summary of the European drug situation up to the end of 2020. The analysis offered in
the report must be regarded as preliminary due to the impact of Covid-19. The Health Research Board
(HRB) provides the Irish data and research for the EMCDDA report.

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Prevalence
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Trends in alcohol and drug admissions to psychiatric facilities
by Seán Millar
The annual report published by the Mental Health Information Systems Unit of the Health Research
Board, Activities of Irish psychiatric units and hospitals 2019,1 shows that the rate of new
admissions to inpatient care for alcohol disorders has decreased.

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National Self-Harm Registry annual report, 2019
by Seán Millar
The annual report from National Self-Harm Registry Ireland was published in 2020.1 The report
contains information relating to every recorded presentation of deliberate self-harm to acute
hospital emergency departments in Ireland in 2019 and complete national coverage of cases treated.
All individuals who were alive on admission to hospital following deliberate self-harm were
included, along with the methods of deliberate self-harm that were used. Accidental overdoses of
medication, street drugs, or alcohol were not included.

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Repeated self-harm among young people following hospital-presenting intentional drug overdose
by Seán Millar
High rates of self-harm are consistently seen among young people in Ireland and other countries. The
incidence of hospital-presenting self-harm peaks among young people, who most often engage in
intentional drug overdose (IDO). In addition, the risk of self-harm repetition is also high among
young people, with several countries reporting increases in youth self-harm since 2017.1,2,3 These
trends are of concern, considering the association between self-harm and increased risk of suicide
in young people, with repeated self-harm further elevating this risk. However, little is known about
patterns of repetition and method-switching following IDO among young people.

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Recent research
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Impact of Covid-19 on drug and alcohol services and people who use drugs in Ireland: a report of
survey findings
by Brian Galvin
In January 2021, the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) published a report on
the impact of the pandemic on services and people who use drugs.1 The report was prepared by staff
in the Research Services and Policy Unit and Health Analytics Division in the Department of Health
on behalf of the department’s Drugs Policy and Social Inclusion Unit. The report is based on two
surveys undertaken in 2020. An article outlining the findings of the first survey, the Mini-European
Web Survey on Drugs: Covid-19, was published in issue 76 of Drugnet Ireland.2 Data collection for
the second, the Survey of Drug and Alcohol Services, was completed via an online survey and by email
between August and September 2020.1

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Stigma of growing older on methadone maintenance treatment
by Emma McGrath
Following the opiate epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s, the United States (US) and many countries
across Europe have seen a significant increase in the proportion of older individuals with a drug
dependency and those receiving drug treatment. In 2017, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and
Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) reported that clients over the age of 40 receiving methadone maintenance
treatment (MMT) had increased from 20% to 40% between 2006 and 2015.1 These trends are also
reflected in Irish data, with a growing number of clients over the age of 35 receiving treatment for
opiate use since 2009.2

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New evidence on school-based programmes
by Lucy Dillion
Schools are an important setting for the delivery of prevention and harm reduction interventions to
adolescents. In April 2021, based on the findings of systematic reviews published in 2020, the
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) updated the evidence on its Best
Practice Portal (BPP) concerning school-based programmes to improve young people’s mental health and
wellbeing and reduce risks related to substance use. They relate to school-based multicomponent
positive psychology interventions (MCPPIs), school anti-bullying interventions, and e-health
school-based interventions.1,2

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Development of the Healthy Addiction Treatment recovery model for nursing in addiction services
by Emma McGrath
The purpose of a nursing model is to define the underpinning theory and concepts that guide nursing
practice. To date, there is no nursing model specific to addiction services; however, several
general models of nursing are frequently used in this context. An external review undertaken by
Strang1 described current models used within addiction services internationally as task-oriented and
reactive, with little time available for nurses to work flexibly to client need. This contrasts with
the understanding that service provision should support a person-centred journey to recovery.

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Responses
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Supporting quality standards in drug demand reduction
by Lucy Dillion
The Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSFD) is an expert group of civil society organisations (CSOs) in
the European Commission that supports the commission in its drug policy formulation and
implementation.1 One of its four working groups focuses on supporting and promoting the European
Union’s (EU) 2015 minimum quality standards in drug demand reduction.2 In January 2020, CSFD
published its guidelines and recommendations for the implementation of minimum quality standards by
CSOs,3 followed in 2021 by a CFSD advocacy plan for the promotion and implementation of minimum
quality standards in drug demand reduction.4

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Registries for quality in prevention – Xchange and Healthy Nightlife Toolbox
by Lucy Dillion
As previously outlined in Drugnet Ireland, the Best Practice Portal of the European Monitoring
Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is designed to help practitioners find practical and
reliable information on what works (and what does not) in the areas of prevention, treatment, harm
reduction, and social reintegration.1 It aims to support these stakeholders to identify tried and
tested interventions quickly, allocate resources to what is effective, and improve interventions
applying tools, standards, and guidelines. As part of the portal, the EMCDDA hosts and maintains the
Xchange prevention registry2 and the Healthy Nightlife Toolbox (HNT).3 Stakeholders can use these
registries to make evidence-based decisions about effective interventions.

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Tabor Group annual report, 2019
by Seán Millar
The Tabor Group is a provider of residential addiction treatment services in Ireland. It aims to
offer hope, healing, and recovery to clients suffering from addictions through integrated and caring
services. In addition to three residential facilities, the organisation provides a continuing care
programme to clients who have completed treatment in order to assist with their recovery. It also
offers counselling to families whose loved ones are struggling with an addiction. In 2020, the Tabor
Group published its annual report.1 This article highlights services provided by the Tabor Group to
individuals with a substance use addiction in 2019.

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Launch of AcoRN, the UK-Ireland Alcohol Research Network, 2021
by Anne Doyle
AcoRN, the UK-Ireland Alcohol Research Network, was formally launched on Thursday, 29 April 2021.1
The aim of AcoRN is to generate and build capacity for interdisciplinary research into the
development, adoption, implementation, and evaluation of alcohol policy innovation in Ireland and
the United Kingdom (UK).

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The National Family Support Network
by Ena Lynn
The National Family Support Network (NFSN)1 ceased operations on Monday, 26 April 2021. The original
Family Support Network was established in 2000 following the successful organisation by family
support groups of the first Service of Commemoration and Hope. This spiritual, multidenominational
service is held in remembrance of loved ones lost to substance misuse and related causes and to
publicly support and offer hope to families living with the devastation that substance misuse
causes. Subsequent to the success of this event and the evident desire of families to continue with
such events, the Family Support Network was formed under the auspices of the CityWide Drugs Crisis
Campaign.

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HRB National Drugs Library survey, 2021
by Mary Dunne
The HRB National Drugs Library,1 based within the Health Research Board, supports those working to
develop the knowledge base around drug, alcohol, and tobacco use in Ireland. In February 2021, staff
of the library asked visitors to its website to fill in a short survey about their experience of the
website and library services. Forty-two responses were received and some of the survey findings are
presented here.

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New publications
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Recent publications
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