HRB 2024 Commissioned research on Social costs and benefits associated with alcohol use in Ireland

The Health Research Board’s mission is to improve people’s health, patient care, and health service delivery by: • Leading and supporting excellent research by outstanding people within a coherent health research system; and • Generating knowledge and promoting its application in policy and practice. The Health Research Board (HRB) is a research organisation. One of its areas of expertise is alcohol and other drugs, and it holds two national information systems on the topic: the National Drug Related Deaths Index and the National Drug Treatment Reporting System. It also hosts the National Drugs Library, which is an information resource that supports researchers, policy makers, educators, and practitioners who are working to develop the knowledge base around drug, alcohol, and tobacco use in Ireland. The HRB now invites tenderers to submit responses for commissioned research into Social costs and benefits associated with alcohol use in Ireland. This work is expected to commence in Q1 2025 and be completed by the end of 2027. 1. Background to the commissioned research Extensive evidence exists of the harm associated with alcohol use in Ireland, and yet there is a dearth of up-to-date information about the financial costs. In order to provide a balanced perspective, the economic benefits of alcohol exports and employment etc will also be considered in this project. The project aims to comprehensively estimate the economic cost-benefit ratio of alcohol in Ireland. The research project will align Ireland with other countries taking substantial proactive approaches to addressing the harm caused by alcohol in society. The project will provide balanced evidence of the harms and the benefits of alcohol in Ireland, which can be used to respond to the frequently cited criticisms by the alcohol industry of measures to reduce population alcohol use and related harms.