A new Health Research Board (HRB) study examines 3,000 cases treated for problem gambling in Ireland between 2008 and 2019.¹ The study published in May 2022 in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine is the first Irish national study using routinely gathered health surveillance data to describe treated problem gambling.

Alcohol is the most commonly used drug by young people, with adolescents traditionally using alcohol as a rite of passage to adulthood. A key period for experimentation and risk-taking, it is also a particularly risky time to do so, not only because of the impact alcohol can have on the developing brain but also due to early alcohol initiation increasing the risk of hazardous and harmful drinking in the future.^1–4

The Covid-19 pandemic, declared in March 2020, has had a profound impact on the lives of people worldwide, particularly on mental health, as lockdowns resulted in lost incomes, health fears, and isolation, all of which are risk factors for increased mental health problems and alcohol use. Alcohol use as a response to stressful life events increases an individual’s risk of developing alcohol problems.¹ In addition, it weakens the immune system, which in turn reduces immunity to viral infections such as Covid-19.^2,3 Studies carried out earlier in the pandemic indicated that older people were more likely to have increased their alcohol use, with stress and depression cited as reasons for the increase.^4,5 A cross-sectional study in Ireland aimed to determine the drinking motives and changes in alcohol use later in the pandemic during the second lockdown, in October–December 2020, along with psychopathological symptoms.⁶

In March 2021, the Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy, with the support of the British Embassy in Dublin, launched a report examining serious and organised crime in Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK).¹ The aim of this report was to conduct a qualitative assessment of information that was publicly available about serious and organised crime to determine how criminality occurs across and between Ireland and the UK. The report considers methods and activities that make up serious and organised crime along with the wider criminal markets where criminal behaviour takes place. It focuses on three issues: human trafficking, drug trafficking and economic crime.

Alcohol consumption in Ireland is high. It is approximately 35% higher than the Health Service Executive (HSE) low-risk drinking guidelines¹ and is associated with a considerable burden of health and social harm, with the the Health Research Board's National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) reporting three alcohol-related deaths daily in 2017.² Effective policy decision-making relies on robust evidence of the health impact of alcohol, and one source of such evidence is the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study.