Drug-related deaths (DRDs) are a growing burden,¹ with limited international evidence of the impact of grief and the lived experience of an affected family. DRDs are associated with moral stigmas, emotional burden, shame, guilt, and complicated grief from ‘a loss that cannot be socially sanctioned, openly acknowledged or publicly mourned’.² Evidence suggests there is a need for targeted interventions in this population to explore the complex grief experienced. A 2021 study investigated the impact of complicated grief on the family system following the DRD of a family member from an Irish context.³

Patients prescribed opioid agonist therapy (OAT) for opioid dependence are known to have increased risk of multiple substance addiction, including alcohol.¹ Benzodiazepines are commonly used to treat alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS); however, given their sedative effects, increased risk of misuse, and accidental overdose, an alternative therapy is warranted for OAT patients undergoing alcohol detoxification. Baclofen is an emerging treatment for alcohol detoxification as it can reduce the craving to drink and can suppress AWS symptoms. Currently, there is a lack of evidence for its effectiveness in OAT patients. A 2021 study therefore investigated baclofen’s effectiveness and patient acceptability in treating AWS in OAT patients.²

The prevalence of alcohol use disorder among the general population in Ireland is estimated at 14.8%.¹ In an attempt to reduce alcohol consumption in Ireland and consequently the rate of alcohol-related harms, the Public Health (Alcohol) Act was enacted in 2018.² Several components of the Act have been commenced but a number remain outstanding, such as Section 13. Section 13 of the Act will restrict the content of alcohol advertisements, requiring the marketing of alcohol products to contain facts about the dangers associated with alcohol consumption; how its use is linked to a number of cancers; how unsafe it is to consume during pregnancy; and will include a link to an independent website containing public health information about alcohol.

A new study has been published based on Irish data comparing characteristics of suicide to non-suicide drug poisoning deaths (NSDPD), by sex.¹ Both suicide deaths and drug poisoning deaths are dominated by deaths among men; therefore, absence of sex-stratified mortality data can mask important sex-based differences in the data.