Alcohol remains the main problem drug that people enter treatment for in Ireland, the Health Research Board (HRB) has said.

According to its latest alcohol treatment figures, 53,763 cases were treated in Ireland between 2010 and 2016, with 7,643 of these cases treated in 2016 alone.

This compares to 4,341 cases seeking treatment for opiate use in 2016, and 2,439 cases for cannabis.

The figures noted that the number of cases seeking treatment for problem alcohol use decreased slightly between 2010 and 2012, but have plateaued since then.

"The number of cases seeking treatment for alcohol as their main problem drug has plateaued in the last four years. This could be the result of a real decrease in numbers seeking treatment, the number of submissions to the reporting system, availability of services, or a combination of these factors.

"However, the proportion of cases returning to treatment has increased from 46% to 50% of cases treated, pointing to the chronic nature of addiction. The proportion of new cases presenting for treatment has stabilised since 2012 at 48%," explained senior HRB researcher, Dr Suzi Lyons.

The figures revealed that two-thirds of people seeking treatment were male and the average age they began drinking was 16 years. The average age at the time of treatment was 41 years.

Some 17% of those treated for problem use mixed alcohol with other drugs as well, with cannabis the most common additional drug, and cocaine the second most common.

Benzodiazepines (sedatives) were the third most common drug to be used with alcohol. However, the figures also showed that the proportion of cases reporting benzodiazepines as an additional problem increased from 18% in 2010 to 29% in 2016.

"There has also been an increase in the number of new cases who were already dependent on alcohol when they presented to treatment for the first time, from 56% in 2010 to 60% in 2016. This means that more people are presenting when the problem is already severe, and being alcohol dependent can make recovery more difficult," Dr Lyons said.