Some 14,000 people in Ireland were admitted to hospital for the treatment of alcohol dependence in 2011, however there is a severe shortage of alcohol treatment services in this country, research has shown.

According to a study by doctors in St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, while this figure of 14,000 represented a 16% fall in overall admissions in 2011 compared to 2010, between 1995 and 2010, there was a 335% increase in admissions with alcoholic liver disease.

The findings were presented at the Irish Society of Gastroenterology's recent Winter Meeting in Kerry.

Another study presented at the meeting, which was carried out by the Mater Hospital's Liver Centre, revealed a severe shortage of alcohol treatment services here. It found that 80% of doctors cannot access vital outpatient detox services for their patients. Furthermore, just 5% were able to refer their patients directly to psychological services.

This study noted an over-reliance on voluntary organisations, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, to provide support to patients.

According to Dr Audrey Dillon, one of the authors of the Mater study, these services are considered the ‘gold standard approach to the management of alcohol dependence'.

"The overall cost implications of providing early access to the psychological therapy needed to modify behaviour would be outweighed by lower rates of alcohol-related harm, psychiatric problems, alcohol-related cancers and liver disease, and would ultimately lead to reduced alcohol-related health service costs," she told the meeting.

The Irish Society of Gastroenterology is made up of medical and surgical specialists working in the field of gastrointestinal and liver disease and associated research.