The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published a protocol to review evidence on the association between alcohol consumption and mental health outcomes. 

This review accompanies an ongoing HIQA analysis examining how alcohol consumption levels are associated with alcohol-related mortality and hospital admission in Ireland, announced earlier this year. 

Michelle O’Neill, Deputy Director of Health Technology Assessment at HIQA, said: “This work will support the Department of Health in updating the low-risk alcohol guidelines. The guidelines are an important tool for raising awareness of the risks associated with alcohol use. They also assist people to make informed decisions about their alcohol intake.”

“One of the big public health priorities at the moment is reducing and preventing harmful levels of alcohol consumption. The aim of our research is to provide the Department of Health with an up-to-date view of the evidence around the impact of alcohol consumption on our overall health in Ireland."

Ireland's low-risk alcohol guidelines were last revised in 2015. They advise not consuming more than 11 standard drinks per week for women and 17 for men. 

New evidence has become available over the past decade, resulting in a need to update the guidelines by reviewing the impact of alcohol consumption on both physical and mental health. 

The protocol, which sets out the scope and approach HIQA will use when undertaking the review examining the association between alcohol consumption and mental health outcomes, is available on our website, www.hiqa.ie. 

The full report is expected to be published in 2026.

Further information: 

Caoimhe O’Connell
Communications Manager 
087 639 5916
caoconnell@hiqa.ie 

Notes to the Editor: 

• HIQA has today published the following document:

  • Protocol for a systematic review on the association between alcohol consumption and mental health outcomes

• This systematic review update will address the following research question: 

  • What is the association between varying levels and or patterns of alcohol consumption and specific mental health outcomes in the general population and in specific subgroups of interest?

• To carry out this work, HIQA will build on similar work previously completed in other countries:

  • Canada (2022)
  • Australia (2018)

• The final report is expected in 2026. The findings will inform an update of Ireland’s low-risk alcohol guidelines by the Department of Health. Ireland’s current low-risk alcohol guidelines can be found here.