According to Noel Ahern, the minister with responsibility for the drugs strategy, alcohol abuse is becoming an issue of growing concern in communities.

"When the current policy was being formulated, the focus was purely on heroin and there was resistence on a community level towards discussing alcohol, " said Ahern.

"However, the thinking has now changed and community groups are now asking us what we're going to do to combat alcohol abuse."

Fianna Fail TD Cecilia Keaveney, who chairs the Oireachtas Committee on Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, has called for alcohol to be included in the new policy.