The effects of alcohol consumption were responsible for 10% of money spent on public health care in 2013, according to a new study.
The cost of alcohol abuse on the health system has been highlighted in the report compiled by the Health Research Board.
It examines national findings on the patterns and effects of alcohol consumption and its impact on individuals and on society.
Alcohol abuse was responsible for three deaths every day in 2013, according to the report.
It notes that it is not just what Irish people drink, but the way they drink that causes harm.
Figures from three years ago indicate that more than 50% of Irish drinkers consume alcohol in a harmful manner - too much alcohol in one sitting and more than the recommended number of standard drinks in a week.
Between 2001 and 2010, one in ten breast cancer cases was attributable to alcohol.
In 2014, one-in-three self-harm admissions to hospitals was alcohol-related and it is estimated that more than 167,000 people suffered an alcohol-related assault.
The report estimates the cost of alcohol-related absenteeism in 2013 to be more than €41m.
Dr Deirdre Mongan, lead author and Research Officer at the HRB, said: "This is a real public health concern as alcoholic liver disease usually develops after a number of years of harmful drinking, and as a result it is normally seen in older people".
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Dr Mongan said that while Irish people tend to drink less regularly than other countries, they are inclined to binge drink.
She added that the true cost of alcohol to Irish health care could be far higher than that quoted in the report.
Prof Frank Murray, President of the Royal College of Physicians and liver specialist at Beaumont Hospital, said the burden on the hospital system was "unsustainable".
He called on the Oireachtas to adopt the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill; legislation drafted last year aimed at reducing consumption, which includes measures such as minimum unit pricing and advertising restrictions.
