Three-in-five people in Ireland have a heavy drinker in their life, according to a report that examined the harm of people's drinking on others.

Women and children in low income, single parents or separated families are most vulnerable.

The Untold Story: Harms Experienced in the Irish Population due to Others Drinking report looks at the harm alcohol does not to the drinker but those around them.

The study took three years and looked at people from a broad range of social backgrounds.

A substantial majority - three in every five people - reported having a heavy drinker in their life.

And two in five said it caused domestic problems. Fear and psychological stress were common harms identified, while women also reported verbal abuse and violence. One in six reported harm to children, and half of respondents said they had been harmed by a strangers drinking in the past 12 months.

The estimated cost of the harm done by other people's drinking is more than €860m per year in tangible costs, such as caring duties and missed work but it does not take into account the intangible costs like suffering and the lost quality of life.