Alcohol report - Problem too big to ignore any longer

NOBODY likes being lectured about their lifestyle.

But the alarming cost of Ireland’s love affair with booze, estimated at a whopping €3.7 billion a year in a HSE report, should concentrate the minds of politicians, taxpayers, parents, teachers and excessive drinkers alike.

With social activity in this country focused around drinking, either in the pub or at home, Irish people are among the heaviest consumers of alcohol in Europe. Overall, the cost to the state of dealing with the effects of over-drinking has reached an unsustainable level, particularly in a nation up to its eyes in debt.