Young Irish biggest binge drinkers
Alcohol consumption here is three times higher than in Finland and Sweden and twice the rate in Germany, France and Italy.
At the same time, the proportion of Irish people who had not consumed any alcohol during the past 12 months was 23%. This was three times higher than in the Nordic countries and twice higher than in the other countries surveyed.
Although the British almost match the Irish in alcohol consumption, there are more problems per drinker here than in five other European countries surveyed.
Significant numbers of Irishmen and women concede binge-drinking is the norm.
Adverse effects of high consumption levels, however, lead to Irish people falling victim to more accidents and violence, new research shows.
Experts admit there is no easy solution to problems caused by the Irish drinking culture.
Health Minister Micheál Martin warned yesterday: "We must change our drinking patterns we need to cut down and slow down our drinking."
A damning insight into Irish drinking trends was revealed in a joint study conducted by the Department of Health's national alcohol policy advisor, Dr Ann Hope, and Mats Ramstedt from Stockholm's Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs.
They said their results "contain enough evidence to conclude that Ireland has a strikingly high prevalence of binge-drinking and alcohol-related harm".
The pair strongly advised: "It will be an important challenge to find preventative measures that can reduce these problems."
Their research paper, The Irish Drinking Culture a European Comparison, coincided with the launch of the third phase of the department's national alcohol awareness campaign, Think Before You Drink Less is More.
Research commissioned four years ago showed the yearly costs associated with alcohol problems, both in personal terms and the burden on state services, was €2.4 million.
Mr Martin said he intended to ensure the problem remained uppermost on the public agenda. "I am anxious that it stays there until a reduction in alcohol consumption and the associated problems have been achieved."
He hit out at people who trivialised the problems of changing drinking patterns. "They say things such as 'we were the same when we were young' or 'going out and getting drunk is a type of initiation into adulthood'. These people do not have a clear or complete picture of alcohol in our society.
"Things are not the same as when we were young. Alcohol consumption has increased by 49% in the past decade. We are not drinking in the same manner our drinking patterns have changed and many people now drink to become intoxicated," the minister said.
The research showed people in the 18-25 years group are more likely to binge-drink, though they drink less frequently than older age groups. Acute problems associated with binge-drinking included falls, alcohol poisoning, incidents of unintentional sex and public order offences.
Current initiatives aimed at reducing alcohol and preventing harm included the setting up of a strategic task force on alcohol, which has recommended new regulations to control alcohol advertising, sponsorship and marketing practices.
The government is likely to put forward shortly a bill incorporating the task force's recommendations.
