Alcohol advertising ban ‘will not solve problem’

THE Taoiseach’s plan to restrict drink advertising and ban below cost selling in bars will do little to stem the current explosion in alcohol consumption, according to one of Ireland’s leading psychiatrists.

Dr Conor Farren, a consultant psychiatrist attached to St Patrick’s Psychiatric hospital in Dublin, said yesterday that Irish people had a predisposition to over indulge in alcohol and this needed to be tackled effectively.

“We are second only to Luxembourg in the drinks league and consumption has rocketed in the last seven years. Tinkering with alcohol advertising will not solve the problem,” he said.