Tackling teen drinking problem ‘must be priority’ as 13 to 17-year-olds say they drink every month

Alcohol Action Ireland has said the next government will have to prioritise tackling Ireland’s relationship with alcohol, after a new report revealed the extent of drinking among teenagers.

The report, ‘Alcohol Marketing and Young People’s Drinking Behaviour in Ireland’, found that half of all 13- to 17-year-olds said they drank every month and a third said they had engaged in binge drinking in the previous month. That includes a quarter of respondents aged 13 to 15.

The report, carried out by researchers at NUI Galway, also showed the extent to which marketing and advertising of alcohol permeates the lives of young people, whether through “indiscriminate” outdoor advertising or online marketing.