Ireland top of the table for drinking at home

Ireland tops the table of 25 countries for people drinking at home before going on a night out — with more than four out of five surveyed engaging in “pre-drinking”.

Research conducted by a team of international academics puts Ireland in fourth place for the prevalence of heavy drinkers.

The findings, published in Drug and Alcohol Review, said that pre-drinking, also known as “pre-loading”, was linked with heavier drinking and negative alcohol-related consequences.