Majority of people know a problem drinker, report says

Ireland’s drinking habit has become almost €1bn-a-year headache, with vast sums of money lost on caring for problem drinkers, cleaning up after their mistakes, covering for them at work, and taking over their child-rearing responsibilities.

However, the €862,748,424 estimated annual cost of harmful drinking is only one measure of the damage caused. A new report lays bare the hidden misery of dealing with problem drinking from the perspective of those left to pick up the pieces at home, at work, and in their neighbourhoods.

Commissioned by the HSE and compiled from a survey of 2,000 people, the report, ‘The Untold Story: Harms Experienced in the Irish Population due to Others’ Drinking’, found that the majority of Irish people (61%) have a heavy drinker in their lives.