Irish suffer higher rates of harm from others' drinking

Males experienced more than three times the level of harm from a strangers’ drinking than females. File photo

A large population sample of Irish men and women shows that one in eight of those surveyed have experienced harm from the drinking of a person known to them.

International research places Ireland above the average out of 32 European countries surveyed.

While similar proportions of men and women surveyed report these experiences, males experienced more than three times the level of harm from a strangers’ drinking than females.

Irish women reported alcohol-related harm at a far higher level — more than five times greater — from the drinking of a person they know than from strangers.

While one in eight women surveyed said they experienced harm from someone they know, including partners, only one in 50 said they suffered the same at the hands of a stranger. Harm was defined as physical harm, serious argument or traffic accident due to another person’s drinking in the past year.

The research conducted surveys with almost 40,000 people across the 32 countries in 2021, including 1,100 in Ireland.

The study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, shows:

• 13.3% of Irish men and 12.3% of Irish women surveyed reported harm from a known person’s drinking;
• 7.1% of Irish men and 2.2% of Irish women reported harm from a strangers’ drinking;
• Population-weighted average across the 32 countries shows 9.1% of men and 9.8% of women reported harm from a known person’s drinking and 5.8% of men and 2.9% of women said the same from a stranger 

The study said: “We found women to be at greater risk of experiencing harm from a known person’s drinking, whereas men had higher risks for harms from stranger’s drinking.

“Women were found to have 55% increased odds of reporting harms from a known person’s drinking compared to men.” 

The research team, led by psychologist Carolin Kilian, said it is “very likely” that the covid-19 pandemic reduced the exposure to potentially harmful situations involving strangers’ drinking.

On the other hand, it said that increases in home drinking and social isolation may have led to an increase in harm from partners’ or family members’ drinking.

It said there is still surprisingly little research on alcohol’s harms to others during the pandemic and that most of this was focused on domestic violence.

“The inconclusive evidence available so far suggests that various factors may have impacted domestic violence during the pandemic, including changes in alcohol use," it said.

“The risk of experiencing harm from others’ drinking differs substantially by gender and by the victim-aggressor relationship.” 

The research also found those on lower incomes are at higher risk for harms. It said alcohol policies should be combined with interventions specifically directed at lowering interpersonal violence.