New report shows rise in youth drinking with 64% engaging in hazardous alcohol use

With 50,000 children starting drinking in Ireland each year, child drinking is now 'the norm rather than the exception', Alcohol Action Ireland says

Youth drinking in Ireland has been on the rise for the past decade, reversing a downward trend that had been recorded prior to 2015, a new report has found.

Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) has said drinking among young people aged 15 to 24 declined from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s, but since then, consumption has increased, rising from 66% of this age bracket in 2015 to 75% last year.