Alcohol crisis - EU survey shames the drunken Irish

THE latest report yesterday from the European Commission on alcohol is hardly edifying for this country, as Ireland is shown to be top of the league as far as the proportion of income spent on drink is concerned.

No other country in the European Union spends so much of its earnings on drink, and the country also has another inglorious distinction: Irish people are also the biggest binge drinkers.

To put it into context the Irish spend on average €1,675 on alcohol, and, while Denmark is in second place, they are not close by a long shot. Their spend is less than a third of that, standing at €531.

Whatever about the financial implications, from a health point of view the country cannot afford any longer to be at the top of such surveys.