Suicide and alcohol - Time for a new attitude

YESTERDAY’S absolute linkage by the Health Research Board between alcohol and suicide among young people is clear, stark, challenging and, sadly, absolutely unsurprising.

Every community — and far, far too many families — will know of fine young people, most of whom gave no indication of the troubles that provoke such desperate and dreadful action, who took the final step while under the influence of alcohol.

The report, also unsurprisingly, pointed out that we do not have a properly co-ordinated national policy on alcohol misuse and that the drinks industry is a powerful and determined force.

Alcohol abuse has always been a problem in our society — Fr Theobald Mathew founded the Teetotal Abstinence Society in 1838 — but we seem unable to confront the impact the drug is having. Is it that so many of us enjoy a drink? Or is it just indifference, individual and collective? Either way, if we want to stop so many young people killing themselves we will have to change our attitude to drink.