Alcohol-free day would help us sober up and address drink crisis

I FULLY agree with everything that Gerry Hickey said in his letter (Vital steps needed to tackle drink crisis, August 2).

May I suggest that we could create a national no-alcohol day. A day that encourages everyone to stop for long enough to think about their drinking habits. This would send a huge message to young people and may even be the catalyst for many people to change their habits, even give up.

It would endorse the idea that alcohol is actually not that good for you and send out an affirmation to low-volume drinkers, a point well raised in Mr Hickey’s letter. I also think that labelling alcoholic containers, be they glass or tin, with large clear public health warnings, like those on cigarette and tobacco packets, would go some way to educating those who think that alcohol is harmless, and raise awareness all round.