Alcohol abuse - Threat must be recognised

THERE is hardly an Irish person who, at one time or another, has not been exposed to the destructive force of alcohol abuse.

So great is the carnage caused by drink that yesterday’s figures from the World Health Organisation, which show that alcohol causes nearly 4% of deaths worldwide, more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence, might be surprising but they are hardly shocking.

Drink can be one of life’s great social lubricants but its downside is so terribly destructive that we must educate ourselves about its threat and the havoc it can wreak in a life. It can be enjoyed but it must be controlled or it will extract a very heavy price.