Attitude to drunkenness must change

THE furore sparked

What she called the dark side of the economic revival is manifest on the streets of our cities and towns where an epidemic of casual violence directly relates to alcohol and drug abuse.

Basically, Irish society is to blame for its nod-and-wink attitude to drunkenness, for too long regarded as the essence of “craic” and what it means to be Irish. Politicians and successive administrations are also culpable for perpetuating a system where excessive drinking has led to carnage on the roads, soaring levels of domestic violence and massive public health costs.