The Pleasure - Our Drinking As a nation we drink a lot and we are now accustomed to our position at the top of the European league table in terms of consumption. Whilst much has been said about the increase in our alcohol consumption since the early 1990s. In addition to the amount we drink, we have the problem of drinking most of our alcohol in one or two sessions a week. For example in Ireland 34% of people drink 5 or more drinks on a typical occasion (the highest in Europe) compared to only 2% in Italy. On the other hand 26% of Italians drink every day compared to only 2% of the Irish.

We really love our alcohol and to be sure we can access it there is no shortage of places to buy it. The Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (2007) noted that there was one pub license for every 250 persons aged 18 and over in Ireland; that is four times more than the number of general retail shops in the country and eight times more than the number of clothes shops! In addition in 2002 there were 82,000 special exemptions. A recent survey of Irish school children showed that about half of 15-17 year olds are regular drinkers with a third reporting to have been really drunk in the previous month. A report from the Office of Tobacco Control showed that 16-17 year olds spend €21 on an average week on alcohol.

The Pain – Alcohol Related Harm

The pain is there for everyone to see. From the workplace to the home almost no one is spared. A national survey published by Alcohol Action Ireland in 2006 showed that 82% consider that the level of alcohol consumption in Ireland is a problem and that 66% personally know someone who has a problem with alcohol. Furthermore 44% stated that they had been injured, harassed or intimidated by their own or someone else’s drinking.

Why do we drink so much?

Many factors are at play. Alcohol is a very available product. Over recent years we have seen most corner shops and almost all petrol stations sell alcohol. Price is also important. The cheaper it is the more we buy. The major multinational supermarkets realise this and so we see many of them using alcohol as a loss leader to attract customers in to their shops. The publicans may blame the smoking ban and random breath testing for falling business. However, the lower prices and special offers in supermarkets are also a major factor.

We have a young population with a lot of available cash and a culture where we have a very relaxed attitude to drinking. We also have a powerful alcohol industry, which has a great influence on policy. The Strategic Task Force on Alcohol recommended that we reduce our per capita alcohol consumption to the European average.  The alcohol industry could not agree with this strategy. Not surprisingly the strategies to reduce our consumption to the European average have not been implemented. In addition, superbly produced advertising campaigns and sponsorship of many key cultural and sporting events, means that we are subjected to the promotion of alcohol almost non-stop. There is no escape. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in its report (2007) stated that “the correlation between the onset of drinks sponsorship and the rapid rise in alcohol consumption in this country is too strong to be ignored.”  Children have stated that they are influenced by drink advertisements and young people feel that the advertisements are targeted at them. There were plans to introduce legislation to ban alcohol advertisements before 9 PM. These plans were shelved in favour of a code of practice put forward by industry. Children need to be protected by legislation.

What is Recommend?

Implement Task Force Report: The recommendations of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol should be implemented.

Increase Tax on Alcohol: Tax on all alcohol products other than low strength beers should be increased on an annual basis above the rate of inflation.  The Strategic Task Force on Alcohol reviewed and accepted the evidence that the reducing the physical availability of alcohol and increasing the price through taxation are amongst the most effective ways of reducing our consumption and alcohol related harm. Increases in taxation, whilst unpopular are effective in reducing consumption and alcohol related harm.  Tax was increased on spirits in 2003. As a result sales of spirits were reduced by 21% and overall per capita consumption by 6%.  Alcohol related harm was reduced - alcohol poisoning deaths decreased by 14% and public order offences decreased by 6%. Frequent and heavy drinkers, as well as young adults and children are influenced by alcohol price.

Reduce Tax on Low Strength Beer:

 The tax on low strength beers (3% or less) should be reduced. Low strength alcohol beers are not as readily available in Ireland as they are elsewhere. The availability of low alcohol beers should be encouraged as a help to reducing drunkenness and alcohol related harm. A similar policy has been shown to be part of a successful campaign in Australia to reduce alcohol related harm.

The Law: Legislate to reduce the exposure of children to advertising, sponsorship and promotions.

Sport: Reduce sports dependence on the alcohol industry.

Random Breath Testing: Highly visible implementation of random breath testing and reduce the legal limit to 20 mg/100ml. Our limit of 80 mg/100ml needs to be reduced.  The introduction of random breath testing in July 2006 has been very successful with over thirty less people killed on the roads in the first six months of 2007 when compared to the corresponding period in 2006 when random breath testing was not in place. Many persons are confused about how much they can drink and safely drive. The message needs to be clear- even one drink impairs your driving.

Most importantly we need political leadership. It must be recognised that alcohol is no ordinary commodity and needs more regulation and that alcohol is a legitimate health concern and not just an industry.  Most of the population agree that we have a problem and that action is needed. Of course some will not like the medicine prescribed. Expect shouts of “the nanny state” if the Government eventually decides to tackle our alcohol problem in earnest. Until there is a real political commitment to reducing our overall consumption, the level of alcohol related harm is going to continue to rise.