According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 4% of all deaths worldwide are related to alcohol. Most alcohol-related deaths result from injuries, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and liver cirrhosis. Globally, 6.2% of all male deaths are related to alcohol, compared to 1.1% of female deaths. Worldwide, 320 000 young people aged 15-29 years die annually from alcohol-related causes, resulting in 9% of all deaths in that age group. These are truly staggering figures.
The Irish are famous the world over for having one special day to celebrate their country’s abiding love of alcohol: St Patrick’s Day. There is also a well-known saying that the Irish have three other days when alcohol takes precedence over anything else in their lives: yesterday, today and tomorrow. The near-constant drinking centres on the pub, of which there are many to choose from in every town and city. Pubs are the places where relationships begin and end, scores are settled over a pint, business deals are struck, and the whole of life’s drama plays out in full view of bleary-eyed, inebriated onlookers. And who hasn’t seen the growing trend of young people massing every weekend on town and city streets across Ireland in their search for oblivion.
The Irish have many occasions to drink. The birth of a baby, baptisms, engagements, weddings (not forgetting the obligatory hen parties and stag dos), first communions, birthdays, wakes – they are all excellent excuses for a good old shindig and nearly every celebration is held in a licensed establishment. It’s also easier to buy alcohol than ever before – it can be bought in bars, off licences, corner shops, supermarkets and petrol stations. It is difficult to avoid alcohol – and it has taken its toll on Irish society.
Cheap alcohol in Ireland is responsible for a growing health and crime crisis that is costing an estimated €3.7billion a year in health and crime/public order costs as well as work-place absenteeism. Look at the following taken from the Alcohol Ireland website using data from the Health Research Board:
- 8 deaths every month in Ireland are directly attributable to alcohol
- One in eleven children in Ireland say parental alcohol use has a negative effect on their lives – that is about 109,684 children
- There are 1,200 cases of cancer each year from alcohol in Ireland
- One in four deaths of young men aged 15-39 in Ireland is due to alcohol
- One in three road crash deaths is alcohol-related
The World Health Organisation estimates that the risk of suicide increases eightfold when a person is abusing alcohol, compared to a person who is not. This is because alcohol is a depressant and lowers our inhibitions. We are therefore more likely to act on impulse while under the influence of alcohol, and sadly one of those impulses could be the desire to self-destruct!
According to the Health Research Board, 85% of Irish people think that the current level of alcohol consumption in Ireland is too high – and they are right! So what needs to be done to address alcohol abuse in Ireland and the misery it causes?
Many people point to the links between alcohol and the sports industry and there is a call for a ban on alcohol sponsorship and advertising during live sports broadcasts. Others cite the availability of cheap alcohol which enables people to reach their weekly drinking limit for an average of €8, alongside the increase in the number of places selling cheap alcohol.
It is a fact that drinking is part of the Irish culture. We therefore need a serious national debate on alcohol-related issues which will tackle the problems related to our national drug of choice. We need a massive investment in education and prevention, but we can’t simply look to the government to address the issue – we need to examine ourselves and our own attitude to alcohol. It is only when we are prepared and willing to be honest about our own alcohol intake that we can break the cycle of denial that makes us feel comfortable in ourselves only when we have a drink inside us.