Tag Archives: alcohol

Life is transient – don’t waste it!

Leave a reply

It may be because I am getting older, and because we seem to have lost so many famous people so far this year (David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Victoria Wood, Muhammad Ali, Gene Wilder, Ronnie Corbett, Caroline Aherne, Terry Wogan…..I could go on and on), that I find myself looking back to my childhood. It’s usual to look back with rose-coloured glasses because everything was so simple then – no stressful job, family problems, money worries or aches and pains. In some ways it seems so long ago, like another era and a different person. But it also reminds me of just how fleeting life is – we are here one minute and gone the next, and we never know when the game is up.

With this in mind, it is such a shame to waste one’s life in a drunken or drug-fuelled stupor. How many people will wake up this morning hung over, feeling sick, remorseful, nervous, panicky…..all because of drink and drugs. Life is a gift and it shouldn’t be squandered. There are so many possibilities, so much to learn, so many places to visit and people to meet. Don’t throw it away. You may feel you need alcohol or drugs inside you to face life’s problems, but they will still be there when you sober up. And every time you give in to your substance of choice, old problems are not dealt with and pile up, and new problems come along and jump to the top of the pile! Add to this the feelings of depression because alcohol and drugs are depressants and make you depressed.

Talk to any ex-addict and they will tell you the same thing – that life is so much better without alcohol or drugs. You don’t need them to relax and have a good time – you will enjoy yourself so much more without them. Just imagine waking up, knowing exactly what you did and said yesterday, having no regrets because you didn’t do anything stupid, outrageous or downright dangerous. It is so good to have a clear head, to be able to concentrate, to face problems and deal with them head on rather than blocking them out with drink or drugs.

If any of this rings a bell with you, reach out and get help. You can break free from alcohol and drugs. It isn’t easy, but it has got to be easier than beating yourself up every day.

Arthur’s Day

Leave a reply

Arthur’s Day began in Ireland in 2009 to mark 250 years since Arthur Guinness first set up the Guinness brewery in Dublin. According to the Guinness company, Arthur’s Day is a ‘remarkable celebration of those who make things happen!’ It is marketed as a salute to Ireland and all things Irish. In fact, it is simply a clever marketing ploy to encourage people to drink!

It is a fact that drinking is part of the Irish culture. According to the Irish Health Research Board, 85% of Irish people think that the current level of alcohol consumption in Ireland is too high. In fact, there is growing critisism of Arthur’s Day and many people in Ireland are opposed to it. There is no doubt that Guinness is one of Ireland’s biggest exports, and the Guinness Brewery is Ireland’s most popular tourist destination. But there is something distasteful about a drinks giant like Diageo promoting its own alcoholic beverage in this way, particularly in light of the following statistics from Alcohol Ireland:

  • 8 deaths per month in Ireland are due to alcohol
  • 1,200 cases of cancer result from alcohol each year in Ireland
  • One in four deaths of young men aged 15-39 in Ireland is due to alcohol
  • One in three road crash deaths in Ireland is alcohol-related

So, isn’t it time Diageo seriously examined alcohol abuse in Ireland and the misery it causes? Maybe then they would think twice about hosting Arthur’s Day next year.

All Resources has produced a resource pack for schools and youth organisations on the dangers of alcohol. Called ‘Dealing with Addiction’, the pack provides essential information about drinking, smoking & drugs and encourages young people to make informed choices.

Ireland and Alcohol

Leave a reply

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.