Irish people are drinking harmfully in massive numbers while heavily underestimating their consumption, according to a new study by the Health Research Board.
Some 150,000 Irish people are dependent drinkers and 1.35 million are harmful drinkers, the board estimates based on consumption patterns recorded in its first National Alcohol Diary Survey.
Almost 6,000 people aged between 18 and 75 years were asked to record their alcohol consumption for the survey, as well as being quizzed about their prior drinking history and spending on alcohol. The result is the most detailed picture yet of Irish people’s relationship with alcohol - even though researchers believe it still underestimates the amount we consume.
The study reveals the harmful patterns underlying alcohol consumption in Ireland, with 75 per cent of all alcohol consumed as part of a binge drinking session and one in five drinkers saying they engage in weekly binge drinking.
Almost two-thirds of young people (18-24-year-olds) said they engaged in binge drinking in the previous year, defined as the consumption of at least six standard drinks in the one session. A standard drink is a glass of beer or a small glass of wine, so drinking more than three pints of beer counts as binge drinking.
More than half (54 per cent) of those surveyed were classified as harmful drinkers, equivalent to 1.35 million nationally.
One in eight men and almost one in 10 women drank their recommended weekly guideline in one sitting in the week prior to the survey. Among young people, this rose to 28 per cent for men and 22 per cent for women.
Source: Paul Cullen, Irish Times, 23/06/14
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