This latter strategy, which will include alcohol, would not be published for another year and a half. This follows a government decision last March to include alcohol and illegal drugs in one strategy, rather than two separate strategies as has been the case.
The decision, recommended by drugs strategy minister John Curran, had the support of medical, voluntary and community sectors, but was opposed by the alcohol industry.
The new strategy said alcohol was no ordinary commodity: "Alcohol is a drug and intoxicant which has significant pharmacological and toxic effects, both on the mind and on almost every organ and system in the human body.
"Alcohol is implicated in numerous premature deaths every year from disease, accidents and violence."
The report said Ireland consumes more alcohol per capita than most of its European counterparts – 30% higher in 2006.
It said people in Ireland also engage in drinking patterns which are "excessive and problematic", with heavy binge drinking now "the norm" for a substantial number of people.
The report cites a range of statistics:
* Alcohol-related discharges from hospitals rose from 15,823 in 2001 to 18,017 in 2007.
* Some 140,000 alcohol-related cases were treated in acute hospitals between 1995 and 2004.
* Number of people treated for alcohol disorders rose from 5,144 in 2004 to 7,312.
A steering group tasked with devising the NSMS will be set up by the end of this year.
Source: Cormac O’Keeffe, The Irish Examiner, 02/06/2009
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