More than 1.35 million Irish 18-75 year-olds are “harmful drinkers” and in excess of 150,000 people are alcohol dependent.
The scale of the problem is even greater among young people, with 75% of 18-24 year olds drinking in a harmful way, with 15% of them dependent on the drug - more than twice the rate for all adults.
The nation’s drinking habits means that we spend an estimated €51m every week on alcohol - despite the fact that a fifth of adults do not even drink.
The disturbing findings are contained in a major piece of research, the National Alcohol Diary Survey, conducted by the Health Research Board.
The diary survey is the first study of its kind in Ireland and lifts the lid on how households are consuming alcohol.
Almost 6,000 people in nearly 4,000 homes took part in the research, conducted between July and October 2013.
The survey found:
- 54% of 18-75 year old consumers of alcohol were classified as harmful drinkers - equating to between 1.3m and 1.4m people
- 75% of all alcohol consumed was taken in binge drinking (defined as three or more pints or most of a bottle of wine in one session)
- Based on expenditure patterns, Irish people spend an estimated €50.6m every week on alcohol
- 3,230 work or study years were lost through alcohol related illness in the year prior to the study
Source: Cormac O'Keeffe, Irish Examiner, 23/06/14
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