For the first time, an Irish Government has decided to treat our harmful relationship with alcohol as a public health problem in an effort to bring about positive change in a society where binge drinking and drunkenness has become normal, accepted behaviour.
The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, being drafted by the Department of Health, represents an important first step in this regard. Of particular importance are those evidence-based policy measures that target the key areas of alcohol pricing, marketing and availability.
These measures are opposed by the alcohol industry for the simple reason that to reduce alcohol-related harm in Ireland we have to reduce our overall alcohol consumption, which is clearly not in its interest.
In these pages last week, Kathryn D'Arcy, director of the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI), referred to the "minority" who misuse alcohol in Ireland.
This assertion doesn't just completely contradict the well-documented evidence that shows that the majority of Irish people who drink do so in a hazardous manner – seven out of 10 men and four out of 10 women exceed their low-risk weekly limit – but also the daily reality for the people of Ireland.
Three people die every day in Ireland from alcohol-related harm, while 2,000 hospital beds are filled by people with alcohol-related illnesses. Chronic alcohol-related conditions are increasing rapidly among the young. Alcohol is a key driver of mental health issues, it's a factor in half of all suicides and four out of 10 cases of self-harm; it's a major driver of crime, including assaults and public order offences; and is one of the primary causes of child welfare and protection issues in Ireland.
The alcohol industry also reference a study indicating that drinking 1.5 "standard glasses" of alcohol a day can reduce a person's risk of cancer. In my opinion this is misleading information when presented in isolation, considering the large body of evidence on the cancer risk associated with alcohol – which is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The National Cancer Control Programme found that 500 deaths each year in Ireland are due to alcohol-related cancers. Most importantly, the overall effect of drinking – even moderate drinking – in relation to cancer risk has been shown to be harmful and there is certainly no proven protective effect.
As pointed out by the Irish Cancer Society, "alcohol increases the risk of cancer in both men and women; the more alcohol you drink, the higher the risk". If the alcohol industry is not even prepared to accept that we have a serious societal problem with alcohol, then how can it be part of the solution?
Source: Suzanne Costello, Irish Independent, 21/03/14
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