The Government is listening to the drinks industry more than it is to public health professionals on the alcohol issue, according to Dr Joe Barry, who is a senior lecturer in public health at Trinity College Dublin, and public health specialist with the Health Service Executive, reports Fiona Tyrrell
Alcohol-related problems, which are costing the State an estimated €3 billion a year, can no longer be ignored by the Government, according to a senior public health specialist.
The Government is listening to the drinks industry more than it is to public health professionals on the alcohol issue, says Dr Joe Barry, who is a senior lecturer in public health at Trinity College Dublin, a public health specialist with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and former president of the Irish Medical Organisation.
In 2003, the cost of alcohol-related problems, including the cost of healthcare, accidents, crime, absenteeism and lost taxes, was €2.65 billion. Barry estimates that the figure is now likely to have reached the €3 billion mark.
He was commenting following the publication of a survey which revealed that only a small minority of those surveyed (26 per cent) believe that the Government is doing enough to tackle the problem.
Fifty-four per cent of those surveyed said they would be prepared to accept an increase in taxation if the money was used to tackle alcohol-related problems, and 85 per cent said the Government should establish an agency to specifically tackle Ireland's growing alcohol problem.
The survey is a clear indication that the public is interested in action on the issue of alcohol-related problems and bears out analysis that "not enough is being done", according to Barry.
The "status quo suits the drinks industry", but the Government must now choose between "going with the industry or going with the people", he adds.
"The Government has taken cardiovascular disease seriously and the death rate has decreased by 50 per cent. It is taking cancer, smoking and illicit drugs seriously and have put structures in place to tackle them."
It is now time to tackle the alcohol problem, says Barry.
The findings of the Milward Brown IMS survey, which involved a poll of more than 1,000 adults, found that more than one in eight people believe that our current alcohol consumption levels are a problem (82 per cent) and a similar number of people feel that our cultural attitude to alcohol needs to change (85 per cent).
The survey also found that more than one in four people have been injured, harassed or intimidated by someone's use of alcohol.
One in seven people surveyed believe that proposals to allow alcohol to be sold by phone/internet, as included in the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell's cafe bar legislation, would make it easier for under 18s to buy alcohol.
The survey was released to coincide with St Patrick's Day festivities, which in recent years have become synonymous with binge drinking.
Last week Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle highlighted the fact that Ireland has the highest percentage of binge drinkers in Europe with 48 per cent of Irish men and 16 per cent of Irish women binge drinking at least once a week.
The survey was commissioned by Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), which has called for the establishment of a state body to tackle alcohol-related problems. This was also recommended by the Dáil health committee in 2004.
A national monitoring office for alcohol-related harm similar to the Office of Tobacco Control would collate statistics, commission research, monitor policy and inform the Government on alcohol-related issues, says Marion Rackard, AAI chairwoman.
Operating at national and regional level to implement the recommendations of the strategic task force on alcohol, the body would be responsible for drawing up a national alcohol strategy similar to the National Drugs Strategy.
The group has also recommended introducing legislation banning TV alcohol advertising until after 9pm, AAI said this measure would be supported by the public, with nearly three-quarters of respondents to the survey agreeing to such measures and 29 per cent stating such advertising should be outlawed entirely.
Alcohol marketing plays a significant role in young people deciding to drink and how they drink, according to AAI which said "serious questions must be asked about whether it serves the public interest to allow promotion of products that have considerable adverse impact on public health".
The AAI also called for a reduction in the number of outlets selling alcohol, the reduction of pub opening hours, proper resourcing of a random breath testing system as well as the use of taxation as a means of reducing demand for alcohol by increasing prices in line with inflation.
Concern about the dramatic rise in alcohol-related problems throughout society prompted the establishment of AAI.
"The quality of life of Irish people is seriously affected by alcohol in this country," says Rackard. "Children are unsafe in their homes, citizens are unsafe on the streets and healthcare workers are unsafe in their work environment due to alcohol related problems."
The Government first took steps to deal with the issue when it established the strategic taskforce on alcohol in 2002.
The taskforce brought together experts in the field and published two reports containing a range of recommendations.
However, more than a year after the publication of the taskforce's second report "very little if any progress" has been made towards implementing its recommendations, according to AAI.
"If we reduce even by a small amount the availability of alcohol through the reduction of hours and points of sale we will experience a corresponding reduction in alcohol-related harm across the population," says Rackard.
Tackling Ireland's drink problem will inevitably involve a wide range of policy changes and interventions at both the individual level and the wider population level, according to AAI.
"The findings suggest that the potential support for the Government, to introduce effective control measures in relation to alcohol, has been underestimated and that Irish people are prepared to accept changes if they were confident that the alcohol problem was being tackled."
Responding to the findings of the survey Finnoula Sheehan, chief executive of Meas, the drinks industry initiative for promoting responsible drinking said it welcomed increased recognition that we have a drink problem in Ireland.
However, she said the findings needed to be treated with caution because it was based on simple yes and no answers, which would not capture the complex nature of Ireland's alcohol problems.