The President, Mrs McAleese, yesterday branded Ireland's attitude to alcohol "ridiculously unhealthy" and "sinister". She urged society to "wise up" to its alcohol problem, particularly among young people.
"Too many people make a connection between fun and alcohol, socialising and drugs. It's a sinister, cynical and deceptive connection," she said.
Mrs McAleese was speaking at the opening of a new facility for young addicts at the Aislinn Adolescent Treatment Centre, in Ballyragget, Co Kilkenny.
She commended the work of the centre which, she said, helped young people who had suffered the ravages of alcohol and drug dependency within a culture that promoted excessive drinking.
"With more money in our pockets, more is being spent, not just on alcohol, but on drugs. We know the consequences in street crime, in the highest European consumption of cannabis among 15- to 16-year-olds and the highest increase in alcohol consumption within the EU in recent years," she said.
Addiction had created a grim legacy of waste and misery for addicts, their families and society.
"Ireland has always had a ridiculously unhealthy attitude to alcohol," she said. "As a nation we need to wise up and make the changes to our attitudes and behaviour," to lead young people towards alternatives to drug and alcohol abuse.
Mrs McAleese visited the Aislinn centre to open a Serenity Garden, the design of which incorporates symbols based on the 12-step philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous.
She also opened a new Sensory Resource Centre for deaf and blind people in Kilkenny city yesterday.
The centre has been established as a result of a joint collaboration between the National Association for Deaf People and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland.
