Ireland's heavy alcohol consumption and record binge drinking are graphically recorded in an excellent report on their health-related consequences published yesterday by the Health Research Board. We have known for some time that levels of drinking increased substantially over the last decade or so, bringing Ireland towards the top of EU listings - and the ranking would be higher if the comparatively large number of abstainers were taken into account.
The Irish figures for frequent binge drinking, defined as taking five drinks or more in a row, are now by far the highest in Europe.
This forensic study documents how both of these patterns affect road accidents, hospitalisation, suicide, acute and chronic illness. Using hitherto unavailable data it shows that hospital discharges relating to alcohol have increased by over 70 per cent since 1995, acute conditions by 75 per cent and chronic ones by 92 per cent. The figure for liver disease is up by 147 per cent. Unfortunately, no figures are available on how alcohol-related conditions affect accident and emergency services, but they are urgently needed to show how alcohol crowds those services out, including large numbers of people who are not, in fact, admitted to hospital. The impact on young people, students and pregnant women is especially worrying - amounting, in fact, to a serious public health scourge. Road accidents, suicide attempts and rates of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity are closely related to levels of alcohol consumption.
The study is equally useful in demonstrating how public policy can be much better informed in dealing with these issues. They must be tackled head on if policy is to be successful. Increases in taxation and excise duty are shown to have cut consumption levels of spirits and cider substantially in 2001 and 2003. Regulating the physical availability of alcohol has a similar effect here and internationally. So do drink-driving counter-measures. Informed briefings and targeted counselling of patients have proved particularly effective in hospitals. Bluntly the report concludes: "Measures that are considered ineffective include education in schools, public service announcements and voluntary regulation by the alcohol industry. These should only be used as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm."
As the report also says, there is now a "pressing need for the implementation of an integrated alcohol strategy, but this will require strong leadership and political will". Opinion polling reveals this objective has widespread public support. The forthcoming budget would be a good place to start.