The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill contains a range of measures designed to tackle our harmful relationship with alcohol, which has a huge impact on our nation’s physical and mental health, and causes the loss of 88 lives every month.

The Alcohol Health Alliance was an initiative developed in 2015 to support the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, a historic legislative programme to reduce the harm caused by alcohol consumption in Ireland.

The Public Health (Alcohol) Act contains a range of measures designed to tackle our harmful relationship with alcohol. The Alcohol Health Alliance worked together to:

– Highlight the rising levels of alcohol-related health harm
– Propose evidence-based solutions to reduce this harm
– Campaign for the implementation of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015
– Advocate for positive action to address the damage caused by alcohol misuse

The Alcohol Health Alliance was established by Alcohol Action Ireland and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), and brought together a wide range of public health campaigners whose mission is to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. The Alcohol Health Alliance Ireland is chaired by Prof Frank Murray, a former President of the RCPI.

The initiative came to a successful conclusion in November 2018, after the Public Health Alcohol Act had been enacted.

At a ceremony to mark the conclusion of its work, John and Ann Higgins were awarded a Certificate for Public Health Advocacy by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland President, Prof. Mary Horgan.

The event was attended by many of the leading public health advocates who, over the last three years, had contributed to the Alcohol Health Alliance Ireland. This campaign initiative co-established by Alcohol Action Ireland and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland to advance the Public Health Alcohol legislative programme, which was recently enacted by the Oireachtas after 1,000 days debate and deliberation.