Alcohol News

A new report highlights how alcohol producers disregard the spirit of the law to circumvent local regulations designed to protect children during the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament. Researchers at the Institute for Social Marketing, University of Stirling, found over 100 alcohol marketing references per televised match programme in three countries – France, the UK and Ireland. Most marketing appeared in highly visible places, such as pitch-side advertising during the matches. This was the case, despite the fact that the... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland has described the findings of a new survey on 'pre-drinking' as worrying, due to the prevalence of harmful drinking patterns identified in Ireland. The survey, published in Drug and Alcohol Review, examined the effects of drinking, heavy drinking and drink prices on 'pre-drinking', with pre-drinking defined as alcohol consumed before going out, where more alcohol is consumed. The survey, using data provided to the Global Drug Survey by those aged 16 to 35, found that Ireland was... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland has said the latest report from the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI) once again puts narrow sectoral interests ahead of public health. “It is clear from this report that the alcohol industry views the potential impact of Brexit as a crisis that requires a high level of State intervention on its behalf. The interventions called for in the report include fiscal and regulatory measures, as well as challenging EU State Aid rules to ensure the alcohol... Full Story

“Those working hard to address alcohol misuse in communities throughout Ireland are doing a great job in difficult circumstances. They are working at the very sharp edge of alcohol harm and see on a daily basis the devastation that is caused by our harmful relationship with alcohol for so many people and their families,” said Conor Cullen, Head of Communications and Advocacy with Alcohol Action Ireland. “Many of these community-based organisations, led by the drug and alcohol task forces, have... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland welcomes the ruling of the Scottish Court of Session and hopes to see minimum unit pricing (MUP) implemented in Scotland as soon as possible, where it will save lives and reduce alcohol harm. This is also a positive ruling for public health in Ireland, as MUP is one of the key measures contained in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, which is due to return to the Seanad next Wednesday. This is our first ever public health legislation... Full Story

Awareness of some of the most significant risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption is lowest among those young people who binge drink the most, the Healthy Ireland Survey 2016 has shown. The survey found that 37% of drinkers in Ireland binge drink on a typical drinking occasion, but among those under-25 this increased to 67% for young men and 39% for young women. Those aged under 25 are also typically less aware of the risks of excessive drinking, despite engaging... Full Story

“The ESPAD survey released today shows some positive trends when it comes to alcohol consumption among Irish children, particularly declines in heavy episodic drinking and drunkenness from the 2011 survey, which are very welcome,” said Conor Cullen, Head of Communications and Advocacy with Alcohol Action Ireland. “However, it is important to remember that these are children and therefore we still have a long way to go in terms of protecting them from the large risks to their health and wellbeing... Full Story

“It's natural that students who are getting their Junior Cert results this week want to celebrate the achievement with their friends. This is an important milestone for them and they should enjoy the celebrations after three years working towards the exams,” said Conor Cullen, Head of Communications and Advocacy with Alcohol Action Ireland. “Alcohol should play no part in these celebrations, even though some children may feel that they have to drink to celebrate and others may come under pressure... Full Story