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Healthy Ireland (HI) survey data highlights increased alcohol use in 15–24 year olds & shows that one quarter of population are binge drinkers  

The data comes as Alcohol Action Ireland is this Friday formally launching its Voices of Recovery initiative with an evening of music and arts headlined by the prestigious Dublin Gospel Choir, Nov 24, St Catherine's Church. 22/11/23 AAI welcomes today’s Healthy Ireland survey data which shows improvements in drinking behaviours in Ireland, but this progress risks being eroded due to proposed increased opening hours under the sale of alcohol bill. Today’s HI data shows that because of concerted efforts -public... Full Story


On World Children’s Day, AAI welcomes the alcohol advertising broadcast ban before 9pm – an important step in reducing children’s exposure to alcohol promotion

Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) welcomes reports that Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly has signed the commencement order of Section 19 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 (PHAA) which places a 9 p.m. broadcast watershed for alcohol advertisements on television. On radio, the watershed will apply from midnight to 10am, and then from 3pm to midnight. The restrictions will come into force on 10 Jan 2025. This measure will help to reduce the level of exposure of children to alcohol... Full Story


Sale of Alcohol bill – who will carry the burden of the increased harms from more alcohol sales in Ireland? 

16 November 2023  Despite public health risks highlighted, correspondence received under FOI shows no communication between Departments of Health and Justice in relation to public health concerns around Sale of Alcohol Bill  Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) welcomes today’s launch of the pre-legislative scrutiny report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice in relation to the Sale of Alcohol Bill and calls on the Minister for Justice to detail how she has responded to recommendations.  The committee has made a series... Full Story


MEDIA RELEASE: Almost 1 Million People In Ireland Grew Up With A Problem Drinker In The Home

24 Oct 2023 Research has found that 25% of adults in Ireland - almost 1 million people - experienced living with a problem drinker as a child, an event hosted by Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) heard today (Tuesday Oct 24).  The Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) comparison study carried out by Maynooth University also found ‘significant association’ between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and having a problem drinker in household, once again highlighting the impact of this ACE on mental health.  The paper... Full Story


Disappointment expressed that government has not taken urgent action needed to address alcohol harm in today’s budget announcements

10/10/23: Alcohol Action Ireland has expressed disappointment that the government has not taken the urgent action needed to address alcohol harm in today’s budget announcements.  In its prebudget submission, AAI set out a number of proposals to offset the harm that alcohol –  Ireland’s cheapest and most widely available drug – causes. For example:    development of a ‘polluter pays’ model for alcohol taxation   establishment of an Office for Alcohol Harm Reduction   increased funding for treatment services commensurate with the level... Full Story


Press release: Voices of recovery to use lived experience from alcohol harm to drive change 

Campaign launched ahead of International Recovery Day of Sept 30, includes well-known recovery advocates Olympic boxer Kenneth Egan, Senator Frances Black and singer Mary Coughlan.   Alcohol Action Ireland has launched a new initiative, Voices of Recovery, to harness the lived experience of people in recovery from alcohol harm to drive much needed policy change.  The initiative, led by people in recovery from alcohol, aims to remove the stigma around getting help for alcohol problems and to drive evidence-based policy change on issues such as better alcohol treatment services, curbs on alcohol marketing and holding the alcohol... Full Story


Urgent action needed to address alcohol harm in the budget

Alcohol Action Ireland Media release 5 Sept 2023 Urgent action needed to address alcohol harm in the budget Global alcohol giants are making enormous profits from their sales in Ireland while there is a lack of government urgency to address the nearly 1500 deaths annually from Ireland’s cheapest and most widely available drug. In recent weeks there has rightly been huge concern expressed about the rise in deaths on Ireland’s roads. There has been focussed activity across a number of... Full Story


Safety plan needed for surge in violence

Alcohol Action Ireland calls for ‘practical’ health and safety plan amid growing spates of violence and public disorder  AAI is also calling for amendments to the Sale of Alcohol bill to ensure that it does not have a wide range of unintended consequences  Amid increased and repeated warnings about violence and lawlessness in Dublin, fueled at least partly by alcohol, and concerns about levels of policing, AAI is calling for a halt to proposals to increase opportunities for alcohol use... Full Story


Alcohol Action Ireland pre-budget submission

Alcohol Action Ireland’s pre-budget submission calls for: development of a ‘polluter pays’ model for alcohol taxation, funding for Office for Alcohol Harm Reduction and increased funding for treatment services.   In its pre-budget submission, published today, AAI sets out the harm that alcohol -  Ireland's cheapest and most widely available drug – causes and makes a number of recommendations to offset that harm.  A recently published study in the Lancet found that four industries (tobacco, unhealthy food, fossil fuels, and... Full Story


Ireland’s Very Affordable Alcohol

Alcohol in shops and off-licences is almost 70% more affordable than 20 years ago.  Ireland’s very affordable alcohol must be comprehensively addressed and a ‘polluter pays’ principle applied.  Alcohol Action Ireland has today 12 July 2023 published a report commissioned from the University of Sheffield which examines both the price of alcohol and its affordability over the past two decades to May 2023.  Using data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the report noted that overall, alcohol prices have kept... Full Story