Alcohol News

Alcohol Action Ireland today (Thurs 16 May) note the release of the survey data from the Western Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force of 15-16 year olds in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. The extensive lifestyle survey, which was conducted by the Icelandic group Planet Youth, reveals worrying aspects of teenage alcohol use including: 77% of respondents have drunk alcohol in their lifetime. 46% report being drunk in their lifetime. 30% had tried alcohol by 13 26% report being drunk in... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland is calling on all candidates standing in the 2019 European Parliament Elections to make a commitment supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) view that the ‘alcohol industry should have no role in the formulation of alcohol policies, which must be protected from distortion by commercial or vested interests’.1 This view was reiterated most recently by the WHO in April 2019 stating that ‘engagement may be used by the alcohol industry primarily to serve their interests with limited... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland today (Tues, 12 March) note the data released by Revenue: provisional alcohol clearances and receipts 2018. This data disappointingly indicates that alcohol consumption remains stubbornly high at 11 litres per capita. Alcohol receipts for the year ended show a 1.78% rise, however when an estimated population data for 2018 is applied (CSO: population >15 years old - 3,848.4m) the figures for consumption as a per capita, stand at 11 litres, indicative of essentially a status quo, year... Full Story

The latest data from the Health Research Board (HRB: 8th March) highlights the prominent role alcohol has in so many unnecessary deaths. Alcohol was implicated in 132 deaths in 2016. That is 37% of all drug poisoning deaths; 354 deaths were recorded in 2016. Alcohol remains the number one drug implicated in deaths, alone or with other drugs, over the reporting period.                         The continued mass availability of cheap,... Full Story

Last summer (2018) witnessed a variety of incidences for holidaymakers where excessive alcohol was central - some involving significant operational cost and disruption while others, regrettably, had more tragic outcomes. These incidences must be, and can be, avoided if all parties involved – the airport authorities, the airlines, destination marketers and passengers – understand the consequences of excess alcohol and act on their responsibility to ensure a low-risk approach to the consumption of alcohol will deliver comfortable and safer travel for all.... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland has today (17.01.19) launched a new initiative to raise awareness of the experience of growing up in Ireland with parental alcohol misuse.  Called Silent Voices, it aims to end the silence of this experience, by promoting an understanding of the adverse impacts of parental alcohol misuse on the lives of children, including children who are now adults.  It also plans – through engagement with existing services providers – to secure supports for those who have lived, or... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland today welcomed the reporting of the Minster for Health, Simon Harris’ intention to implement Minimum Unit Pricing ‘as soon as possible to address the health harms and cost associated with harmful alcohol consumption’. Ireland’s harmful relationship with alcohol is evident by the continued underlying rise in consumption, with 2018 data likely to further illustrate a continual rise in our drinking, an outcome well documented in the frequent alcohol industry and retailers’ trading statements. Implementing all the provisions... Full Story

Today in the European Parliament, MEPs and health campaigners together with industry representatives, yet again called for the alignment of alcoholic beverages with other food products. In 2011 the European institutions passed Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 that requires food and soft drinks, including fruit juice and milk, to label nutritional information and ingredients. However, after heated debates alcoholic beverages were exempted from this obligation. Currently, when a consumer drinks alcohol it is highly unlikely that they know exactly what they... Full Story

The Irish Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, signed into law today (Wed 17 Oct) by Ireland’s President, Michael D Higgins, presents a set of measures to prevent alcohol related harm, which follow latest evidence base in the field of alcohol policy and recommendations of the World Health Organization. Both World Health Organization Global strategy to reduce harmful use of alcohol and the World Health Organization European action plan to reduce the harmful use of alcohol 2012–2020 encompass measures proposed by the... Full Story