Ahead of the St Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday weekend, which has become a byword for excess alcohol consumption, Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) notes the recent comments by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill regarding the pressure that Bank Holidays place on hospital emergency departments (ED) around the country – which is exacerbated by St Patrick’s Day coinciding with the largest public order spike of the year – and believes that government must take a proactive, preventative approach to reducing hospital trolley congestion with a dedicated strategy to tackle alcohol harm.
Public holidays have been identified, alongside sporting events and music festivals, as the most common events to result in increased alcohol-related presentations to EDs. Alcohol consumption has a huge impact not only on ED admissions – up to almost 3 in 10 ED presentations are caused by alcohol consumption – but right across frontline services. Alcohol is a key contributor to ambulance and fire brigade callouts, while the Health Research Board estimates that, in Ireland, between 30% and 65% of assaults, disorderly conduct, public order, and other social code incidents are associated with alcohol use, all of which places a huge strain on gardai and other first responders.
This year, a number of health strategies that focus on prevention are up for review and/or renewal, including Healthy Ireland, Drugs Strategy, Obesity Strategy, Suicide Prevention and the Online Safety Taskforce – all of which are areas where reducing alcohol consumption plays an essential role in achieving success. This means there is now a real opportunity for the Department of Health to bring about a sea change in Ireland’s relationship with alcohol that will have lasting benefits for generations. However, it is not clear what role alcohol will play within those strategies.
AAI CEO Dr Sheila Gilheany said: “Alcohol harm is a significant burden on the Irish state costing at least €12 billion annually. 1,500 hospital beds are in use every day for alcohol-related illness, and alcohol harm costs at least 11% of the health care budget. However, addressing alcohol harm is currently spread across a number of different government bodies which dilutes progress for a robust strategic response to reducing Ireland’s alcohol harm burden, now and into the future.
“In this context there is an urgent need for government to develop a dedicated, comprehensive alcohol strategy which is coherent across government. Issues such as drink driving and domestic violence, which are the responsibility of other departments, have serious implications for resources within health services and need input from the Department of Health. For too long there has been a siloed approach to alcohol in government with multiple departments producing policies which can be contradictory or which ignore key issues. This has also created gaps which are easily exploited by the alcohol industry. The net result is that there is a loss of focus and is leading to the current situation where binge drinking is on the rise and progress on reducing alcohol consumption is stalling.”
In its submission to the Department of Health’s consultation to develop of a new national Drugs Strategy, AAI’s recommendations include:
- The need for a new dedicated strategy for alcohol which combines prevention and services for all harmed by alcohol.
- The setting of a new target for alcohol consumption reduction in line with current HSE lower-risk drinking guidelines.
- The establishment of an Office for Alcohol Harm Reduction to drive policy development in the Department of Health and to input into cross-departmental policy.
Dr Gilheany continued: “The establishment of an Office for Alcohol Harm Reduction within the Department of Health would be a huge step towards developing a co-ordinated, dedicated strategy for alcohol with bold targets, enhanced resources and clear responsibilities for achieving these goals. This proposal requires input to and from other government departments, which is essential and not impossible with political will.
“The 2025 Programme for Government highlights that the government is committed to improving health outcomes based on strategies and policies that will have a positive and long-lasting impact on the well-being of Irish society. Nowhere is this more important than in relation to alcohol – Ireland’s cheapest, most widely available and most harmful drug – which places such a burden on our society. Without such a strategy, progress on alcohol policy will be lost. Without a strong voice from government on alcohol, vested interests will continue to exploit the currents gaps in policy which ultimately leaves the state and its citizens carrying the burden of alcohol harm.”
ENDS
NOTES: Language guide can be accessed here
