Alcohol Action Ireland press release, November 25, 2024
Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) notes the prominent position given to health in all the main parties’ General Election manifestos, which is not surprising considering health is the second biggest spending area of Government with a budget for next year of €25.8 billion. Alcohol is a major cost, with 11% of the healthcare budget being used for alcohol-related illnesses and injuries. 1,500 hospital beds are in use every day in relation to alcohol. In 2021, the most recent stats available,18,877 people were hospitalised due to wholly alcohol-related conditions – an increase of 80% over the past two decades.
Prevention is absolutely key to reducing this burden and this needs a whole-of-government approach. Addressing alcohol harm through legislation is currently spread across a number of government departments including Health, Justice, Education, Finance and Media. This spread of resources dilutes progress for a robust strategic response to reducing Ireland’s alcohol burden, now and into the future. For this reason, AAI is calling for the establishment of an Office for Alcohol Harm Reduction to drive policy thinking and to coordinate a coherent cross-government approach to Ireland’s cheapest, most widely available and harmful drug. To date 100 candidates in the General Election have signed AAI’s pledge for such an Office with support coming from right across the political spectrum.
Consultant Gastroenterologist and AAI Chair Prof Frank Murray said: “Healthcare workers see the tragic results of Ireland’s heavy alcohol consumption every day, from General Practice to Emergency Departments to Intensive Care Units. Individuals and families experience enormous pain and distress. It is essential that that the dreadful harms of alcohol are reduced. This is not just about additional services. Prevention is vital and essential. Reducing alcohol consumption across the population is key. We know the actions that are effective – controls on pricing, marketing and availability of alcohol.
“Less alcohol consumption means less health and social harms – that is evidence-based. There is a burning need to deal with this alcohol harm issue in a coordinated, coherent manner. We require joined-up thinking across government departments to avoid alcohol harms and inadvertent missteps. We need an office established that will coordinate alcohol policy in Ireland to give it focus, consistency and direction. It’s the people of Ireland who are bearing the brunt of the lack of an integrated approach to alcohol.”
Some examples of incoherent thinking include the Dept of Health seeking to reduce alcohol use via the Public Health (Alcohol) Act but the Dept of Justice seeking to increase alcohol availability through longer licensing hours via the Sale of Alcohol Bill, a contradiction which even vintners raised in meetings with the Dept of Justice. Likewise pricing of alcohol is known to be the strongest policy lever in relation to alcohol yet excise duties have not changed in 11 years meaning their public health impact is being eroded.
It is envisioned that an Office for Alcohol Harm Reduction would take the lead on developing the coherent policy response that is required. Ideally this would include:
- licensing
- marketing controls
- strategic development of alcohol services
- education/prevention programming
- commissioning of relevant data monitoring and evaluation of policy
Prof Murray continued, “An Office for Alcohol Harm Reduction is essential. Reducing alcohol consumption reduces harms and also reduces costs for the health service. We have seen the effectiveness of the Office for Tobacco Control established by then Health Minister Micheál Martin, which has led to a significant reduction in tobacco use, with smoking rates falling from 27% of the population in 2004 to 18% in 2023. Approximately 70% of the population consume alcohol and nearly 15% of the adult population have an alcohol use disorder – that’s almost 600,000 people, of whom 90,000 have a severe problem. The scale of the harm is enormous but significant cultural change can be brought about by having a strong and highly targeted government approach to the issue.”
ENDS
NOTES:
Access AAI’s Office for Alcohol Harm Reduction policy briefing here
AAI’s media language guide can be accessed here
