One in every seven Irish adults has a drinking problem, a report has suggested.
The study from the Health Research Board has raised major red flags as it shows that 40% of people imbibe heavily at least once a month while 14.8% were found to have alcohol use disorder.
Those figures work out to one in every seven or 578,000 adults in the country.
Alcohol Action Ireland said the report shows a “hyper harmful” relationship between Irish people and alcohol and have called on dedicated action to taken to curb the damage being caused.
Head of communications and advocacy Eunan McKinney said: “This report highlights, yet again, the enormous difficulties we face as a society with alcohol use.
“The findings show an alarming prevalence of alcohol use disorders amongst our youngest drinkers – 18-24 years – with 37.5% reporting maladaptive patterns of alcohol use.
“Too often a new generation hear the voice of alcohol business proclaiming the curiosities of drinking but never any reflection on the harms caused or the significant loss of creativity, enterprise or productivity to our society that is self-evident in these figures.
“Ireland’s hyper and harmful relationship with alcohol continues to act as a handbrake to realising our true promise.”
The main findings from the 2019–20 National Drug and Alcohol Survey showed that 74.2% of participants reported having drank alcohol in the last 12 months,
corresponding to 2,904,000 of the general population in Ireland aged 15 years and older.
It also showed 34% of current imbibers typically drank at least six units when they were drinking and for males, this increased to half.
However, the proportion of the adult population aged 15–64 years who have drank alcohol in the last year has dropped since the 2002–03 survey, from 83.8% to 77.7% in 2019–20.
Female drinkers aged 15-24 were found to have the highest level of alcohol use disorder while young men were most likely to have dangerous drinking patterns.
Alcohol Action Ireland chief Dr Sheila Gilheany said: “The HRB’s findings highlight the enormous difficulties we face as a society with alcohol use.
“This report highlights that dedicated action is required to proportionately address the needs and challenges of Ireland’s alcohol use.”
