People in the Republic are more likely to engage in binge-drinking compared with drinkers in other European countries, according to a major new study on alcohol consumption.
The Irish Drinking Culture - The Results of Drinking and Drinking-Related Harm - a European Comparison report was released yesterday as part of the final phase of a three-year National Alcohol Awareness Campaign, run by the Health Prevention Unit of the Department of Health.
The research found that the consumption of alcohol per drinker in the Republic was 12.1 litres per year, much higher than that found in six other European states.
Men here drink three times as much alcohol as women, which is similar to the gender difference found in Sweden, Finland, France and Britain. Male drinking levels are lower in Germany and Italy.
According to Dr Ann Hope, National Alcohol Policy Adviser with the Department of Health and co-author of the study, the results emphasise both the acute and social harm caused by alcohol.
She said: "12.4 per cent of men said their alcohol consumption was affecting their ability to do their job. This has huge economic implications in terms of lost productivity."
The findings on binge-drinking are shocking, Dr Hope told The Irish Times. Half of men binge-drink at least once a week, compared with 38 per cent in Britain. Sixteen per cent of Irish women engage in binge-drinking, which is higher than the other European countries studied.
"When frequency of binge- drinking occasions are related to the overall number of drinking occasions, the results show that out of 100 drinking events, 58 end up in binge-drinking for men and 30 for women," the paper states.
According to Dr Hope, this suggests that in the Republic, binge- drinking is the norm among men and occurs in about a third of drinking occasions for women.
Binge-drinking here is most common among the 18-to-29 age group in both sexes; the harmful drinking pattern declines with age. Binge-drinking is defined as taking six or more drinks in a single drinking session.
The study, co-authored with Dr Mats Ramstedt of the Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs at Stockholm University, Sweden, also defined the adverse consequences of drinking alcohol.
In the Republic, 40 per cent of male drinkers and 24 per cent of female drinkers experienced at least one of eight adverse consequences during the previous 12 months.
As a result of drinking, 11.5 per cent of men have "got into a fight", which is three times the European average, and 6.3 per cent had been in an accident as a result of harmful drinking.
Twenty-two per cent of women here reported having regretted things said or done after drinking. Three per cent of women were involved in fights while 2.5 per cent experienced an accident as a direct result of drinking alcohol.
Problems related to home life and marriage are highest for those of middle age and are common to both men and women. The study found that both a high intake of alcohol and a pattern of binge-drinking were associated with a higher risk of adverse social and health consequences.
"Our findings also suggest that low-risk limits to drinking - 21 standard drinks for men and 14 for women - are actually drunk on one or two binge-drinking occasions rather than spread out over the week," Dr Hope said.
Launching the research and a new CD by Sinéad O'Connor, the proceeds of which will go to the children's charity Barnardos, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said: "Things are not the same as when we were young - alcohol consumption has increased by 49 per cent in the last decade . . . Many people now drink to become intoxicated."
Report on drinking: main findings
Irish drinkers are more likely to engage in binge-drinking compared with other European countries;
12.4 per cent of men said their alcohol consumption affected their ability to do their job;
Half of men binge-drink at least once a week;
16 per cent of Irish women engage in binge-drinking;
Out of 100 drinking occasions, 58 end up in binge-drinking for men and 30 for women;
As a direct result of alcohol, 11.5 per cent of men had "got into a fight" and 6.3 per cent had an accident.