Madam, – Your Editorial (“Sober findings”, December 15th) is a timely reminder of the threat that alcohol abuse poses for this country. As you rightly state, Ireland is awash with alcohol, yet we continue to allow it to be promoted through massively-funded sponsorship events and advertising campaigns.
There is one aspect of the alcohol crisis that needs to be highlighted. In the recent weeks we have heard a great deal about the dangers of cocaine use – and rightly so. However, the prevalence and consequences of cocaine usage in this country pale in comparison to those of alcohol abuse.
For instance, it is suggested that 500 people in Ireland will die in the next five years from cocaine use, but what people do not seem to appreciate is that at least 1,000 will die directly or indirectly in the coming year as a result of alcohol misuse.
While not denying that cocaine and other substance abuse is a serious issue, alcohol is freely available and extensively promoted although its usage has devastating consequences for individuals, families and for Irish society as a whole.
Why the ambivalence? Is it because of the power of a drinks industry that buys the silence of legislators and because of the massive amounts of sponsorship money at its disposal? Is it because of the enormous tax-take received annually from the sale of alcoholic beverages?
Is it because we are too selfish and uninterested as individuals in a nation that has the dubious distinction of being second in the world in terms of alcohol consumption?
Politicians of all parties speak frequently of the ills and hardships in Irish society, but when it comes to alcohol abuse they are almost invariably silent. In the recent Budget not one cent was added to the cost of alcohol by a cash-strapped Government.
Those who would have us believe that they are acting “in the national interest” are clearly complicit with the drinks industry in this country – an industry whose only interest is in maximising its profits. – Yours, etc,