Madam, – In response to Rosemary Garth’s letter (October 29th) I wish to make the following points: Ireland’s per capita consumption of alcohol is still above the EU average, and while we may be close to late 1990 levels, when taken over a period of say 30-40 years, we are drinking in the region of 50 per cent more than we did.
Also, Ireland still has one of the highest percentage of teetotallers in the EU (perhaps as high as 20 per cent). This, coupled with the decline in population due to returning immigrants and recent emigration, has impacted on our per capita consumption since 2001.
The fact that Ms Garth believes “the vast majority of Irish people enjoy alcohol in a responsible manner” does not marry with over a decade of national and international health studies on the issue, which point to an ongoing problematic relationship with alcohol in this country.
The Drinkaware campaign, which Ms Garth refers to, may be a great corporate social marketing tool, but there is no evidence that it has had any reach among the under 18-age group or serial binge-drinkers.
While the drinks industry continues to ignore the realities of Ireland’s relationship with alcohol, the onus is on government to find some bottle and take a stronger legislative hand in relation to below cost selling, tighter advertising and sponsorship rules and stricter online advertising codes.
– Yours, etc,