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Ireland has the highest percentage of people who need medical help after drinking too much

Brazil and the UK are not too far behind us.

IRELAND IS THE country with the highest percentage of people who needed emergency medical treatment after drinking alcohol in the last year.

Shutterstock-120023146 Shutterstock Shutterstock

According to an international survey on people’s alcohol use, 2.8% of the 2,393 Irish people surveyed sought emergency medical help after drinking.

This compares to 2.2% in Brazil, 1.6% in the UK and Scotland and 1.5% in France, Poland and Belgium.

emergency by country Global Drug Survey Global Drug Survey

The most common complaints by Irish people who drank too much were accidents, trauma, nausea, vomiting and passing out. Seven in ten of the people who sought help were admitted to hospital.

a and e Global Drug Survey

Of those who sought medical help:

  • 11 people felt back to normal within 12 hours
  • 17 people felt back to normal within 24 hours
  • Three people took over 4 weeks to get better
  • Five people reported still not having recovered
  • Two in ten people cut down their drinking after the experience
  • Four in ten people changed the way they drank
  • Almost half of people indicated it led to no change in their drinking behaviour

Ireland also has the highest rate of wanting to drink less – 38.5%.

number of drinks on a day Global Drug Survey Global Drug Survey

Irish men and women also scored highest in an audit to determine their dependence on alcohol.

audit men Global Drug Survey Global Drug Survey

audit women Global Drug Survey Global Drug Survey

The Global Drug Survey questioned 102,000 people from over 50 countries about their alcohol and drug use, including 2,393 (2.4% of the total) from Ireland – 1,199 men and 1,151 women.

The mean age of the participants in Ireland was 25.6 years, compared to 29.3 years internationally.

The survey does not take a cross-section of every demographic but rather looks to probe trends and attitudes among people who have had some experience using drugs or alcohol.

We’ll have more insights into people’s drinking on TheJournal.ie later.

If you think you’re drinking too much and want help, visit Drinks Meter.

More from the survey:

Irish people describe their drug use

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    May 15th 2022, 12:30 AM

    I don’t think my mother has ever forgiven me for having ruined her chance of watching the 1973 Eurovision by being born earlier that day :D

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    May 15th 2022, 1:09 AM

    @Ken Loughman: 2/12 by the way.

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    May 15th 2022, 8:38 AM

    @Ken Loughman: happy 49th birthday.

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    May 15th 2022, 12:29 PM

    @Alex Marquis: Thanks! I had arrived a couple of weeks earlier than expected – hence my initial comment :)

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    May 15th 2022, 8:37 AM

    My lovely horse running through the FIELDS.
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    Like a train in the night, like a train in the (hold on I can do this) NIGHT.

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    May 15th 2022, 12:32 PM

    @Alex Marquis: We have to lose that sax solo!

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    May 15th 2022, 12:57 AM

    5 out of 12

    Wonder how many Johnny Logan would get

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    May 15th 2022, 10:00 AM

    9/12 – I faded at the end.

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