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How alcohol affects Ireland in 4 stark graphs

A major HSE report yesterday looked at the harm alcohol causes in Irish society – and it made for grim reading.

THE HSE YESTERDAY released a major report into the harm caused by alcohol in Ireland.

The study made for stark reading: people cited family problems, physical assaults, money problems, vandalism, and drunk driving, all caused by people in their lives drinking too much.

Ireland’s attitude to alcohol has been much documented. While the number of people who abstain from drinking completely is high – 13 per cent of the population, according to a 2011 study – the way in which many people drink is problematic, with Irish adults binge drinking more than adults in any other European country.

These four graphs from yesterday’s report show the effect of misuse of alcohol and the harm that it has caused to people in Ireland.

1. The prevalence of alcohol-related harm

image

(For a larger version of this graph click here)

This graph breaks down alcohol-related harm by gender and by age. It shows that the biggest problem by far was physical assault. More than 1 in 5 men aged between 18 and 29 have experienced a physical assault involving alcohol. The next most common form of harm was family problems, with 20.8 per cent of women in the same age bracket reporting them.

The graph breaks down five specific issues – family problems, being a passenger with a drunk driver, property vandalised, physical assault and money problems. The results found that people aged 18 to 29 were most likely to have experienced harm as a result of  alcohol, while people aged over 50 were least likely to report problems.

Almost all of the figures decrease over time, except for two: women who had had property vandalised increased, and money problems also increased over time.

2. Alcohol harm in the workplace

image

(For a larger version of this graph click here)

Alcohol-related harm in the workplace also registered highly, again particularly among younger people, who reported on the negative consequences caused by their co-workers’ heavy drinking. The biggest issue was with people reporting that their ability to do their job was affected by their co-workers’ drinking, with 15 per cent of men and 8 per cent of women aged 18-34 reporting that this was the case.

A lot of people have also been forced to work extra hours due to their colleagues’ drinking. Once again, young men were the most affected by this (11 per cent), closely followed by young women (8.9 per cent).

3. Alcohol harm caused to children

image

(For a larger version of this click here)

The figure for how children were affected by their parent(s) drinking made for particularly grim reading. Unsurprisingly, children whose parents engaged in regular risky drinking – which was defined as people who drank more than 75 grams of alcohol per month – were most likely to have been harmed, with 11.2 per cent of children verbally abused.

Almost 7 per cent of these children had been left in an unsafe situation, while 3.4 per cent had been physical abused, and another 5.5 per cent had witnessed violence. More than 10 per cent of the children had experienced one or more harms as a result of someone else’s drinking when their parents were regular risky drinkers.

4. How does Ireland compare?

image

(For a larger version of this graph click here)

Given all these figures, it’s worth asking how Ireland compares to other countries. The HSE study looked at two other major studies which were conducted in the US and in Canada, and compared the Irish results to them. In each case, the Irish figures were higher – in some cases up to three or four times higher – than the figures in the US and Canadian studies.

13.8 per cent of Irish respondents reported family problems as a result of alcohol consumption, for example, compared to just 5.4 per cent in Canada and 3.4 per cent in the US.  The most gaping difference came in property vandalisation, with 9.1 per cent of Irish respondents reporting it, compared to just 2.6 per cent in Canada and 1.8 per cent in the US.

The figures were replicated in the workplace and when the effects on children were examined, with Ireland again reported figures higher than international comparisons.

Read: How much does alcohol abuse affect others in Ireland? A lot, says a new report >

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47 Comments
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    Mute Declan Byrne
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    Nov 13th 2014, 5:16 PM

    Fantastic news hopefully they will succeed and makes this awful disease disappear.

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    Mute Declan Byrne
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    Nov 13th 2014, 5:17 PM

    Apologies a few phone typos made above.

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Nov 13th 2014, 5:56 PM

    Great news. There weren’t any typos above.

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    Mute Pat O'Brien
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    Nov 13th 2014, 5:54 PM

    God I hope they come up with a cure quick. My family obviously carry this gene and it’s a tough illness to leave with. I’m probably a carrier of the gene so any developments are welcomed by me and my family even though it may be too little to late for some of them.

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    Mute Thomas O'Connor
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    Nov 13th 2014, 6:18 PM

    Bit self involved there. The breakthroughs are welcomed by your family cos you’ve a chance of getting it. Right… I welcome all breakthroughs in finding cures for horrible diseases, even if I’ve no chance of getting said disease.

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    Mute Pat O'Brien
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    Nov 13th 2014, 6:51 PM

    Not at all I’d happily welcome a cure for idiocy I just don’t see it coming anytime soon. Do you Tom?

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    Mute FMan
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    Nov 13th 2014, 6:56 PM

    Ouch

    29
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    Mute Barry Healy
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    Nov 13th 2014, 7:19 PM

    Thomas you’re a great man, so full of humanity. Good on ya for welcoming all such breakthroughs equally. Feck pat and his family who could be living with a death sentence and the chance of living in misery for years because his first reaction would be how much this could help them because that’s just selfish and self serving. What a b*stard that he should first think of his loved ones when news of a possible breakthrough that could lead to help for them is released.

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    Mute Catherine Mayock
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    Nov 13th 2014, 11:18 PM

    Tom who said you have no chance of getting it. My in law got it in his 80s. So never say never. And why would you begruge any famiy the chance of a cure. I am disgusted by your small mindlessness.

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    Mute Kane Abel
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    Nov 14th 2014, 10:32 PM

    Thomas some families are predisposed towards certain illnesses, someday you’ll grow up and be less of an uncontrollable knob and though you’ll probably never be a man you may mature enough to regret making such ignorant comments in public and letting yourself down so badly….

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    Mute Joan Featherstone
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    Nov 13th 2014, 8:45 PM

    Brilliant news…my almost 90 yrs old mum has Parkinson’s, lives alone, out everyday….won’t be any use to her poor love, but hopefully to others in the future….you are brilliant people and all the wonderful research you do.

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    Mute Butter bean
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    Nov 13th 2014, 5:30 PM

    Its news when there is a cure.This is just a PR exercise for more funding.
    I find these articles incredibly frustrating,ten years from now there will still be no cure for this awful affliction.

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    Mute Ivon Itchie Saq
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    Nov 13th 2014, 5:35 PM

    Probably best that they don’t publicise this and any other break through’s cause they don’t need the funding to continue research

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    Mute Elizabeth Gibson
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    Nov 13th 2014, 6:20 PM

    Ten years from now they would definitely be no closer to a cute if they don’t get any funding, as far as i am concerned they can run down the street naked shouting eureka if it gets them the funding they need to research this further and hopefully make a breakthrough

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    Mute Elizabeth Gibson
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    Nov 13th 2014, 6:20 PM

    *cute = cure

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    Mute Kane Abel
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    Nov 14th 2014, 10:36 PM

    What have you ever done for society butter bean?

    - If I was gambling man I’d bet you take a whole pile more than you give…..

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    Mute Butter bean
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    Nov 13th 2014, 5:45 PM

    If their work is good enough they will get funding without the publicity stunts, getting peoples hopes up and then nothing is pretty low.

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    Mute Barry Healy
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    Nov 13th 2014, 7:12 PM

    They published it in a research journal and the media have picked up on it. Publishing in journals is an essential part of scientific research and enables their work to be built upon by other scientists who may use it to follow other avenues of enquiry. Should they just keep it to themselves so the scientific community don’t know what they’re doing, can’t verify what they’re doing and may waste money doing the exact same research not knowing it’s already been done? And if a media outlet should pick up on this study and ask for comment by the scientists in question should they just refuse? And so what if they make comments about funding being essential, it is! It’s not as if these guys earn fat paycheques doing this work. It’s often quite low paid stuff for the expertise involved. Scientists carrying out research are constantly fighting for funding from wherever they can get it so why shouldn’t he take a pop at the availability of funding? And who’s hope are they getting up? They explicitly state it won’t directly lead to a cure but perhaps enable advancements towards a cure. If he hadn’t made the comment about needing continued funding would your boxers still be twisted or what? If these guys were to turn around and win a Nobel prize for this would you be b*tching about it then or be congratulating them for being the pride of the country? Some people’s default setting is to moan. It’s ridiculous.

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    Mute FMan
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    Nov 13th 2014, 7:28 PM

    If it is a greater understand of how aggregates of misfolded proteins occur and proves to be right that is significant. I believe the theory up to now was that misfolded proteins acted on neighbouring protein which were correctly folded to misfolded. That would be much more difficult to control than a damaged gene producing the mutated protein. It at least gives a starting point for a cure.

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