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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
(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
(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
(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?
(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.
A referendum would put this issue to bed but this government knows they would lose. Irish people should vote on these issues in future not who fixed the potholes.
@Burn Turf: I’d say there a quite a few that notice what’s going on and think we probably should be aligned with others. If Norway and Sweden are dropping neutrality (and they were is a good position to defend their neutrality) then what chance have we if someone wants to use our fair green Isle as an aircraft carrier. Switzerland can defend its neutrality, but no one will touch them thanks to their banks! Let’s not kid ourselves and be blinded by our green tinted glasses. If someone wants us, they will this strategic land of ours.
@Paul Furey: It’s Finland, not Norway. Norway has been in NATO since the beginning, and Finland just joined. But otherwise I’m with you on everything else.
@Burn Turf: Hasn’t it been clearly stated that the governors have no intention atm to join N.A.T.O.?
You are right of course. Daft mistake to make. Thanks
Endless NATO articles….nothing else happening in the world? Seems the journal does not deem young international sporting tragedies as newsworthy.
Yesterday Robbie Keanes old strike partner, Cedric Rousell of Belgium, Coventry and Wolves, heart attack 45.
Today 20 yr old British Ice Hockey prodigy, Alex Graham, represented GB at u18 and U20
@p m: Vaxx. Sssshhhh…..
This begs the question of why was this forum set up in the first place if it was not to promote NATO…we know a commission was set up last year at the Defence Forces all that was disgust at a forum…last year’s commission on DF mentioned many of the recommendations on this forum
@Paul Maguire: Maybe they just lost their bottle.
@Paul Maguire: it was setup to discuss security, or do you prefer to bury your head in the sand ?
Just another box the Irish government want to tick to make them the perfect boys in Europe.
Less protesters and more focused communication on cyber security hopefully happens tomorrow. It’s not all NATO, plenty to discuss to protect our country and neutrality.
Common defence is common sense
@Roj Blake: Has been true since the dawn of man!
@Roj Blake: Not necessarily. Can also drag us into conflicts not of our concern.
Softening us up to accept a decision already made to join in future NATO military adventures.
@Tony Murphy: your source?
@Tony Murphy: utter BS
The Tankies in the Journal comments gutted that with just one day left, we haven’t joined NATO yet.
Keep your hopes up folks, the head Tankie will get the floor tomorrow, He’s bound to bring it up.
@goldiefish72: “Tankie is a pejorative label for communists, particularly Stalinists, who support the authoritarian tendencies of Marxism–Leninism or, more generally, authoritarian states associated with Marxism–Leninism, whether contemporary or historical.” Wikipedia. So we have Stalinists posting here…..must be those Orwell Road bots.
No one wants to be involved in war, but when you have Hitler invading countries for fun or Putin threatening the stability of Europe, of which we are a part of an reliant on, why do we think we can just sit on the fence and say nah, we’re not helping out at all, when we are clearly aligned with one side?
It’s a weak stance in my opinion, especially when we’re allowing US air force to refuel and stop here which makes it make even less sense.
The usual big mouths are out in force. If it can to defending this country, they’d be hiding under the bed
“In order to work, neutrality has to be universally agreed upon” and as with the likes of Sweden, Finland and Switzerland….they are/were in a position to defend their neutrality. As for us……
Let the people decide with a vote
this sounds like a cut price way for Ireland to outsource its defence considering in the context of a Naval force a bunch of fishing boats is all we have. In an air context well there will still be the RAF. Im guessing when we join NATO there’ll be bases set up on the west coast to close the back door into europe. To be fair its a good bit of business. we dont have the money for tanks and leftie cranks on here will blather on about money that should be spent on more worthwhile projects like their dole bonuses, so if we outsource it while formally trading in our sovereignty for a few quid then there’ll be a hullabaloo and then hopefully someone will stage a coup somewhere else and it’ll all die down.
have your say