NEW RESEARCH BY insurer Aviva has found that Irish people drink excessively and spend almost €2,000 a year on alcohol.

The study found that men are the bigger drinkers, consuming an average of 15 alcohol units a week and spending €2,395 a year on average.

Women, meanwhile, consume an average of nine units at a cost of €1,607 per year.

Broken down regionally, the study found that people in Louth and Dublin drink the most, at an average of 12 units a week. However, counties Carlow, Donegal, Kerry, Roscommon and Tipperary recorded the lowest level with an average weekly alcohol consumption of nine units.

Over 20,000 people participated in the research between December 2008 and April 2011. In a statement released with the survey results, Aviva’s Dr Stephen Murphy said that the study showed “worrying behaviour” in Irish drinking patterns, particularly as people “tend to under-report their alcohol consumption”.

He said people may not be aware that alcohol is linked to breast and oral cancers, as well as liver cancer.

Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation urged governments to introduce more strident policies on alcohol consumption to counter its negative effects on health. WHO’s global alcohol report said that alcohol is a factor in around 2.5 million deaths annually – killing more people than tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.