Alcohol Action Ireland has called on the Government to send out a clear message that we can no longer tolerate our high levels of alcohol harm and make the implementation of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill a priority, one year on from its announcement.
The measures to be included in the Bill were announced on Friday, October 24, 2013, when the Government said it recognised the severe consequences of the misuse of alcohol and that it was determined to take action to address this problem.
“It is encouraging that the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, has made the implementation of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill one of his priorities and much work has been, and continues to be, done by the Department of Health on this important issue, but the reality is that without full Government support we are unlikely to see definitive action any time soon,” said Suzanne Costello, CEO of Alcohol Action Ireland.
“We know that 88 deaths every month in Ireland are directly attributable to alcohol, so that means some 1,056 lives have been lost to harmful drinking since the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill was first announced one year ago. The evidence in support of public health policy measures to reduce alcohol harm is overwhelming, but we need our Government to show the political will to ensure they are implemented if we are to save lives and improve health and wellbeing in Ireland.
“The lack of action on this critical issue to date is a stark reflection of how we have not only normalised heavy and harmful drinking in Ireland, but we have also normalised the huge costs that come with it, primarily the loss of so many lives and the harms suffered by young and vulnerable members of our society. It’s time our Government sent out a clear message that we can no longer tolerate these levels of harm and took steps to address it.
“The current situation is only set to worsen in the absence of strong public health measures, with Revenue figures indicating that our alcohol consumption is set to increase this year. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland has warned that liver disease rates are on course to quadruple in Ireland between 1995 and 2015, with the greatest level of increase among 15-to-34-year-olds, while treatment centres such as Aiséirí and Coolmine have also warned in recent weeks of the increasing number of women and young people seeking treatment for alcohol problems.”
Source: Alcohol Action Ireland, 24/10/14
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