Alcohol more damaging than drugs.

Dr Deirdre Mongan, co-author of a Health Research Board (HRB) report highlighting the social consequences of alcohol abuse said "without a shadow of a doubt", alcohol was posing a bigger problem than drugs.

Dr Mongan, who works in the alcohol and drug research unit of the HRB, said the legality of alcohol was the only thing that separated the two.

And while drinking was seen as socially acceptable, drugs were only confined to one small section of society.

Dr Mongan said her research unit had been set up to deal with drugs only, but the team decided it did not make sense to look at one without the other.

"It is very hard to separate drugs and alcohol. Twenty per cent of alcoholics are also drugs users and poly-drug use, and mixing drugs and alcohol is becoming much more common among younger people."

The HRB report, Social Consequences of Harmful Use of Alcohol in Ireland, states that although some published evidence exists in Ireland on the social harms caused by alcohol, there are major gaps in our knowledge base.

"We know very little about the extent of suffering experienced by the families of problem drinkers in Ireland, although it is likely that they endure the most serious effects. There are also major knowledge gaps regarding the relationship between alcohol use and problems in the workplace," the report stated.

"We have no detailed estimates of the financial costs to the workplace and the effects on productivity arising from alcohol-related absenteeism, although such costs are likely to be considerable."

Dr Mongan maintains that alcohol got left behind as drug research took over, and that there is no clear Government strategy to tackle alcohol abuse

However, she said the fact that alcohol had now been integrated into the National Drugs Strategy was a positive step forward.

"This is a very critical time for proper policy to be developed and more importantly acted upon," she said.

"We need an action plan with responsibility given to a group or body to implement it. In the past there has been no accountability."

However, the drop in the price of alcohol announced in the budget will be seen as a major step back in terms of public health policy.

There are serious issues around the supply of alcohol, ease of access and pricing in supermarkets, Dr Mongan said.

"The last time spirit prices were increased was in December 2002. Following this consumption decreased by 20% and overall consumption by 6%."

Dr Mongan said this showed a direct correlation between price increases and consumption of spirits.

Source: Jennifer Hough, The Irish Examiner, 30/12/2009