Dr Garrett McGovern tells Catherine Reilly setting up a treatment and rehabilitative programme to tackle Ireland’s drink problem is not rocket science.
Plentiful treatment services and education outreach that do not “patronise” young people are the key ingredients in tackling Ireland’s alcohol problem, over and above measures surrounding alcohol pricing and advertising, a leading addiction specialist has told IMT.
Dr Garrett McGovern was speaking following the Budget 2014 measures of a 10 cent increase on a packet of cigarettes, a 10 cent increase on the price of a pint or standard measure of spirits and 50 cent extra on a bottle of wine, and in advance of the Government announcement of well-signposted proposals on minimum pricing and advertising, as well as a commitment to review sponsorship of sporting events by alcohol companies.
On press briefing documents, at the announcement on measures to address alcohol misuse, the Department of Health stated an aim to develop a national treatment and rehabilitative service that promoted early intervention, but did not state a timeline for this.
Dr McGovern suggested that the Government was attaching too little weight to some measures, and too much to others. “There is a large group of people in this country who drink perfectly sensibly,” the Dublin-based GP said.
“The vast majority of people in this country either drink sensibly or from time to time drink too much, and there is a group who drink really heavily. Increasing the prices, in my opinion, will only have an effect on the less-established drinkers — I am talking about the young people.”
For the “well-established” problem drinkers, it would not matter how much alcohol costed, they would still drink — even if it meant turning to “a thriving illicit market”.
There appeared to be “too much emphasis” on pricing, advertising and sponsorship, and such restrictions would not prove a panacea, believed Dr McGovern.
“This is the granny state — the idea that ‘you are drinking too much, we haven’t been able to get you to reduce your drinking, therefore we are going to do it for you, so we are going to hike the prices up’… I don’t think it is fair on people who like a drink to have to pay extra for it because other people are drinking heavily. The people who are drinking heavily need help — no question about that.”
Source: Catherine Reilly, Irish Medical Times, 13/11/13
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