The attitude of young Irish people towards the consumption of alcohol is changing for the better, the drinks industry body Meas believes.
Research by the organisation indicates that, in spite of a longstanding culture of excess around alcohol, young people’s behaviour is becoming more responsible.
“We’re seeing a change coming through,”Meas chief executive Fionnuala Sheehan said. “There’s quite a distance to go but it’s positive that people are picking up the message.”
Ms Sheehan said that Meas, also known as drinkaware.ie, has been tracking trends towards alcohol for six years and that the results are getting more positive.
“We ask younger people how many times have you suffered a hangover in the last month or how often have you drank more than you should, to gauge their behaviour, and we’re seeing a reduction in the numbers compared to last year and the year before.”
Ms Sheehan was speaking in Dublin today as the shortlist for the dare2bdrinkaware film competition, which examines the attitudes of young Irish people towards alcohol was announced.
The competition is organised jointly by the Digital Hub and Meas, and targets teams of young people at third-level aged over 18.
A total of 10 shortlisted teams hailing from Athlone Institute of Technology, Cavan Institute of Technology, NUI Maynooth and a number of Dublin colleges.
John Hurley of the Digital Hub said the response to the competition had been “overwhelming” and that the 100 entrants to the competition had well exceeded the organisers’ expectations.
The best editing, cinematography, narrative and creative interpretations of the competition brief will be awarded next week, as well as the best overall film.
The shortlisted films will battle for ¤5,000 in prize money and the winners will be unveiled at an awards ceremony next week, which Lenny Abrahamson, the director of Prosperity and Garage, is to address.
The entries are being judged by RTÉ presenter John Kelly; Ãine Moriarty, director of the Irish Film and Television Academy, and members of the Irish Film Institute, the Union of Students in Ireland, as well as the organisers.
“We had over 100 applications from around the country, which means that at least 500 young people have researched this, spoken to their friends and reflected on the topic of alcohol in society,” Ms Sheehan said.
The 10 shortlisted entries can be seen at www.dare2bdrinkaware.com.
