A NEW report on alcohol-related harm has highlighted the "increasingly negative role played by alcohol" in Irish society and has warned that a dramatic increase in alcohol-related harm does not bode well for the future health and wellbeing of the population.
The Alcohol-Related Harm in Ireland report by Dr Ann Hope for the HSE's alcohol implementation group, provides an overview of more than 30 recent studies relating to alcohol consumption.
It looked at 60 factors relating to alcohol abuse, including health, workplace absences, pregnancy, domestic abuse, public order offences and road crashes.
It found that 46 per cent of those who committed murder or manslaughter were intoxicated at the time. Alcohol was a contributory factor in more than one third of all fatal crashes and in a quarter of severe domestic abuse cases.
The report said that chronic alcohol conditions had increased among young adults "and more women than before are now affected by alcohol".
It highlighted a study which predicted that the number of new alcohol-related cancers would more than double for females and increase by 81 per cent for males in the period 2005 to 2020.
"The projected increase in new cases of alcohol-related cancers up to 2020 is worrying because much of the increase will come from young and middle-aged drinkers and, to a lesser extent from the expected ageing population change, as will be the case with most other cancers," the report said.
It pointed out that treatment centres were recording many new cases, particularly of younger people who were being treated for problem alcohol use for the first time.
The report highlighted research which found that alcohol affected an adolescent brain differently from an adult brain and that damage from alcohol use during adolescence could be long-term and irreversible.
"Therefore, it is critically important to delay the age of onset of drinking by young people," it advised.
It said that the negative role of alcohol in family wellbeing had been well documented in a number of Irish studies "where alcohol has the potential to contribute to domestic violence, relationship and marriage problems and impact on the most vulnerable, children".
And it pointed to a general population survey which found that over half of all respondents were concerned about someone else's alcohol use.
Some four out of every 10 people had experienced harm because of their own or someone else's use of alcohol.
A separate study of college students found that almost two-thirds of male students and over half of female students reported that they had experienced at least one incident of harm as a consequence of someone else's alcohol use.
The report called for a set of integrated policies to reduce alcohol-related harm. It pointed out that there was no national structure in place to implement the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol recommendations.
"There is no implementation plan with measurable targets and time-lines . . . Alcohol related harm will not be reduced unless action is taken. Delaying the necessary action increases the growing burden of harm for everyone in society," it stated.
The report also called for quality data gathering to allow for effective monitoring of alcohol related harm.
It acknowledged that the findings painted "a grim picture of the increasingly negative role played by alcohol in Irish society. This has major implications for policy makers, especially in the areas of health, justice and social policy".
Dr Joe Barry, public health specialist, said the report confirmed that alcohol related harm was not only confined to the drinker but extended to others, such as road users, family members and work colleagues.
"Inevitably, this also causes strain on health services and its staff who have to divert resources to treat avoidable alcohol related injuries and conditions," he said.
The Drinks Industry Group said alcohol misuse was "complex and deep-rooted" but said it was already playing an important role in tackling alcohol misuse.
"The vast majority of people consume alcohol in a mature, responsible manner without causing harm to themselves or anyone else," said Michael Patten, chairman of the group. He said efforts needed to be focused on alcohol misuse. He also disputed the report's claim of a 2.7 per cent increase in alcohol consumption per capita last year. "The reality is that per capita consumption is still down about 7 per cent from its peak in 2001 but the HSE seems reluctant to acknowledge that."
[ www.ireland.com/focusOpens in new window ]
Alcohol-related harm to drinker
- Some 28 per cent of all injury attendances in A&E departments in acute hospitals were alcohol- related.
- Alcohol-related hospital discharges increased by 92 per cent between 1995 and 2002.
- Liver cancer had the highest increase in cancer incidence rates in comparison to all cancers between 1994 and 2003.
- Almost half of men and over a quarter of women agreed that drinking alcohol had contributed to them having sex without contraception.
- Sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) increased by 217 per cent between 1995 and 2004.
- Alcohol was a contributory factor in 36.5 per cent of all fatal crashes.
- Between 1996 and 2002, public order adult offences increased by 247 per cent.
Alcohol-related harm to others
- Some 46 per cent of those who committed homicide were intoxicated at the time.
- Between 1990 and 2006, 2,462 people were killed on the roads between 9pm-4am, the time most associated with alcohol- related driving
- Some 44 per cent of people surveyed had experienced harm because of their own or someone else's alcohol use.
- Alcohol was involved in a quarter of severe domestic abuse cases.
- The Coombe Women's Hospital found that 63 per cent of women reported alcohol use during pregnancy, with 7 per cent drinking six or more drinks per week.
- Alcohol-related illness was cited by 12 per cent of companies as a cause of short-term absence from work for males, and by 4 per cent for females.
Source: Alcohol-Related Harm in Ireland by Dr Ann Hope for the HSE's alcohol implementation group. See www.hse.ie for full report.
