The percentage of Irish people who drink alcohol on a regular basis is more than double the EU average, according to new figures published yesterday. Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent, reports.
When alcohol consumption rates across EU member-states were compared it emerged that regular consumption was highest in the Republic, where 52 per cent of the population drink regularly. This compared to rates of 44 per cent in Denmark and the UK, and a rate of 43 per cent in the Netherlands. The lowest consumption rates were observed in Italy, at 12 per cent, and Spain, at 19 per cent.
Overall a quarter of EU citizens regularly drink alcohol, ranging from 6 per cent of women and 19 per cent of men in Italy to 40 per cent of women and 64 per cent of men in Ireland.
When different age groups were looked at, the Republic emerges as having the highest percentage of regular drinkers in all but the 55-64 age group. In the 15-24 age group 51.9 per cent of Irish people are regular drinkers compared to just 10 per cent in Italy, 16 per cent in Portugal and 18 per cent in France.
In the 24-34 age group the pattern is the same. Here 66 per cent of Irish are regular drinkers compared to 10 per cent in Italy, 20 per cent in Austria and 45 per cent in the UK.
Among 35-44-year-olds, 62 per cent of Irish people drink regularly. Only the UK comes close, at 52 per cent.
And in the 45-54 age group, 51 per cent of the Irish consume regularly, compared to 50 per cent in Denmark and 46 per cent in the UK. In this category the lowest consumption rates are again in Italy, at 11 per cent.
In the 55-64 age group the top consumption rates are found in Denmark at 55 per cent, followed by the Netherlands at 47 per cent, the UK at 42 per cent and Ireland at 39 per cent.
But in the final category, that of over-65s, Ireland again comes out on top. In this age group 37 per cent of the Irish regularly drink alcohol compared to just 7 per cent of the Spanish and 10 per cent of Greeks.
The statistics relate to 1999 and are contained in Health Statistics, Key Data on Health 2002, published by Eurostat. The report does not define regular drinking.
It states that expenditure on alcohol in Ireland in 1999 was 10 times that of Greece, which had the lowest expenditure rates.
Furthermore, it notes that the highest annual availability of beer per person was in Ireland, at 155 litres, followed by Germany at 127 litres and Luxembourg at 109 litres. Lowest availability was in Italy at 27 litres per person.
Referring to a World Health Organisation study, the report said one in four deaths in males aged 15-29 in the EU was attributable to alcohol. "There seemed to be no association between the proportions of young people drinking and legislation governing the sale of alcohol. However, countries with the lowest proportions tended to have more restrictions on advertising while those with the highest prevalence tended to have less restrictions," it said.
"Alcoholic drinks are among the most heavily advertised products and many consider that alcohol advertisements on television undermine national initiatives for reducing alcohol consumption," it added.
In addition the report said 43 per cent of those who regularly drank alcohol also regularly felt stressed.
And it noted that countries with the most severe driving restrictions regarding alcohol tended to have the lowest rates of road traffic accidents.
Turning to smoking, the lowest proportions of smokers were found in Sweden at 22 per cent, Italy at 27 per cent and Portugal at 28 per cent. The percentage of smokers in Ireland is recorded as 32 per cent but these are 1999 figures and more recent data published last year put rates in the Republic at 27 per cent.