RECOGNISING THE damage alcohol abuse is causing to young people is one thing; doing something positive about it is another. As reports come in from police services in the United States and Australia of young Irish immigrants out of control through excessive drinking, older people here will have to confront their own demons. Leinster House could be wallpapered with all the official reports which have detailed the harm done to society by alcohol and made the case for remedial action. Little has happened. But it is time for parents and society as a whole to shoulder responsibility.
The latest document dealing with depression and self-harm among young people identifies a clear link between excessive drinking and mental health. A survey of 14,000 young people by youth mental health organisation Headstrong and UCD psychologists gives cause for serious concerns. It provides compelling reasons for a legislative response and, more importantly, for parents to review their own drinking behaviour and attitudes because of their negative impact on children. When society as a whole recognises it is conforming to a traditional image of “the drunken Irish”, something might change.
Denial is a symptom in all forms of addiction. Irish people are good at finding excuses for their drinking, be it in relation to sports events, social outings, anniversaries or even religious celebrations. The result: seven out of ten Irish men and four out of ten women exhibit harmful drink patterns. Alcohol costs the State an estimated €3.7 billion in illness, absenteeism and crime.
Findings from the Headstrong report suggest widespread abdication of parental responsibility and oversight. The frequency with which young people drink, sometimes to the point of severe intoxication, indicates a lack of supervision or a cavalier approach to a dangerous drug. Either way, parental responses and mindsets will have to change. Legislation on its own will not resolve this problem, but it can help.
Minister of State for Health Róisín Shortall is preparing price legislation, based on alcohol content, with a view to reducing consumption. She has pledged that sponsorship of sports events by alcohol companies is to be ended. These are worthwhile initiatives, but until the damage alcohol can cause to individuals, families and society is widely acknowledged and responded to on a personal and community basis, young people in particular will remain at risk.
Apart from linking an excessive use of alcohol with mental health problems, the report identifies the importance of adult support for young people who are beset by depression. The presence of “one good adult” in whom they could confide dramatically reduced levels of depression and anxiety.
Mental health services for young adults are recognised as being inadequate and underfunded, even as adolescents flirt with depression and self-harm through hazardous or excessive drinking. Improving these services must be a priority for health policymakers.