‘Bottomless Prosecco’ event criticised on health grounds

A Dublin bar which is offering unlimited Prosecco for €16 per person has been criticised by Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI).

Cavern, a wine-bar on Baggot Street, is doing a Bottomless Prosecco promotion this month.

Last month’s event sold out and customers are advised on the bar’s Facebook page to book ahead for another anticipated sell-out event.

Depending on the alcohol strength, there are between six and eight units in an average 750 ml bottle of Prosecco.

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The HSE lists the low-risk weekly alcohol guidelines for adults as up to 11 standard drinks in a week for women and up to 17 standard drinks in a week for men.

Catherine Keane, head of policy and public affairs at AAI, said the problem with such events is that “they are encouraging excessive alcohol consumption”.

“People process, on average, one standard drink of alcohol per hour and these time-limited offers encourage people to drink a lot in a relatively short period of time. This is exactly the type of drinking that quickly moves people from enjoying themselves to a place where the risks to their health and wellbeing are greatly increased,” she said.

“The type of marketing associated with events like this also feeds into the widespread misconception that certain types of alcohol, particularly wines, are somehow better for you, therefore making them appear more acceptable or even safer to drink a lot of. The reality is that your body cannot tell the difference between the alcohol products you consume – it’s how much alcohol you drink that ultimately matters,” she said.

Cut-price alcohol

In 2015, A Dublin bar faced criticism for it's Welfare Wednesday drinks promotion offering cut-price alcohol to those in receipt of State payments for promoting "irresponsible drinking and prices".

“While we are constantly bombarded with messages about how great alcohol is or are being invited to take part in events like this, there is little or no mention of the other, very real side of excessive alcohol consumption, which is far removed from the frothy, fun advertising,” she said.

The Health Research Board’s national alcohol diary found that almost one in 10 women who completed the survey consumed more than the recommended weekly guidelines in a single day. It found that one in five women in the 18-24 years age group drink more than the weekly guidelines in a single day.

Wine is the most common type of alcohol consumed by women aged over 25 years (58.9 per cent), and spirits are the most common type of alcohol consumed by women aged 18-24 years (59.9 per cent). In Ireland the proportion of alcohol-related deaths from cancer is higher than the European average, at 38.8 per cent for Irish women (versus 31 per cent in Europe).

The projected number of new cases of alcohol-related cancers in the Republic of Ireland is expected to double by the year 2020 for women.