Dealing with drink

A chara, – Ian Gilmore (August 14th) calls on Ireland to “follow the lead” of Scotland and “to protect the health of their most vulnerable by introducing a minimum unit price for alcohol”.

What he fails to acknowledge is that you can get four drinks for under £10 in the UK, but you wouldn’t have a “shot” at that in Ireland. We don’t need further tampering with alcohol prices, we need a cultural shift away from the significance of alcohol.

Having lived in London for the past five years, I can say with confidence the attitude to alcohol is as unhealthy here as it is in north Wicklow, where I’m from. There is no point targeting high price “solutions” at consumers when the real question is why we have such a tendency towards irresponsible drinking. – Yours, etc,

NATASHA BROWNE,

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Woodford New Road,

London,

England.