Alcohol consumption rose in 2007, HSE report finds

Almost half of those who carry out murders are under the influence of alcohol when they carry out their crimes, a wide-ranging study by the Health Service Executive has found.

The study, Alcohol Related Harm in Ireland, finds a 2.7 per cent per capita rise in alcohol consumption in 2007, following four years of static alcohol consumption before that.

It also finds that 28 per cent of all injury attendances in accident and emergency departments in acute hospitals were alcohol related and that alcohol-related hospital discharges increased by 92 per cent between 1995 and 2002.

The drinks industry has questioned the HSE finding that alcohol consumption rose by 2.7 per cent in 2007.

Cancer of the liver had the highest increase in cancer incidence rates compared to all cancers between 1994 and 2003.

Almost half of men and more than a quarter of women agreed that drinking alcohol had contributed to them having sex without contraception, the study finds. Between 1995 and 2004, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increased by 217 per cent.

Alcohol is a contributory factor in 36.5 per cent of all fatal crashes. Between 1990 and 2006, 2,462 people were killed on the roads between 9pm and 4am, the time most associated with alcohol related crashes.

Some 44 per cent of all respondents to the survey experienced harm by their own or someone else’s alcohol use and in a quarter of severe domestic abuse cases, alcohol was involved.

The Coombe Women’s Hospital in Dublin found that 63 per cent of women reported alcohol use during pregnancy, with 7 per cent drinking six or more drinks per week.

Employers’ group Ibec said alcohol-related illness was cited by 12 per cent of companies as a cause of short-term absence from work for men and 4 per cent for women.

Dr Joe Barry of the HSE Population Health Directorate said the report shows that alcohol related harm “is not only confined to the negative consequences experienced by the drinker, such as illness and disease, but extends to others as well, which too often can lead to physical injury or even death.

“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 questioned the HSE figures saying the rise in alcohol consumption in 2007 was accompanied by a similar rise in the population.

Chairman of the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) Michael Patten said the problem of alcohol misuse was "complex and deep-rooted" and the responses need to be sophisticated.

“The focus needs to be firmly on tackling alcohol misuse rather than simply criticising alcohol consumption in any form," he said.

“The vast majority of people consume alcohol in a mature, responsible manner without causing harm to themselves or anyone else." He said the HSE had "failed to take into consideration the CSO estimated rise in adult population of 2.6 per cent during 2007

“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.”