Alcohol culture criticised by former GAA head

ASTI conference: An alcohol culture promoted by the drinks industry is undermining the ability of parents to bring up their children, a former president of the GAA told the ASTI conference in Killarney.

In a stinging critique, Dr Mick Loftus, a former coroner for North Mayo and guest speaker at the conference, told delegates he believed the attendance of the country's leaders at events sponsored by drinks companies meant they were endorsing their products in a very public manner.

Research had shown, he said, that those who drank before the age of 14 had a 40 per cent chance of developing alcohol dependence, which was four times higher than in those starting to drink at the age of 20.

As a result, he believed that liability should be extended to cover those who promoted alcoholic beverages in an "unreasonable and inappropriate way".

"It is critical that we understand the impact of alcohol on youth," he said.

"Alcohol use by young people poses serious health issues to bodies and minds that are still maturing."

Dr Loftus said he also believed the involvement of the alcohol industry in the sponsorship of festivals and sports events was sending a dangerous message to young people.

"In a cunning and cynical way, drink companies use festival and sports events to generate good will and promote their public image," he said.

"These shrewd and uncaring drink firms have coldly calculated that this will bring them increased sales and still more money, and a hideous aspect of the advertising is that just now they have begun to call for 'responsible drinking'.

"What a gross abuse of language. There are 100,000 alcoholics in Ireland, each affecting at least four people.

"The problems for families are immense. The misery, the poor prospects, the sense of loss, and yet 60 per cent problems are by moderate drinkers," he said.

In his presidential address, the ASTI president, Mr Pat Cahill, said teachers were having to deal with the problem of binge-drinking on a daily basis.

It was not unusual, he said, for students to consume eight pints of beer and four vodkas on a night out.

"I put it to you that if this is normal, we have a serious problem both with the amount consumed and the very young age at which pupils start drinking alcohol," he said.

"Recent statistics have shown that we in Ireland are top of the league when it comes to alcohol and drug abuse."

The reasons young people took drink and drugs varied, he said. These included the breakdown of traditional family life, peer pressure and cynically targeted advertising.

Calling for more resources to tackle the problem, Mr Cahill also said he had recently written to other Government Ministers to ask for an interdepartmental approach.

"I do think that we in the ASTI can give leadership, as we have done before, in tackling this social evil," he said.

"[But] this problem of binge-drinking and drugs is a societal problem."