A warning about the dangers of drinking in the home has been issued by the Bishop of Killala, Dr John Fleming.
Where the abuse of drink generally was concerned, he called on "our legislators, in particular, to propose new and imaginative ways of helping to solve this issue".
In a sermon at Knock yesterday, where a Pioneer Total Abstinence Association pilgrimage took place, he said: "I sometimes fear that the availability of cut-price drink in off-licences and in supermarkets is presenting many people nowadays with the opportunity to drink heavily or secretly at home."
He said "statistics show that during the past 10 years, the consumption of alcohol in the home in Ireland has increased by 40 per cent. While I am not encouraging people to take a drink in other places, I fear that drinking at home, alone or with friends, means that the sociable aspect associated with having a drink is often either eliminated or limited to a few, and a support for moderation is sometimes undermined".
He warned that "with drinking at home, the danger of domestic violence also increases. While hospitality at home with family and friends is a valued aspect of family life, we also need to be alert, therefore, to the dangers which surround drinking in the home".
More generally, he said: "the number of those in our country today who do not take a drink has dropped dramatically while a culture of drinking has established itself firmly in our time". He asked: "what must we do in our time to ensure that the freedom and prosperity which we now have can continue to be enjoyed by us and by our children?"
He complimented the Government on legislation introduced, and the judiciary and Garda on their efforts to implement and enforce it. He also praised "the many individuals and groups who campaign in the media to create a new awareness of the destructive nature of drinking to excess".
But he noted that "despite the best efforts of Government and the law, I believe that ultimately the answer to this problem lies where we may not wish it to lie; it lies with ourselves, with each and every one of us as individuals and as members of our society".