THE IMO has called on the Government to resist pressure from vintners to extend licensing hours.
Dr Fintan Howell said alcohol was already the cause of thousands of admissions to psychiatric hospitals each year. The vintners, he added, were lobbying for longer hours merely as a marketing ploy, and the original plans to strengthen drink driving laws had been diluted because of pressure.
It had been shown, he went on, that the factors which most influenced people to consume alcohol were availability and price. Dr Howell said an&her major cause of concern was the number of drink related cases of domestic violence.
Dr Barry O'Meara (Wexford), who has worked in a rehabilitation unit for stroke victims, said he was astonished at the number of patients attending the unit who had exceeded the recommended drinking limits.
The IMO also adopted a motion calling on the Government to publish "the long awaited discuss ion document on alcohol and to reaffirm the advice that women should drink no more than 14 units and men no more than 21 units of alcohol.
The conference called for smoking controls to be extended to the workplace as a priority.
Dr Cillian Twomey (Cork) said that in some leisure venues, such as pubs, excessive smoke was a problem. Many people were now reluctant to visit pubs which were full of smoke.
Publicans should be urged to introduce smoke free areas, he added.
The meeting also supported moves by the Garda to gather more information on the incidence of domestic violence against women.