Irish people are drinking less frequently than people in other EU countries, but are still consuming three times more alcohol than the EU average.
A recent survey by Millward Brown Lansdowne showed the average number of drinks consumed by Irish drinkers at a session was 5.6, while 69 per cent of drinkers in the EU consume two drinks or less on a night out.
Despite high alcohol consumption in Ireland, people are drinking less than they used to, according to the chief executive of drinkaware.ie, Fionnuala Sheehan.
"In overall terms, we are drinking about a fifth less alcohol than a decade ago and we are drinking less often than our European counterparts, including those in the UK and Northern Ireland. However, when we drink, we drink more," she said.
"This pattern of heavy, episodic drinking is particularly prevalent amongst young adults, including students attending third level institutions in Ireland."
Speaking at the launch of drinkaware.ie's annual film and multimedia competition for third-level students, Ms Sheehan said the fact young people are still being pressurised into drinking is a major issue.
"Peer pressure remains a significant driver in the drinking patterns of young people. We want to empower young people to resist the pressure to drink, or to drink more.
"If you are drinking, the best pace to drink at is your own. By pacing our drinking – that is, drinking less and more slowly on an occasion of drinking – we enable ourselves to get more out of our nights and our weekends," she said.
The theme of this year's competition is "pacing our drinking". The deadline for students to submit their video or website proposal is November 23rd. They then have until March 2013 to complete their projects.
To find out more about the competition and about Drink Aware, visit dare2bdrinkaware.ie