Sir, – Derek Byrne writes "There are some, mainly in the drinks industry, who claim education about alcohol abuse simply doesn't work" ("Demon drink – the greatest public health issue of our age", Opinion & Analysis, December 15th). This is simply not true. In fact the opposite is the case.
The drinks industry has been advocating education on the harmful effects of alcohol misuse for years. We have been the sole funders of the only significant programme designed to educate people on the dangers of alcohol misuse – drinkaware.ie. We have highlighted time and again the evidence that shows that the principal influencers on youth drinking are parents and peers and when the alcohol strategy was published over a year ago, we stated that “the omission of education measures that could positively impact a culture of alcohol misuse from this Bill [was] a glaring omission”.
The industry wants to work with the Government, policymakers, and other stakeholders to identify and implement effective measures which reduce alcohol misuse, which is causing significant damage to the reputation of an industry which supports 92,000 jobs throughout the country.
Earlier this year the various bodies representing pubs, restaurants, hotels and independent off-licences, as well as drinks suppliers, which I represent, collectively pledged to work with Government on the implementation of meaningful policy measures to combat alcohol misuse by addressing the sale of cheap alcohol, introducing a statutory ban on price-based advertising and introducing statutory codes to regulate the merchandising of alcohol.
When considering the problems with alcohol, it is important that we acknowledge the fact that alcohol consumption in this country has fallen by over 19 per cent since 2001, and our consumption levels are fast approaching European norms. The recent Department of Children and Youth Affairs State of the Nation's Children report shows that the number of young people stating that they have never had an alcoholic drink has increased by 35 per cent in the past eight years. A Unicef report on 29 countries, published earlier this year, found the percentage of young people who reported having been drunk on more than two occasions has fallen in Ireland.
Irish consumption is falling, and youth consumption in particular is declining. However, what is becoming apparent is that how we consume alcohol, rather than how much alcohol is consumed is increasingly problematic, with people likely to drink in “binges”. Educating people on the dangers of drinking in a harmful manner is vital. We all need to work together in order to achieve this. We want to work with Government, and all relevant stakeholders, to address the important issue of alcohol misuse in an evidence based way. We want to be part of a society that is proud of its sociable cultural heritage, and where binge drinking or antisocial behaviour is not tolerated. We can only do this if we all work together. – Yours, etc,
KATHRYN D’ARCY,
Director,
Alcohol Beverage
Federation of Ireland,
Lower Baggot Street,
Dublin 2.