Presentation by Fiona Ryan, CEO of Alcohol Action Ireland, at a seminar held in conjunction with Depaul Ireland on March 13, 2013.

1. Fiona Ryan
Alcohol Action Ireland
www.alcoholireland.ie
Alcohol in Ireland: An Overview

2.  Established in 2003/ work to
create awareness of alcohol-
related harm and solutions need
to reduce that harm
 Run www.alcoholireland.ie and
www.drinkhelp.ie
 Steering group of National
Substance Misuse Strategy
 Campaign: minimum pricing –
30 strong NGO coalition in
support
 Campaign: children affected by
parental alcohol problems

3.  Alcohol consumption in Ireland
increased by 46% between 1987
(9.8 litres) and 2001 (14.3 litres)
 Alcohol consumption in 2011-2012
was around 11.6 litres – the
equivalent of every person aged 15+
drinking over 42 bottles of vodka
 One in five adults do not drink
alcohol
 If every drinker aged 18+ drank to
their maximum low-risk weekly
limits, every week of the
year, consumption levels would be
approx 9 litres

4.  Over half of all Irish drinkers report
harmful patterns of drinking; 4 out of 10
women drinkers and 7 out of 10 men
who drink.
(Alcohol Use in Ireland, SLAN 2007)
 ESPAD 2011 survey (average age 15):
One in four schoolchildren reported
being drunk in the past month, this
being the third highest rate of
drunkenness of the 35 countries.
 Report from Department of Children/
State of the Nation’s Children/ quotes
HBSC 2010/ small decline in children
first trying drinking but numbers getting
drunk consistent with ESPAD

5.  Every seven hours, someone in Ireland dies from an alcohol-
related illness: there are almost twice as many deaths due to
alcohol as due to all other drugs combined
 Alcoholic liver disease deaths almost trebled (188% increase)
between 1995 and 2009. Figures also reveal considerable increases
of alcohol liver disease among younger age groups
 Among 15-34 years olds, the rate of ALD discharges increased by
275%, while for the 35-49 age group, the rate increased by 227%
 These increases suggests we are starting to see the effects of the
large increases in alcohol consumption up to 2003
 Alcohol-related admissions to acute hospitals doubled between
1995 and 2008

6. The burden of most acute alcohol
related problems arises from
people who drink heavily on
occasion
 Health care costs = €1.2bn
 Criminal justice = €1.2bn
 Road collisions = €526m
 Lost output due to work
absences = €330m
To the taxpayer = €3,318
To the shopper - cheap alcohol can
be subsidised by increasing
price of other goods

7.  1 in 11 children living
with parental alcohol
problems
 One third of domestic
abuse cases involve
alcohol
 Almost half of
perpetrators of homicide
intoxicated
 1 in 11 people said they or
family member had been
assaulted by person
drinking

8.  1 in 11 children living
with parental alcohol
problems: enough
children to fill Croke
Park
 One in 7 kids in care due
to parental substance
misuse problems
 One in 9 kids witnessed
parental conflict due to
alcohol during childhood

9.  Problems for parents are problems for children
 Parental alcohol problems can and do cause serious
harm to children
 Children often suffer the impacts of parental
alcohol and drug problems long before their
parent’s health suffers
 Each dependent user of alcohol will negatively
effect the lives of two other close family members

10. One in eleven Irish children say parental drinking has a
negative effect on their lives – that’s 109,684 children
(ISPCC, 2010)
A nationally representative survey of 18-40 year olds found
that when parents drank weekly or more often:
 14% said they often felt afraid or unsafe as a result of their
parents’ drinking
 14% said they often witnessed conflict between their
parents either when they were drinking or as a result of
their drinking
 11% said they often had to take responsibility for a parent
or a sibling
 Impact did not differ according to socio-economic class
(Alcohol Action Ireland Keeping It In the Family Survey,
2009)

11.  Isolation
 Fear and Anxiety
 Conflict in the Home
 Children take on Parental Responsibilities
 Abuse and Neglect
 Poverty
Trauma and distress result when
“caregivers not only fail to provide
comfort at times of extreme stress, but are
themselves the principal source of that stress”

12.  “They care more about drink than their
children.”
 “When they are drunk they are in fighting
mood.”
 “He hits me in my sleep when he drinks.”
 “It puts you off your work in school as you’re
thinking about it.”
 “I don’t get to go anywhere or have fun the
next day because I’m minding my brothers.”
 “It upsets me sometimes – I’m scared at times
as well.”

13. 11 committees, 15 reports
 1990 Working Group on Alcohol Policy
 1996 National Alcohol Policy
 1996 Oireachtas Committee on Licensing
 2000 Commission on Liquor Licensing
 2002 Strategic Task Force on Alcohol
 Oireachtas Committees on
Health, Arts, Sports
 2005 Sustaining Progress
 2007 Government Advisory Group on
Alcohol
 2009 Working Group on Sports
Sponsorship by the Alcohol Industry
 2011 National Substance Misuse Strategy
 2011 Oireachtas Committee on Health

14.  Successive Irish governments have
consistently pursued policies shown to be
ineffective in reducing alcohol-related harms
and costs
 No national alcohol policy
 Pricing
 Abolition of Groceries Order 2006
 Only three increases in excise since 1994
 Budget 201o cut excise on alcohol by 20%
 Budget 2013 restored it/ additional increase
on wine
 Availability
 Increased opening hours
 Free movement of licences

15.  Establish a Clinical Directorate to develop the clinical
and organisational governance framework to underpin
treatment and rehabilitation services
 Develop early intervention guidelines for alcohol and
substance use across all relevant sectors of the health
and social care system. This will include a national
screening and brief intervention protocol for early
identification of problem alcohol use

16.  Increase the price of alcohol so that it becomes less affordable
 Introduce legislative basis for minimum pricing, along with a
‘social responsibility’ levy on the drinks industry
 Commence Section 9 (structural separation of alcohol from other
products in supermarkets, etc) of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008
 Introduce legislation and statutory codes to provide for:
 a 9.00 p.m. watershed for alcohol advertising on television and radio
 alcohol advertising in cinemas to only be associated with films
classified as being suitable for over-18s
 prohibition of all outdoor advertising of alcohol
 all alcohol advertising in the print media to be subject to stringent
codes, enshrined in legislation and independently monitored

17. 12. Develop comprehensive outcomes and evidence based approach to
addressing needs of children and families experiencing alcohol dependency
problems. This would involve a whole family approach, including the provision
of supports and services directly to children where necessary
This approach should be guided by and co-ordinated with all existing strategies
relating to parenting, children and families and in accordance with edicts from
the Office for the Minister for Children and the Child & Family Agency
13. Explore extent of parental problem substance use through the development
of a strategy similar to Hidden Harm in Northern Ireland and respond to the
needs of children by bringing together all concerned organisations and services
14. Develop family support services

18.  Widespread opposition in Government
to advertising and sponsorship
restrictions
 Minimum pricing has been progressing
in Scotland and England – to mixed
success
 Department of Justice deliberating on
Section 9
 Department of Health will draft an
action plan and this will be submitted
Cabinet for approval