Think about drink
We all like to relax and wind down after a hard day/week and have a few drinks, but what happens when relaxation fades and we start to become dependent on alcohol?
Ireland is known for its boozing and great craic, they go hand in hand and it is what attracts many tourists here every year. With that said the craic has to slow down sometime, but we do not seem to take into account the damage we are doing to ourselves with continuous drinking.
It is estimated that one in 10 people in this country are dependent on alcohol. In 2003, the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol not only stated that each adult in Ireland spends around €2000 a year on Alcohol, but also the levels of binge drinking here are the highest in Europe.
The report also recommended that the government place higher taxes on alcohol and also reduce drinks advertisements aimed at children as it portrays alcohol as fun and risk free. I do not believe the price of alcohol will ever put people off buying it. Go into any pub, in the centre of Dublin, on any particular night and you will be lucky to be able to buy a pint of beer for under €5.
Some may make a fuss about it at first but will eventually succumb to it as they do not want to spoil the fun of those they are out with. It is not the amount of alcohol available to us that is the problem, it is more the attitude we take to drinking.
Binge drinking is defined as of five units (2.5 pints) or more of alcohol on any one session. In a survey by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland; 27% of people believed that binge drinking equated to 10 drinks or more. All told, 90% of those who took the survey overestimated the amount of drink that needed to be consumed to constitute binge drinking.
It’s more a case of Carpe Diem as everything can be put on hold until we wake the next morning with an incredible hangover which should tell us to slow down and think about our actions, but it just encourages us more.
Ireland’s Health promotion unit found that 34% of those seeking legal advice due to marital breakdown cite alcohol as the cause of the problems in their relationship. To watch someone go through depression and become an alcoholic is no easy feat.
When you’re addicted you withdraw into your own world because you believe that the people around you do not understand what is going on and cannot help. You feel you are the only one who should go through what you are going through and that the only solace you can find is in a bottle of booze. It’s a heart wrenching thing to see and at its worst it can grind you down until you take it too far.
European countries seem to have a better attitude towards alcohol in that they use alcohol sparingly compared to the UK and Ireland. They appear to appreciate and enjoy it more.
Do we have a strong enough will to not drink while others around us do? I think there needs to be more measures in place to help control and enjoy drinking more, because the idea of going out for a night should not be to get wasted and end up getting sick on the side of a road somewhere at 3 in the morning.
Some advertisements have appeared stating that designated drivers are entitled, in selected pubs, to three free soft drinks. Take that idea, albeit a good one, away and you are looking pubs charging €3 plus for a small glass of coke. Where is the incentive for someone not to drink if a 500ml bottle of coke, for half the price, is available in most newsagents?
Does double the price for half the amount seem like a good idea?
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007 and is filed under Thoughts & Questions.
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