Binge drinking

The vast majority of Irish people consume alcohol moderately and responsibly. Consumption levels in Ireland have fallen by 25% since 2001 - at 10.7 litres per adult (LPA) we are quickly approaching the OECD average of 9.1 LPA.

However while overall consumption is falling, binge drinking is still problematic in our society. We need to look at ways of addressing this issue in a way that affects long term societal change. This requires a whole of society response.

As an industry, we’d call on the Government to address alcohol misuse by doing the following

Focusing on the sale of below cost alcohol,
introducing a statutory ban on price-based advertising
Introducing codes to regulate the merchandising of alcohol.

It is also in our interest to ensure a regulatory regime rooted in the principles of support for entrepreneurship, protection of the environment, community empowerment and firm-but-fair evidence-based regulation.