The Irish drinking habits of 2002—Drinking and drinking‐related harm in a European comparative perspective

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Abstract
Aims: To examine drinking habits and experiences of adverse consequences of drinking among men and women in Ireland 2002 and to compare some results with earlier European studies using similar data and methods. Methods: Data on self‐reported drinking habits and experiences of alcohol‐related problems were obtained from a general population survey undertaken in 2002. Two approaches were used: (1) cross‐tabulations of drinking habits and the experience of adverse consequences in various demographic groups (2) logistic regressions predicting the likelihood of experiencing problems. Results: Self‐reported alcohol consumption confirms statistics on alcohol sales; a lot of alcohol is consumed in Ireland today despite a large fraction of abstainers in the population. Binge drinking is very common, and, out of 100 drinking events, 58 end up in binge drinking for men and 30 for women. Irish drinkers also experience harmful drinking‐related consequences to a larger extent than in other western European countries. Both volume of drinking and binge drinking affect the likelihood of experiencing most alcohol‐related harms. Conclusions: Drinkers in Ireland drink more than in other western European countries and many have risky drinking habits that lead to adverse consequences. It will be an important challenge to find preventive measures that can reduce these problems in Ireland.