Mallory 2
Alcoholism in Ireland
Ireland, located just outside the United Kingdom, is known for a plethora of things: St.
Patrick’s Day, leprechauns, their luck, their citizen’s fiery red hair, their unmistakable accents,
their partying, and of course their heavy drinking. Since the 1960s, Ireland’s yearly drinking
average has multiplied by nearly three times. The citizens of this lovely country, especially the
ones over the age of sixty, have accepted heavy drinking as a part of their culture, and see
nothing wrong with it or its repercussions. But after losing billions of dollars within the economy
due to alcohol-related incidents, the Irish government is seeing alcoholism as more of an issue
and less as a custom.
The average Irish adult is intoxicated with alcohol more often than the average adult of
any other European country, with one quarter of their citizens admitting to binge drinking more
than once a week. This habit is terribly unhealthy and can lead to liver failure and alcohol
addiction. The legal age to drink in Ireland, like most European countries, is eighteen.
Consequently,the age group within 18-29 is reported as Ireland highest risk binge drinkers, and
are the most likely to exceed the weekly alcohol consumption limit.According to a European
School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, almost half of all Irish 15 to 16-year-old
teenagers have been drunk in the past 12 months. Intoxicated teens are more likely to have
impaired judgment, causing them to make poor decisions that can alter their mental, physical and