The Drug and Alcohol Review found that pre-drinking was linked with heavier drinking and negative alcohol-related consequences.
Ireland was found to have the highest rate of ‘pre-drinking’ of 25 countries studied in a survey for the Drug and Alcohol Review examining the effects of drinking, heavy drinking and drink prices on pre-drinking.
Using data from the Global Drug Survey, the percentage of pre-drinkers was estimated for 25 countries from over 65,000 respondents, finding that Ireland had the highest percentage of pre-drinkers (85.4%), miles ahead of the country with the lowest percentage, Greece (17.7%).
Worryingly, the survey determined that the higher percentage of pre-drinkers correlated with the higher prevalence of heavy drinkers in general, with Ireland ranking fourth of the 25 countries for the prevalence of heavy drinkers.
Commenting on the results of the survey, Conor Cullen, Head of Communications and Advocacy with Alcohol Action Ireland, said: “We know that our drinking habits have changed dramatically in recent decades, with alcohol consumption in the home much more common, and supermarkets, with their low-price offerings, now the main players when it comes to alcohol sales.
“The worrying aspect of these findings is not where people are drinking, but the manner and quantity of their alcohol consumption, as this is ultimately what impacts on their health and wellbeing, regardless of where the drinking takes place.
“The survey findings suggest that engagement in pre-drinking is partly sustained by the same cultural tendency to drink that underpins alcohol use in the general population, and in Ireland we know – and this survey confirms – that for many people this means pre-drinking is simply part of an exercise in drinking to get drunk and it is particularly popular among younger age groups as it can be achieved very cheaply.”
As well as encouraging individuals to drink in a “low-risk manner,” Cullen also called on the Government, through the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, “to create an environment that supports healthier decisions in relation to alcohol consumption and can help change our harmful relationship with alcohol for the better”.
For more information on the survey, click here.
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