We're not drinking as much as we used to, but we're getting there.
Updated: 3pm, 13 June
Irish people are drinking a lot less than we did at the height of the Celtic Tiger years, according to a report from the World Health Organisation, but our boozing culture is in danger of taking over once again. Well, 25% less, to be precise, although Alcohol Action Ireland have warned that the trend is on the rise once again.
Alcohol Action Ireland have warned that the trend is on the rise once again.
Out of 28 members of the European Union in 2005, Ireland came ninth on the list in terms of alcohol consumption.
According to
Tom Lyons in the Sunday Business Post, according to 2015 figures we rank in 18th position between Finland and Portugal.
Back in 2005, the WHO claims that Irish people drank an average of 14.41 litres of alcohol. That fell to an average of 10.9 litres in numbers mined from 2015 data.
Eunan McKinney of Alcohol Action Ireland points out that the trend is, once again, on the rise although nowhere near 2005 figures.
"While the historical trend is positive, Ireland maintains a high level of consumption (11.46 lts) in the region of the world that has the highest levels of consumption (European region: 10.3 litres). The global average is 6 litres per capita annually. Ireland lies in the 91% higher level," he told JOE.
As of the 2015 numbers, the rate of Ireland's decline in alcohol consumption was more than twice the EU28 average rate.
In 2015, the people of Lithuania were the heaviest drinkers in Europe on 18.2 litres. The Czech Republic were in second place.
Consumption in the United Kingdom also fell between 2005 and 2015, although at a far slower rate than Ireland's. It fell 8% to 12.3 litres in 2015, compared to 13.37 litres in 2005.
