The problem

Alcohol causes one in 10 global deaths among those aged 15-49 years annually. Results from previous alcohol consumption surveys in Ireland don’t match up with alcohol sales figures, suggesting that people tend to under report or underestimate how much alcohol they drink.

The project

HRB research analysed data from Ireland’s 2014/2015 Drug Prevalence Survey, which explored alcohol consumption among 7,005 individuals over the age of 15 years, and particularly looked at their self-awareness about their drinking patterns.

The outcomes
  • Almost one half of drinkers (2,420) had a hazardous or harmful pattern of drinking, and 10.5% were dependent on alcohol
  • Among regular binge drinkers, only one person in three recognised that they regularly binge drink, which is concerning as this pattern of alcohol consumption increases a person’s risk of experiencing alcohol-related health harms
  • One third of the people who were dependent on alcohol described themselves as ‘light’ or ‘moderate’ drinkers
  • Women who were alcohol dependent were less likely to describe themselves as heavy drinkers (1 in 10) compared to men (1 in 5)
  • The people who most accurately estimated how much alcohol they drink were those deemed low-risk drinkers
  • The findings were shared with the Department of Health in Ireland to inform policies on preventing harm from alcohol consumption.

Dr Deirdre Mongan, Research Officer at the HRB, says:

“In Ireland we live in a culture where alcohol is everywhere, and binge drinking has been normalised compared to other countries. We found there was low awareness among drinkers with harmful drinking patterns that they consumed alcohol in this way. Many people just don’t realise they are drinking at that level. The study highlights the need for more interventions and labelling on alcohol products to increase awareness of the harm it can cause.”

‘Drinking in Denial: In Ireland we underestimate harmful alcohol consumption’ is part of a wider collection of success stories across four themes from this year’s annual Health Research in Action. Download the full publication. 

Notes to editors:

Harmful drinking, or regular binge drinking, is defined as consuming approximately six standard alcohol drinks in one sitting.

Hazardous drinking, or alcohol dependence, is defined as experiencing alcohol cravings and a lack of control when it comes to drinking.

Low-risk drinkers were those drinkers who were not alcohol dependent and who did not engage in regular binge drinking

The research in alcohol consumption and awareness resulted in a paper published in the Open Access journal BMJ Open: Drinking in denial: a cross-secional analysis of national survey data in Ireland to measure drinkers’ awareness of their alcohol use.