Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Irish spend three times EU average on alcohol

Irish people spend almost three and a half times more of their income on alcohol than the European average, an EU-wide survey reveals.

A study on household expenditure across the 27 EU member states highlights how Irish consumers are the biggest spenders in Europe on alcohol by a long distance.

It estimates that more than €4 out of every €100 spent in Ireland is on alcohol compared with the EU average of just €1.20.

The survey, by the EU statistical office, Eurostat, shows that the average Irish household spends 4.1% of its budget on alcohol — well ahead of the nation with the next highest expenditure on booze — Romania at just 2.3%.

The figures are based on 2005 spending patterns, the latest year for which comparative statistics are available.

Health Services Executive public health specialist, Dr Joe Barry, expressed surprise that Irish spending on alcoholic drinks as a percentage of total expenditure was not even higher. The figures look at expenditure by household rather than by adults.

“However, the figures are consistent with other findings that alcohol consumption levels in the Republic are about 30% higher than the EU average,” said Dr Barry.

He pointed out that a survey of Irish third-level students a few years ago showed they spent more on alcohol than food. Dr Barry expressed concern that a strategy to reduce Ireland’s drink culture and associated problems was still not being implemented.

However, the findings indicate that overall spending on alcohol in Ireland is falling as expenditure on alcohol represented 5.5% of total household spend in 2001.

They also show that Irish people spend almost 18% of their budget on food, drink and tobacco and 30.6% on housing. Irish consumers also spend less on groceries, clothing and footwear, housing, health and transport than their European counterparts.

The survey provides evidence that Ireland is one of the EU’s richest economies as we spend more of our income on recreation, leisure, and education than most Europeans. We spend 6% of our income on restaurants and 4.4% on health and education.
__________
source: Irish Examiner

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Parents and pot

The recent flurry of findings on marijuana’s health risks may have baby boomers wondering, “How can that be?” Chances of getting into legal trouble aside, is it possible their kids might be in danger of heart or mental health issues when they themselves turned out just fine? Researchers have learned plenty about pot in recent….

Methods of Drug Detox Treatment

Different drugs have different withdrawal durations and effects on users. Through research and clinical practices, various methods have been proven effective for certain types of drugs. Although drug detox treatment is the first step in drug abuse treatments, by itself, it has little to no effect on drug seeking behaviors or long term abstinence. Without….

A path to recovery

Michael Walsh lost 16 years to alcohol and cocaine addiction. Now sober, he’s trying to help others find their way out through a new secular peer-support group called LifeRing. Alcoholics Anonymous was instrumental in his recovery, but as an atheist, Walsh, now 41, struggled with the concept of the higher power found in AA’s program…..

Intervening in lives of children with alcoholic parents group's goal

“A little 8-year-old boy told me that his mother was a drug addict. She would use drugs and pass out. “He told me he would carry his little baby brother down the street to the store to buy milk and feed the baby because his mom was passed out.” Tammy Grantz, Prevention Workz executive director,….

Treatment for bi-polar disorder

Bi-polar is a disorder where you experience periods of excitability along with the periods of depression. This swing of moods from one emotion to the other can be very abrupt. The very common treatment for the bi-polar disorder is the mood-stabilizing medicines like the carbamazepine, lithium and valproic acid. These medications are very effective to….