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

UK top of European cocaine league

The UK has recorded the highest number of cocaine users in the EU for the fifth year running, a report suggests. Annual figures from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction showed that 7.7% of Britons aged 15-64 had taken cocaine. The Tories accused the government of failing an “entire generation” of young….

Potential Drug Treatment for Alcoholism

A drug currently approved to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may play a role in the treatment of alcoholism. The drug is called aripiprazole (Abilify); researchers say more research is needed, but this first study found the drug helps lessen the euphoric effects of alcohol. Aripiprazole is a dopamine partial agonist, so it works differently….

Methadone clinic’s biggest headache is misperceptions

Calgary facility on move for third time since 2003 Lisa Jovetic isn’t the kind of woman who often comes to mind when people grumble about drug addicts. The once happily married mother of two and self-described “goody-goody” got hooked on drugs nearly five years ago after she was hospitalized for pneumonia and contracted a superbug…..

Alcohol Abuse and Economic Downturns

The economy is cascading downward at a rate unheard of since the early thirties. Unemployment is rising at a staggering pace, and many flagship industries are closing their doors or cutting production, adding thousands more workers to the unemployment line. President Obama’s stimulus package is designed to stop the economic hemorrhaging and return the nation….

Treatment for bulimia eating disorder

Most often, sufferers of bulimia do not seek medical help for improving their disorder, as they are ashamed or ignorant of their condition. Therefore, many times it is the parents, friends and the relatives of the sufferers, who need to be alert and on suspecting any symptoms of bulimia seek medical advice. The treatment for….