Ireland Is Boosting the Price of Alcohol to Fight Binge Drinking

The annual spectacle of St. Patrick's Day does little to help Ireland's reputation as a country which is equal measures Catholicism and debauchery.

But regardless of what the outside world thinks, there is a larger problem looming, and that is the fact that many within the country have bought into the binge-drinking Irish stereotype and it's costing Ireland a lot of money.

In a recent piece for MUNCHIES, James Nolan wrote about his country embracing said stereotype as well as the government's efforts to combat rampaging costs of alcohol on Irish society. With a population of only 4.5 million, heavy boozing costs the Emerald Isle an estimated 3.7 billion euros every year, including 2,000 daily hospital beds and 88 deaths annually.

Needless to say, the government is treating booze as a public health issue and the most recent measure implemented by the Irish government in its perpetual battle against the bottle is to hit drinkers where it hurts the most—no, not their livers—but their wallets.

Irish drinkers may soon be faced with mandatory minimum price of alcohol. A recently tabled bill would peg that minimum at 1 euro per unit of alcohol, meaning that cans of beer would cost 2 euros, a 11.5 percent ABV bottle of wine would cost more than 8 euros, and a bottle of 40 percent ABV liquor would cost at least 28 euros, The Journal has reported.

Speaking at a press conference earlier this week, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar told reporters that he remains steadfast in his commitment to crack down on the country's destructive drinking habits.

"Ireland needs to change its damaging attitude to alcohol", Varadkar said. "There's a huge difference between having a drink on occasion with friends, and indulging in regular binge drinking. The costs are huge: from the damage to personal health and to society, absenteeism, the burden placed on the health services, public disorder and violence, traffic accidents, and the associated mental health consequences."

Varadkar added that the proposed measures would bring down the country's average annual alcohol from 11 litres to 9.1 per person by 2020 and that the tabled legislation would be affecting advertising as well.

While there is some skepticism surrounding the bill, the Irish Cancer Society has praised the decision—not surprising, considering that alcohol causes an estimated 1,200 cancer deaths each year.

"The Bill contains targeted measures, including health labelling, minimum unit pricing, and marketing restrictions, that will reduce the consumptions of those at greatest risk of harm, protect children from slick advertising, and save lives," Irish Cancer Society head of advocacy and communications, Kathleen O'Meara told The Journal.