IRELAND IS THE country with the highest percentage of people who needed emergency medical treatment after drinking alcohol in the last year.

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According to an international survey on people’s alcohol use, 2.8% of the 2,393 Irish people surveyed sought emergency medical help after drinking.

This compares to 2.2% in Brazil, 1.6% in the UK and Scotland and 1.5% in France, Poland and Belgium.

Global Drug Survey Global Drug Survey

The most common complaints by Irish people who drank too much were accidents, trauma, nausea, vomiting and passing out. Seven in ten of the people who sought help were admitted to hospital.

Global Drug Survey

Of those who sought medical help:

• 11 people felt back to normal within 12 hours
• 17 people felt back to normal within 24 hours
• Three people took over 4 weeks to get better
• Five people reported still not having recovered

• Two in ten people cut down their drinking after the experience
• Four in ten people changed the way they drank
• Almost half of people indicated it led to no change in their drinking behaviour

Ireland also has the highest rate of wanting to drink less – 38.5%.

Global Drug Survey Global Drug Survey

Irish men and women also scored highest in an audit to determine their dependence on alcohol.

Global Drug Survey Global Drug Survey

Global Drug Survey Global Drug Survey

The Global Drug Survey questioned 102,000 people from over 50 countries about their alcohol and drug use, including 2,393 (2.4% of the total) from Ireland – 1,199 men and 1,151 women.

The mean age of the participants in Ireland was 25.6 years, compared to 29.3 years internationally.

The survey does not take a cross-section of every demographic but rather looks to probe trends and attitudes among people who have had some experience using drugs or alcohol.

We’ll have more insights into people’s drinking on TheJournal.ie later.

If you think you’re drinking too much and want help, visit Drinks Meter.

More from the survey:

Irish people describe their drug use

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