No surprises here. If messy drinking could be minted, we’d be richer than Switzerland.
The national pasttime-getting bladdered.

i binge drink once a week, i am determined to stop this destructive behaviour, until recently i regarded it as a harmless ‘just having a few pints’, in reality i get drunk and make a fool out of myself, spend all my money, get sick for at least one day after and spend half the week depressed, and that isnt even the worst aspect, i also have regular arguments with my partner and this is not lost on the 9 year old boy in the house, its a fools game

86% of all under 18′s drink. Ahh come on.

“Underage male drinkers say they consume an average of 10 drinks on a normal night out” they be telling lies. Sura they’d be on their ear after 3-4 cans of Dutch gold. Teenage surveys = lies.

Another investigative programme that will bombard us with statistics and real life stories. RTE and TV3 regularly do this – The Frontline was devoted to alcohol abuse only last Monday. The issue for me is whether there will be anything new or revealing in tomorrow’s programme. Doubtful.

And these parents are surprised when their own children start drinking illegally pre 18yrs or even worse tolerate them drinking underage.
Their logic being if they didnt do it at home they would do it outside the home

The definition of binge drinking, being five or more drinks at a sitting, gneeds examining. Does this, for example, include five glasses of wine, which is the equivalent of two and half pints – too much to drive, but hardly a binge. There is beyond doubt a serious alcohol problem in this country, but sensationalising unrealisic numbers devalues the message.

Old adage about drinking – one is enough, two is too many and three isn’t half enough!

Sensationalism again, binge drinking me hole. 5 cans is a binge??

Getting more like America everyday, where a gust of wind gets a name.

5 or more drinks is a bit vague to be fair.

Also I saw the add for this on Saturday night, how come they always have the camera in the perfect spot to see people falling over, getting sick and so on. All the times I’ve been out and worked in a Pub/Club for 6 Years, it was very rare that I would see people falling all over the place, as these shows lead you to believe. I’ve not doubt it happens but an editing room is great thing in these cases.

“Meanwhile 86 per cent of under-18s interviewed said they drink alcohol. ”

My two year old has never had a drop of alcohol, and I can’t imagine any of the other kids in his creche have either.

Did you know that 68% of all statistics are made up on the spot?

RTE need this to have shock value- this has to have something. Let’s be honest Prime Time is on its knees so a few statistics to scare us all sober might pull in ratings. Now, pub? I’d murder a beer or 4.9!

The bigger issue is binge eating – most Irish people do it everyday and there is no talk of taxing food or stopping advertising! Yet this will be the biggest cost to the state in years to come. Will parents be charged with abusive behaviour for stuffing their children from as young as 2.??? Nothing will happen as just look at our leaders – they all look like gluttons.

The worst thing about binge drinking and alcoholism is not just the direct negative impact on your physical health but the indirect negative impact it has on your children. Fine you might not miss a day at work and from the outside it might appear that you are doing just fine but what annoys me is when parents aren’t available to support their children in the evenings or at weekends with their school work. Children typically get a piece of reading to practice at home and often they need to practice it with a parent especially children with learning difficulties. They arrive in to school the next day without having practised it with an adult and you can’t get mad at them. It’s not their fault their mum or dad were out of it. I know that is a specific example but when you’re a parent and you drink it’s not just your own future you’re damaging.

Ah drink the cause of and the solution to all life’s problems

Binge Drinking! Isnt that what we used to just call the weekend.

isn’t binge drinking when you drink as much as you can in the shortest time possible before you pass out….when did it become sitting over a bottle of wine while watching a film…the worlds gone mad…

The night I turned 18 my mates pushed me into town,went into a then popular night club,my mates and work colleagues where all their buying me shots and drinks,I started drinking from the age of 16 and had little experience handing myself with drink But that night I was elephants.
The next day with a extreme hangover I awoke from my best mate ringing my mobile phone.
He told me after we left the club that I jumped on a Garda’s back to try and get a jockey back of him,That same Garda was attending a car accident on O’Connell street and threw me to the ground then cleared me away from the scene,My mate told me I was lucky to not have been arrested because the Garda were in short numbers caring to the car accident(Thankfully no one was hurt).
I felt like a shithead for what I done and lucky not to have a criminal record but my mates got a bit of a laugh about it.
I think drinking on nights out out is a bit of a learning curve,So from that I was much more cautious from drinking and never behaved like that again.

The 18-20 younger crowds but not all fall into bars and clubs half cut drinking in their mates house before a student night,Then buying €3 a drink on the night including spirits its a recipe for disaster.
I think barman and doormen need to be more responsible because these kids don’t know how to.Prices of alcohol is not the answer,Education Is.There is plenty of people in this country that can have a few cheap beers one or two nights a week and be responsible.

I simply don’t believe the statistic.