AN IRISHMAN HAS appealed for people to reconsider their relationship with alcohol in a powerful post about his brother’s death.

Patrick Mungovan (20) from Quilty in Clare shared a post on his Facebook page about the dangers of drinking too much.

His twin brother Stephen died after he fell from a cliff near Spanish Point in October 2015 while on a night out. Patrick said alcohol played a role in his death.

The post reads:

“I am a normal 20-year-old who has often gone out for days in a row, got sick, not remembered getting home, the usual story with all young people in our generation. I live in the countryside of county Clare and the drinking habits here are quickly becoming a problem. It’s totally fine to go for a few pints on a Saturday night with friends or family or whatever, we just need to control how much we are consuming. Everyone thinks a full day on the beer is great fun and great craic.

You don’t realise the dangers of alcohol until it comes knocking on your door! I unfortunately lost my twin brother last October and it’s about time people need to know the effects that alcohol has on families. Alcohol is the most dangerous drug that we have and nobody realises that. Drinking excess alcohol does such damage that it causes all sorts of problems like fighting and sometimes can be fatal.

“…We live in a country where drinking to a stage that we don’t know where we are has become the normal thing to do and it is getting out of hand. I have seen various photos and statuses praising the Irish for their drinking, I think that should shame us as a country.

“We all need to realise how dangerous alcohol is and it is the ones younger than my age who need to be advised and taught about it before they get into the real world and see what it’s like. They need to hear stories and see the lasting damages that alcohol causes people. It’s secondary school students who need to learn about it. Something needs to change before it’s too late.”

You can read the full post here.

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