IRELAND NEEDS TO re-examine its relationship with alcohol or face serious consequences, according to the director of Alcohol Action Ireland.

Writing on TheJournal.ie this morning, Fiona Ryan warns that our “romantic notions” about drinking are stopping us from facing up to its real consequences. She told how one person dies every seven hours from an alcohol-related cause; how it is the biggest killer of young people in Ireland; and how drinking fuels “the vast majority” of anti-social behaviour in our towns and cities.

It’s estimated that alcohol-related harm costs every Irish taxpayer more than €3,000 a year, with the bill to the Government at €3.7 billion annually.

However, the State also takes in billions in taxes on alcohol and alcohol-related jobs. The Vintners’ Federation has previously warned that hundreds of traditional pubs are closing in the recession, and said this is adding to the problem of rural isolation for many people.

So what do you think? Is Ireland’s drinking culture a problem?