FRESH RESEARCH HAS indicated that many Irish people are in denial about their drinking habits.

The study, carried out by the Health Research Board, found that a large share of binge drinkers do not believe that they are consuming dangerous levels of alcohol.

The research revealed that two in three regular binge drinkers failed to recognise their consumption of alcohol was at an excessive level.

It found almost half of all drinkers had a hazardous or harmful pattern of drinking with more than 1 in 10 drinkers dependent on alcohol.

Harmful drinking is defined as consuming approximately six standard alcohol drinks in one sitting, while hazardous drinking or alcohol dependence is defined as experiencing alcohol cravings or a lack of control in relation to alcohol consumption.

Examples of six standard drinks include three pints of 4.5% lager or 600ml of 12.5% wine.

The report’s lead author, Deirdre Mongan said many people just do not realise they are drinking high levels of alcohol.

“In Ireland we live in a culture where alcohol is everywhere and binge drinking has been normalised compared to other countries,” said Dr Mongan.

“We found there was low awareness among drinkers with harmful drinking patterns that they consumed alcohol in this way,” she added.

So, today we’re asking: How often do you binge drink?