THERE’S NO DOUBT that opting to have a few drinks at home instead of going out to the pub is going to save you a chunk of change these days. 

The cost of a night out was one of the reasons cited by some of the 55% of Irish people in recent research who said they are more likely to drink at home than in public social settings.

Health experts have warned that the increase in the number of people drinking at home could lead to increased problem alcohol use in Ireland in the coming years.

Last week, we asked our readers to tell us if they had found themselves choosing to drink at home over going out in recent times. 

We received numerous responses, the majority of which said that the cost was the main factor in why they had started to consume more alcohol at home. Some said this was a recent change, while others said their habits changed during the Covid-19 pandemic and had remained the same ever since. 

Thank you to everyone who got in touch. Here’s some of what you told us. 

‘The thought of the pub fills me with dread’

Graham from Dublin said that he was “always a pub man”, but that he had started drinking more at home because “the pubs have out priced themselves”.

“A pint of Heineken is now €7.70 in my local,” he said, “so include a tip or a packet of crisps, it’s €10.”

He said the loneliness can be “incredible”. 

“You spend the first few beers judging yourself, especially if you live alone. It causes serious anxiety and social isolation.”

Dan, aged in his 40s, said he stopped going to pubs completely in the last few years “because of the extortionate prices now”.

“The prices of drink in pubs are outrageous, with some pubs charging almost €10 for a pint. It’s complete greed by some manufacturers.”

Another man who used to go to the pub every weekend said he made a conscious decision to stop around seven months ago for a number of reasons. This included “the borderline extortionate prices given the terrible conditions of pubs”, the “prominent use of drug snorting in toilets” and that it “simply no longer feels safe”. 

A man in his 40s told The Journal he stopped going to the pub when Covid arrived in 2020 and he became a carer. 

“I’m no longer a carer, and Covid is long gone, but I never returned to the pub. The thought of it fills me with dread. Trying to organise expensive taxis, making an effort to dress up, and the overall price of alcohol is such a turn-off,” he said. 

While he now drinks more at home, he said his alcohol intake is “definitely a worry for me as it all feels too easy to lose a sense of time and reality, but I would never swap it for a real life pub ever again.”

‘Beyond our budget’

A middle-aged couple who live in rural Ireland feel that their quality of life “has slipped away” since the pandemic. 

“Pre-Covid, our weekly routine included going out early on Friday evenings and Sundays to our local pub. These weren’t wild nights, but opportunities to build genuine friendships, catch up with regulars, and enjoy a healthy social outlet,” they said. 

“During the pandemic, our home drinking increased, forcing us to make a conscious decision to control it. Today, between increased taxi fares and the shocking rising price of drinks, going to the pub, eating out, or getting a takeaway is completely beyond our budget.”

Last Christmas, we saved up specifically to go out, only to find the pub empty. Our friends were in the exact same boat, unable to afford a night out and forced to stay home.

The couple now buy small amounts from the off-licence for the weekend, knowing that they will drink the larger bottles if they are in the house. “Do we drink more at home? Absolutely.”

They said the cost of living has put them under immense pressure and made it “impossible to save even a few euros” after paying for groceries and bills.

Michael, who lives in a rural part of the country, began drinking more at home during Covid. He said there is a lack of taxis in his area and he would have to pay up to €60 to get to the nearest city. 

“Costs are a big issue, and now you’ll get takeaway alcohol much cheaper than pub prices. Why pay €12 for two pints, when you can get 12 cans or two bottles of wine for the same price?”

‘I make excuses to wealthier friends’

A woman in her 40s told us that she drinks at home more often and invites friends over to avoid “the huge costs of going out”. 

“I often lie and make excuses to wealthier friends who want to meet up in town as I simply can’t afford it at the moment.”

A 23-year-old woman from Cork said she will almost always opt to drink at home over going to the pub, or drink at home with her friends before going out to hear some live music of watch a match in her local. 

“This seems to be the case with all my friends and people around my age because it’s simply unaffordable to go out anymore.”

She pointed out, however, that this was not the case three or four years ago. 

I remember making significantly less money and still being able to go out once or twice a week. I make more money now, but with the cost of everything else going up, there’s nothing left.

“It’s easier to get an €8 bottle of wine than it is to go out and spend at least €60 between drinks and taxis just to have one or two quiet drinks.”

A 50-year-old woman from Clare said that many of her friend group now choose to drink at home to socialise because they built their homes to be places they can gather “where maybe before, many were escaping packed small houses to find respite”. 

“Now, I find respite at home in my lovely garden with the barbecue on, surrounded by friends and family and enjoying a drink.”

‘The social aspect is important’

A man in his 40s said he used to do a lot of drinking in town, but that his habits have “changed dramatically” since he became a father.

“It’s not so much the cost – which is simply ridiculous by comparison to 10-20 years ago – that’s keeping me away from town, but the fact that I’m a dad and don’t have much of an interest in it any more,” he said. 

Despite going out less, he has kept up the tradition of going to his local on a Friday with his family to meet friends and chat over a pint.

“I know many in the pub and get chatting to those too. Often people I grew up with: fathers and mothers of friends, the retired postman, the fella who ran the local community centre. We normally go at around 5.30pm, sit in the same spot, and stay until 9-10pm.

I like the old way of giving and receiving local news and stories, knowing the bar man by name, him knowing my drink is a pint of Guinness before I order it.

Naoise from Dublin has found that the cost of going out has “increased significantly” over the last few years. “It’s difficult to justify paying over €6 or €7 for a pint when I can buy an excellent bottle of wine or a few quality craft beers for the same price,” he said.

He enjoys cooking and feels that drinking over a meal at home is “more comfortable and allows for conversation without the noise that many pubs now have”.

But he does not think that drinking at home should replace socialising altogether, adding that he still makes an effort to meet friends and colleagues at a pub or restaurant “because the social aspect is important”.

“For me, drinking at home isn’t about isolation or loneliness; it’s about enjoying good food, good wine, and a relaxed environment.”

A 50-year-old man from South Dublin said he used to try to avoid drinking at home because he would rather be out socialising. Now, though, he has been doing so more often mainly because it’s cheaper.

“So many people are struggling with the cost of everything these days, but people do need an outlet. This combined with the cost of going out and with so many people finding it hard to make ends meet, there are fewer people in pubs these days,” he said. 

“I’d rather be in a pub, but economics dictate when me and my friends can meet up. We used to meet up once a week, now I’d say it’s more once every two months.”

He added: “It is much more lonely to drink at home, even though it’s cheaper.”

Some quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity.

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