Ahead of this weekend’s St Patrick's Day festivities, the Joint Committee on Health has been discussing a report from a steering group which looks at the misuse of alcohol in Irish society.
The Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health, Dr Tony Holohan, outlined the evidence at the committee.
Dr Holohan said the average per capita consumption of litres of pure alcohol per year is 11.9 litres. He said this equates to 482 pints of lager, or 45 bottles of vodka a year.
He said the average adult is consuming the equivalent of a bottle of vodka a week.
According to 2007 figures, alcohol misuse is estimated to account for €1.2bn of health expenditure.
The total cost to the economy is estimated at €3.7bn when the costs of alcohol related crime, absenteeism and loss of productivity are factored in.
Minister of State at the Department of Health Róisín Shortall told the committee that these figures do not include the social and human cost.
Ms Shortall said alcohol is the source of many harms and dangers in Irish society and that there can be no equivocation in this matter. She said it is time for the Government to take action.
Dr Holohan outlined some of the 45 recommendations of the report, which, he said, are likely to have the most impact.
He said price is the most effective method of controlling consumption. The report recommends a prohibition of price-based promotions.
It also recommends a provision that the Health Service Executive may be named in legislation to act in court as a body that can object to licences being granted.
Dr Holohan said recommendations on advertising received a lot of attention from members of the steering group. He said that there was a variety of views and not every member was in agreement.
He said some wanted a complete ban of all alcohol related advertising and that some wanted a 9pm watershed, a ban of alcohol advertising in cinemas and a prohibition of outdoor alcohol advertising.
Ms Shortall displayed an advertisement from one of today's national newspapers by a supermarket, prominently advertising alcohol in the lead-up to St Patrick's Day.
She highlighted bottles of vodka and whiskey with shamrocks on them, and said that we have to break that cultural link between alcohol and our national holiday.
