Alcohol usage in Dublin 12 seen as excessive says report

Alcohol usage in Dublin 12 seen as excessive says report

By Claire Christensen

THE Dublin 12 Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force (D12LDATF) unveiled in their 2017 annual report that alcohol use in D12 is excessive, as evidenced by the area’s 21 pubs, 42 off-licences, and 7 clubs.

The report, entitled Dublin 12 Community Action on Alcohol Strategy, was published June 27 as part of the Public Health Alcohol Bill that is due before the Seanad in the coming months.

Man with drink

The bill includes measures that address the areas of alcohol pricing, marketing and availability, as well as supports for community action.

D12LDATF envisions a community where everyone is aware of their right to live in a safer and healthier community where alcohol harm is recognised and responded to.

The strategy’s aims are fourfold: to challenge the widespread availability of alcohol in Dublin 12, to increase provision of evidence-based alcohol education, to encourage community engagement, and to increase access to screening, treatment, and rehabilitation services.

Every month in Ireland, 88 people die from alcohol misuse, which adds up to more than 1,000 deaths per year.

One in four deaths of men aged 15 to 39 is alcohol-related, which is why the strategy focuses particular attention on the problem of youth drinking.

D12LDATF held two public and one youth consultation to prove that the group is committed to including youths and the wider community in the battle against alcohol misuse.

A participant in one of the consultations said: “The community is desensitised to alcohol-related harm. We need new glasses to look at the situation in a different way.”

D12 saw a 19.1 per cent reduction in the number of pub licences from 1998 to 2013, and a 377 per cent increase in off-licences during that same time.

D12LDATF believes the proliferation of alcohol vendors, especially off-licences, is contributing significantly to alcohol misuse and dependency.

The strategy has already been successful in quite a few aspects: an alcohol vendor map has been created, off-licence applications will be reviewed by the Joint Policing Committee, a video and numerous pamphlets about underage drinking have been created by youths, and signage has been posted to discourage public drinking.

Another consultation participant said: “There are massive alcohol problems in D12; a lot of self-destructive drinking is going on behind closed doors.”

D12LDATF believes that alcohol is a major obstacle to sustainable human development, and the Action on Alcohol Strategy aims to combat that.

To learn more about Dublin 12 Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force and to read the full strategy, go to http://d12ldatf.ie

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