One in four hurt by someone else's drinking
One in four people have been harmed by someone else's drinking habits, a new report from the HSE has found.
Among the findings were:
• 28% of people reported problems caused by another person's drinking
• One in six women reported family problems from alcohol
• One in nine men reported assaults as a result
• 10% said there were problems with heavy-drinking co-workers
• Irish people reported twice as many workplace issues as Australians
The report, titled "Alcohol's Harm to Others in Ireland', looks at the effects of alcohol abuse in employment and on children and families, as well as the general population.
In the workplace, problems resulting from heavy drinking included employees not working effectively, co-workers having to work extra hours to fill in, and accidents or close-calls at work.
At home, one in ten parents said children came to harm at least once in the past year because of drinking. The report cited verbal abuse, being left in unsafe situations, witnessing serious violence in the home, and physical abuse as examples.
‘The evidence in this report aligns with that of many other local and international studies," said Dr. Stephanie O’Keeffe, the HSE's National Director for Health and Wellbeing.
"These show that in Ireland, we have a problematic and harmful relationship with alcohol, and that our drinking patterns are of concern in many age groups across the population."
