Ireland's relationship with drink is very like America's relationship with guns

Another good article by Ciara Kelly on drink culture in Ireland

Ireland's relationship with drink is very like America's relationship with guns. We won't give it up no matter how much harm it does us

The hard fact is we've up to three alcohol related deaths per day here. Can you imagine if that was the figure for road deaths or suicide? There'd be an outcry. We mainly drink irresponsibly, with only the minority having a healthy relationship with alcohol. Three-quarters of the poor drink excessively and three-quarters of the rich do too. It's across the board. Four out of ten of us binge regularly and three quarters of all alcohol consumed here is consumed during a binge.

Simply put, Ireland's relationship with drink is very like America's relationship with guns. We won't give it up or restrict it adequately, no matter how much harm it's doing to us. No matter how many lives are damaged. We want it this way. From a distance we can see clearly what the US needs to do about guns. But from right up close we seem completely blind to our own problem.

Full text available at : http://www.independent.ie/opinion/ciara-kelly-no-cheers-for-our-seven-drunken-nights-34136629.html