High Rates of Binge Drinking in Ireland

New research shows that 58 percent of the drinking done by men in Ireland is binge drinking, the London Press Association reported Oct. 8.

The study conducted for Ireland's health department further found that 48 percent of all men and 16 percent of women in Ireland binge drink at least once a week.

Ireland is the highest of all other European countries in term of binge drinking. In the United Kingdom, the percentage of men who binge drink is 40 percent, while in France it is 9 percent.

In addition, more problems, such as falls, unintentional sex and public order offenses, were linked to drinkers in Ireland than any other European country.

Irish health minister Micheal Martin said a number of initiatives are underway to address binge drinking.

"The clear message from this research is that we must change our drinking patterns -- we need to cut down and slow our drinking."

The health ministry recently districted a "Guide to Rethinking your Drinking," as well as a new advertising campaign that will be shown before movies in cinemas throughout the country.

In addition, the new single by Irish artist Sinead O'Connor will include a booklet with information on alcohol.
Source: http://www.jointogether.org/news

Binge drinking behind sexual health 'epidemic'

Binge drinking among women is causing an epidemic of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, doctors have warned.

Research has found that almost nine in ten women who attended a sexual health clinic admitted binge drinking - an average of two and a half bottles of wine in one sitting.

Doctors blame binge drinking among women for "epidemic" in STIs and unwanted pregnancies

Three quarters said they had unprotected sex because they were drunk.

Women who were diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection drank 40 per cent more than those who did not, showing a much stronger link between risky behaviour and alcohol consumption than previous thought.

The researchers, based in Southampton and Portsmouth, said the Government must tackle the issue of cheap alcohol and called for condoms to be provided for free in pubs, clubs and taxis.

Abortion clinics are already bracing themselves for a post-Christmas boom in unwanted pregnancies after one charity reported a record month in January this year.

The family planning service Marie Stopes International performed almost 6,000 abortions in January - a rise of 13% on the previous year.

The first detailed UK study carried out in sexual behaviour and alcohol questioned 520 people who attended one genito-urinary clinic in a city in the south of England.

A third of women in study (92 women), who attended the clinic reported a pregnancy and 41 of them had undergone a termination. Half said of those who were pregnant said it was unwanted and more than a quarter of those said they had been drinking before having unprotected sex.

The paper published in the International Journal of STD and AIDS said: "The UK has a specific problem with binge-drinking that is not seen elsewhere in Europe, and it seems highly likely that this binge-drinking culture is a risk factor for all forms of sexual risk, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs)."

Linda Tucker, one of the main authors of the study and a consultant nurse in sexual health and HIV, said: "The link between sexual risk and drinking too much is not the most original idea in he world but we now have clear scientific evidence of the relation ship. The Government needs to reflect this link both in their sexual health and alcohol strategy - which at present seems not to link alcohol and sexual risk behaviour.
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"Politicians need to tackle the issue of cheap booze and to have properly funded early intervention and treatment programmes in place."

They also found that women who binge-drink have more sexual partners than those who don't.

For men the results were not as clear-cut but the more they had drunk the less likely they were to use a condom.

The authors argue that, as the UK moves inevitably towards a 24 hour drinking culture, it is vital that the infrastructure needed to keep these drinkers safe keeps pace and is adequately funded.

A spokesman for Alcohol Concern said: "These new, and much higher figures suggest that risky sexual behaviour and binge drinking are far more bound up with one another than previously thought.

"We need also to ensure that staff working in sexual health clinics are trained to identify problem drinkers and know where to refer them for specialist advice, if they want help to bring their consumption down to safer levels".

source: The Telegraph

Warning Signs of Alcoholism

You regularly use alcohol as a way of coping with feelings of anger, frustration, anxiety or depression.

You regularly use alcohol to feel confident.

You get hangovers regularly.

Your drinking affects your relationships with other people.

Your drinking makes you feel disgusted, angry or suicidal.

Other people tell you that when you drink you become gloomy, embittered or aggressive.

You need to drink more and more to feel good.

You stop doing other things to spend more time drinking.

You start to feel shaky and anxious the morning after drinking the night before.

You drink to stop these feelings.

You start drinking earlier in the day.

IF YOU NEED HELP NOW PLEASE JOIN US AT The Sober Village where you do not need to be sober to join, just the desire to some day do so!

Drinking in the U.S. Remains Unchanged

About 1/5 Are Binge Drinkers
The latest government statistics show a decrease in the use of illicit drugs over the past four years, but the number of people who consume alcohol remains essentially the same, with more than half of everyone over the age of 12 reported as drinkers.

Each year the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sponsors the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), in which 67,500 persons are interviewed. The NSDUH is the government's primary source of information about the use of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the general population of the United States.

The 2006 survey indicated very little change in drinking habits, with about half of the population (50.9 percent) reported as alcohol drinkers, about one-fifth binge drinkers and about seven percent listed as heavy drinkers.

Binge Drinkers and Heavy Drinkers
Binge drinking is considered having five or more drinks one occasion at least once in the past 30 days.

According to the survey results, 23 percent, or about 57 million people over age 12, met that definition.

Heavy drinking is considered binge drinking five or more times a month. The 2006 NSDUH survey indicated that an estimated 6.9 percent of the population, about 17 million people over age 12, were heavy drinkers.

Drinking Rates Higher for Young Adults
For young abuts, between the ages of 18 and 25, the rate of binge drinking and heavy drinking is almost double that of the general population. In 2006, the rate of binge drinking in this group was 42.2 percent and the rate of heavy drinking was 15.6 percent.

The survey also showed that the rate of binge drinking in adolescent drinkers -- those ages 12 to 17 -- is about 10.3 percent, with the percentage of heavy drinkers at 2.4 percent. All of these rates are basically unchanged from the 2005 NSDUH results.

Drinking Rates by Racial Groups
For underaged drinkers, those age 12 to 20, the survey indicated past month alcohol use among these groups as:

* 18.6 percent among blacks.
* 19.7 percent among Asians.
* 25.3 percent among Hispanics.
* 27.5 percent among those reporting two races.
* 31.2 percent among American Indians or Alaska Natives.
* 32.3 percent among whites.

Of the above groups, the only significant change since 2005 was with American Indians or Alaska Natives, who reported only a 21.7 percentage of drinkers in 2005.

Pregnant Women Drinking Less
Here are other findings of the 2006 NSDUH:

* Binge drinking rates for underage drinkers have remained unchanged since 2002, with about 28.3 percent of those aged 12 to 20 reported as drinkers and 19 percent binge drinkers. About 6.2 percent were heavy drinkers.

* Binge drinking during the first trimester of pregnancy dropped from 10.6 percent to 4.6 percent for women aged 15 to 44. This is the only group that saw a decrease in drinking rates.

* An estimated 12.4 percent of persons aged 12 or older reported driving under the influence in the past 12 months. That percentage corresponds to about 30.5 million people.

Sources:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "Results from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings" Sept. 6, 2007.