UN report on our drinking makes for a sobering read

IRELAND’S alcohol consumption is rising, a report has shown.

Government statistics submitted to the UN reveal that our intake of booze has gone from 11 litres in 2017 to 11.1 litres in 2018 – the last year that full figures have been recorded.

The UN report notes that alcohol consumption here almost trebled over four decades between 1960 (4.9 litres of pure alcohol per capita) and 2000 (14.1 litres of pure alcohol per capita), as alcohol became more affordable and more widely available.

Since 2000, after greater restrictions, our alcohol consumption declined by 19.6%, from 14.3 litres of pure alcohol per capita in 2001, to 10.53 litres in 2013. However, it has been steadily climbing since then – a full half a litre per person over the past five years.

The information has been submitted to the UN as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals project, which monitors world health and wellbeing.

The report also shows that 19% of men and 16% of women smoke, with a national average of 17%.

The statistics also highlight the huge gap in suicide rates between men and women. Four out of five people who committed suicide in 2018 were male. There were 352 suicide deaths in 2018, of which 282 were male.

It was spread across all ages. One in five deaths from suicide were aged 2534 years, another one in five was aged 35-44 years and another one in five was aged 45-54 years.

There is also a large amount of information submitted on Ireland’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The report shows that people with underlying conditions made up over 90% of deaths, and that 93.5% of deaths were aged 65 or over, with people under 45 making up 43% of cases.

Less than half of all coronavirus victims died in hospital – the rest died at home, in nursing homes or other care homes.

Some 692 coronavirus patients died in hospital – 41.8% of the total.

Health care workers made up 31.9% (7,968) of total cases but only 0.4% (seven people) of deaths.

The statistics show a national coronavirus rate of 526.2 per 100,000 of the population.