1 in 5 drink until they lose control at least monthly
ONE in five adults get so drunk they feel out of control at least once a month, research suggests.
On average adults consume at least twice the daily guidelines to get intoxicated, according to the Global Drug Survey.
Researchers from the UK, US, Switzerland and Australia analysed responses from 61,043 adults aged 16-80 in 21 countries gathered in 2015.
Participants were asked how much they would have to drink to feel the effects of alcohol, become as drunk as they would like to be and reach their ‘tipping point’.
This was defined as the point drinking stops being pleasurable and relaxing and induces feelings of anxiety and a lack of control.
They were also asked how often in the past year they had reached these stages.
Some 85% felt the effects of alcohol at least once a month, 66% became as drunk as they wanted to and 20% reached their tipping point. More than two thirds of respondents in Ireland, the UK, France, Austria, Brazil and Germany reported reaching their desired level of drunkenness at least once a month.
For women, the HSE recommends 11 standard drinks – equivalent to one bottle of wine or four pints of beer – spread out over the week, with at least two alcohol-free days.
Meanwhile, men can have 17 standard drinks – or six pints of beer – across the week, with at least two alcohol-free days.
According to the Health Research
Board, Ireland’s per capita alcohol consumption is equal to 41 litres of gin/vodka, 116 bottles of wine or 445 pints of beer per person aged 15 years and above.
The researchers warned that the guidance around units is being ignored because it does not reflect people’s experiences. Instead, encouraging people to avoid reaching their tipping point may be more useful.
Lead author Dr Emma Davies, from Oxford Brookes University, said: ‘We need to tread a line between being realistic about what people enjoy and what’s actually going to cause them some damage potentially.’
The authors, writing in the International Journal of Drug Policy, said: ‘Exploring the role of educational interventions that encourage people with heavy drinking to drink less, while still enjoying their alcohol experience, will be a challenge for those in public health, partly because any move to increase the recommended amount of alcohol in the current guidelines could be unhelpfully used by the alcohol industry.
‘Nevertheless, if guidelines do not reflect or represent people’s experiences they are likely to be ignored and are unlikely to lead to reduced consumption.’