Our binge-drink culture is not a laughing matter

the town red last night would have easily drank much more than this.

The fact we seem to need a Dry January is worrying in itself. Most EU countries, apart from our nearest neighbours, don’t feel a necessity to force themselves to stay sober during any month.

This is because they, especially Mediterranean cultures, can drink in moderation on a Saturday night. For example, in Spain they mostly drink a 20cl draft beer known as a Cana and will take around the same amount of time to knock that back as we Irish do with our pints.

Anytime I went out drinking in Madrid it felt like the local revellers looked at me as if I had two heads when they saw me ordering a pint – and knocking back the equivalent of three Canas in one go. For our Mediterranean cousins, the craic is about enjoying the good company of friends while savouring the taste of their drinks and tapas on a night out.

It’s not about getting plastered and then stuffing your face with a kebab or curry chips on the way home, which is sadly what many Irish still deem as a good night out.

Some people will argue Ireland doesn’t have a problem with booze because we’re not in the top 20 countries for alcohol consumption.

But that list includes the likes of South Korea, Portugal, France and even Andorra. Yet none of these have a binge-drinking culture.

The Irish Government needs to take much more proactive steps to help change this.

For a start they should slash the price of non-alcoholic beers because it’s bonkers how they cost the same as a normal lager.