LISTOWEL AIMS TO TACKLE THE ILLS OF BOOZE

LISTOWEL ONE OF THREE PLACES IN NEW ALCOHOL PILOT PLAN

A MAJOR plan aiming to tackle the problematic effects of the abuse and over consumption of alcohol in Listowel is to be launched in the town in a matter of weeks.

The town was one of three locations in the HSE’s southern region, alongside Youghal and Cork City, chosen to take part in the Local Action on Alcohol Plan pilot - an initiative it is hoped will see major benefits in terms of reducing alcohol consumption, tacking the abuse of what is still by far Ireland’s most problematic substance and providing treatment care for those struggling with a variety of issues caused by alcohol.

“The key thing is that this plan is being devised by the people of the town themselves and is not coming from the top down,” Gordon Kinsley of the HSE Southern Regional Drugs Task Force told The Kerryman.

“It involved a major survey of attitudes towards alcohol in Listowel, the results of which will be revealed at the launch of the plan. This informed a baseline picture of the town for all involved as a number of organisations and agencies came together to form a steering committee for the plan into the future,” Mr Kinsley explained.

The implementation of the plan will be monitored over the coming years by the HSE to see how effective it might prove.

“This is a major step in the right direction, dealing with alcohol from a strategic point of view rather than in isolation.”

The launch takes place at the Listowel Community Centre on Wednesday, April 5, next at 7pm. A hard-hitting play on the issue, Billy’s Choice, will be performed at the launch and the play will be followed by a presentation by BT Young Scientist 2015 winners Eimear Murphy and Ian O’Sullivan on their study into the links between the drinking habits of parents and their teenage children.