Calls for Ireland to follow UK on new guidelines for alcohol

NEW lower drinking guidelines in the UK have been welcomed by medical experts here with revised Irish recommendations expected later this year.

The updated drinking limits say men should now only drink the same amount as women per week and that pregnant women should avoid alcohol altogether.

The first review of the guidelines in two decades sees the introduction of a 14-unit maximum per week for both men and women, a drop from 21 units for men.

This new recommended limit is the equivalent of six pints of average strength beer or seven glasses of wine per week.

The changes in the British guidelines mean that men in the Republic can drink three pints a week more than their counterparts in the North and still be considered at ‘low risk’ of harm from alcohol.

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland has backed the UK move and says that it is important for the public to know the risks associated with alcohol consumption.

Professor Frank Murray, president of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and chair of Alcohol Health Alliance Ireland, says there is ‘no safe level of alcohol consumption’, a fact reinforced by the new UK guidelines.

He welcomed the updated UK guidelines, which take into account new research on the health risks of alcohol consumption.

Professor Murray said: ‘In preparing the previous guidelines in 1995, the harmful effects of alcohol and cancer were underestimated, and the beneficial effect of alcohol (if any) were exaggerated. Much has changed in terms of what we know about the harm caused by alcohol consumption, particularly with regards to cancer and other illnesses.

‘The Irish guidelines are currently being reviewed and when published will further inform the public about the health risks associated with alcohol consumption.’

Professor Murray, a liver specialist, said: ‘They also confirm that there are no health benefits from drinking alcohol.

‘It is important that people are aware of the health risks associated with alcohol such as its link to seven cancers, including breast cancer in women and bowel cancer, two of the most common cancers in Ireland.’

He says the more alcohol you consume, the higher your risk of developing illnesses and being involved in incidents and accidents that can have life-changing consequences.

He added: ‘If planning a pregnancy or already pregnant, women are advised not to drink alcohol.

‘It is interesting to note that this is the first time the recommended low-risk level is the same for both men and women [in the UK].

‘The UK has moved to significantly reduce the low-risk recommendation for men – by about a third – because of the higher risk of injury and accidents amongst men who binge drink,’ he said.

Three people die every day in Ireland as a result of alcohol.

This translates to more than 1,000 people a year, which is five times higher than the number of road deaths every year.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health told the Mail yesterday that HSE is ‘currently reviewing the alcohol guidelines’.

According to Alcohol Ireland, Ireland’s average alcohol consumption in 2014 was 11 litres per head.

‘Irish guidelines being reviewed’