More than half of Irish adults consume alcohol at least once a week, study reveals

Research carried out by Behaviour & Attitudes during July and August 2023 reveals that 59% of Irish adults consume alcohol at least once a week. Still, growing numbers are making positive changes to their drinking habits.

For the fourth year in a row, over half of adults drink alcohol on “at least a weekly basis” – this figure is now just shy of 60%.

Regular weekly drinking, as revealed by these figures, is now an established norm that has steadily increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

These figures show a consistent upward trend since 2018 when the number of adult drinkers who drank at least weekly stood at 44% - a difference of 15% compared to the 59% who now say they consume on a weekly basis (or more) in 2023.

Binge drinking is defined as the consumption of 60 grams of pure alcohol or 6 standard drinks in one sitting. 1 in 4 Irish adults, when they do drink, are now typically binge drinking, which increases the likelihood of a person experiencing both short- and long-term harm.

The top 3 most mentioned drinking occasions from the research are all based in the home, a trend that has become normalised since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 33% drinking with family over mealtimes, 32% of drinkers are drinking at home alone or 29% drinking with a partner/housemate during the day or evening at least once a week.

Due to the increase in the cost of living, 45% cited personal finances as a general reason for doing so, and 52% of drinkers that had reduced consumption said they would rather spend their money on other things or 32% said they can’t afford to drink as much as they used to.

Overall, nearly 2/3 of adults (63%) cite physical health or fitness as a reason to drink less, with 31% citing mental health as an influence for reduced drinking.

Drinkaware Barometer CEO Dearbhla O’Brien said: “All data related to alcohol is nuanced and complex and cannot be examined in isolation, that is why it is not surprising to see both positive and negative trends emerging from this year’s Drinkaware Barometer.

A core strength of our Barometer is the annual collection of data with a nationally representative sample of adults that allows us to clearly identify significant patterns, themes, and motivations around alcohol consumption.

“The continued growth in weekly drinkers means that almost 6 in 10 adults are now drinking alcohol at least once a week, and for the second year in a row, over 1 in 4 drinkers are typically binge drinking when they do consume alcohol, despite the many negative short and long-term effects this can have on their health.

“There remains a job to be done in terms of educating, informing, and empowering the public when it comes to alcohol consumption, with almost 1 in 3 adults (29%) stating that clear information on the guidelines would be a useful tool for them to moderate their own drinking.

“Finally, it is very encouraging that the signs of a positive cultural shift in attitudes and expectations around alcohol continue to grow, particularly among young adult populations.

“Over half of those aged 18-24 now say they would like to drink less and 57% of younger adults have made small positive changes to their drinking habits in the last 30 days.

“We must continue to build on and sustain these green shoots to support and enable a societal shift regarding alcohol misuse.”

The annual Drinkaware Barometer provides an overview of adults’ drinking behaviour in Ireland.