The Irish avoid alcoholism and already drink in moderation.

The commonplace of the Republic of Ireland is green, cliffs, leprechauns , reels and music, and beer. Lots of beer, preferably Guinness. Thus, we've built an image of the Irish that's hard to disassociate from having a pint in hand. But the data breaks the stereotype: in recent years, Ireland has found moderation in its use of alcohol.

A study by the Irish Beverage Industry Group (DIGI), based on data from the Irish Statistics Office—its equivalent to our INE—shows that, according to the latest data, from April 2023 to April 2024, Irish people reduced their alcohol consumption by 4.5%.

One drop doesn't make an ocean, but in this regard, the Republic of Ireland has already added many drops. That 4.5%, added to previous declines, consistent since 2001, means that in the last 25 years they have reduced their alcohol consumption by 34%, the report notes, to 9.5 liters of alcohol per year. A figure already in line with the European Union average, and below, according to DIGI, the consumption data for Spain or France.

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This isn't the only change in alcohol consumption habits reflected in the DIGI report. Although beer is culturally dominant, and is the preferred alcoholic beverage for 43.3% of Irish respondents, wine is the preferred beverage for 28.2%, 15 percentage points more than in 2001, when only 13.2% preferred the fruit of the vine.

For DIGI, all of this is good news. Donall O'Keefe, a spokesperson for the association, quoted by The Irish Times, stated that "in contrast to the negative stereotypes that previously existed, alcohol consumption in Ireland is now at average European levels, while the purchase of soft drinks continues to rise."

The grim figures of alcohol

O'Keefe's words are relevant because, regardless of stereotypes or clichés, alcohol consumption has been and remains a problem in Ireland. According to data from the Irish Ministry of Health in 2021, the number of hospitalizations related to alcohol consumption—not just intensive drinking in a few hours, but also years of drinking—increased from 16,000 in 2001 to nearly 19,000 in 2021. In that same year, the country of 5 million people had more than 150,000 registered alcoholics among those over the age of 15.

Furthermore, liver disease related to alcohol consumption increased by almost 80% in those 20 years. And of the 15- to 24-year-old group, 25 percent reported alcohol-related "harms." And according to 2018 data from the Health Research Council , one in four deaths was caused by alcohol consumption.

Given all of the above, the fact that the Irish are gradually moving away from alcohol can only be seen as good news. "Today's figures provide clear proof of what many of us already know: the Irish are drinking more and more moderately," O'Keefe celebrates.