24-Hour Drinking 'A Disaster' For Northern Ireland
The introduction of 24-hour drinking into Northern Ireland would be a 'recipe for disaster', according to University of Ulster addiction expert Victor Robinson.
Mr Robinson, a lecturer in the University’s School of Nursing, said: “I’m petrified at the potential consequences for Northern Ireland if 24-hour drinking comes to Northern Ireland,” he said. “Our psyche is not equipped to handle the 24-hour availability of alcohol.We are not a Mediterranean people, and have not been socialised into the respect for alcohol those cultures have.
“In my judgment, 24-hour availability of alcohol in Northern Ireland will mean the introduction of 24-hour bingeing, not a new age of temperance and moderation.”
In the recent past, he said, there was a high percentage of people in Northern Ireland who did not use alcohol at all - in large part because of religious beliefs.Catholic society had the Pioneer movement, while the Temperance movement was strong among Protestants.
“But those times are behind us: alcohol and drug use is increasing in Northern Ireland.
There is an increasing trend for young people to drink alcohol, and for women to drink. Of course, women always did drink, but today their drinking is more public and visible.”
Alcohol and addictions present major challenges for Northern Ireland society, said Mr Robinson.
“The UK is anecdotally known as the ‘binge drinking capital of Europe’ - and binge drinking is on the increase throughout Northern Ireland.We need to find ways to affect people’s psyches, to interrupt the habits and behaviours that make them decide when and how much they drink.
“We are almost breeding young people to drink heavily from the word go.There are many reasons for that - and the cultural norms and mores of our society are prominent among them.
“It may take a generation before we can successfully change the psyche, to readjust people's thinking to appreciate that alcohol is not to be gorged: it's not for bingeing.”
He was concerned that not enough attention was being given to the challenges of alcohol in our society.
“Drugs other than alcohol are the sexy issue at present, and consequently, less attention is paid to the fact that we live in an increasingly alcohol-saturated society.
“Drugs are more of a public health priority, because the consequences of drug misuse are HIV AIDS, and blood borne diseases like hepatitis. These cause serious concern to our Department of Health, who must be seen to be doing something about the issue.
“But it’s reactive: there's little proactive about it - so to a certain extent, alcohol misuse takes a back seat.”
Yet, said Mr Robinson, alcohol-related disease is a major drain on NHS resources, According to recent figures, around 40% of acute hospital beds in Northern Ireland were being blocked by people who misuse alcohol.
And the lecturer said that Northern Ireland has changed its attitude to the treatment of alcohol misusers toward what he termed a ‘harm reduction’ approach.
"Whereas in the past it was 'Put up your hands and admit that your are an alcoholic', today we accept the reality that people will drink: and from that, premise, we can develop strategies and tactics to reduce the harm that might come about as a consequence of that drinking.
“The important thing is to ensure that there is a menu of options available, and that clinical intervention teams should be aware of those options and assess each individual to deliver the most appropriate intervention for that person.
“But in the condition Northern Ireland is in today in terms of alcohol misuse, the introduction of 24-hour drinking would be a disaster whose effects could take a generation to undo.”
<< Home