Survey finds Irish are the worst bingers in Europe

The Irish have been revealed as the worst binge drinkers in Europe, just days before the country toasts Saint Patrick.

More than one third of Irish people confirmed that they regularly binge drink, while all their European neighbours fell below this figure in a survey released today.

While around one quarter of respondents in Finland, Denmark and the UK said they regularly binge drink - defined as having five or more alcoholic drinks -only a tiny minority in Italy, Greece and Portugal matched these boozing levels.

The findings come as Irish people at home and abroad prepare to celebrate St Patrick`s Day on Saturday.

The feast day of the country`s patron saint is regularly seen as a green light for heavy drinking, but earlier this year Ireland`s Catholic bishops warned that alcohol abuse was damaging Irish society.

The survey also shows that almost eight out of 10 Europeans (77%) agree with putting warnings on alcohol bottles and adverts to alert pregnant women and drivers of the dangers of drinking alcohol.

And almost three quarters of Europeans (73%) would agree to a lower blood alcohol limit for young and learner drivers.

"It is clear from this survey that EU citizens support measures to protect specific groups in society, such as pregnant women, drivers and young people from the harmful effects of alcohol abuse and misuse," EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said.

"I am deeply concerned about the data showing that one in five young Europeans regularly binge drink."

It is estimated that alcohol abuse and misuse kills 195,000 people a year in the EU. Harmful alcohol consumption is responsible for one in four deaths among young men aged 15-29.

In the Eurobarometer survey out today, 34% of Irish respondents say they regularly binge drink.

This compares to about one in four respondents from Finland (27%), the UK (24%) and Denmark (23%).

On the other hand, only 2% of respondents in Italy and Greece and 4% in Portugal usually binge drink.

Overall across the EU, binge drinking is highest among the 15 to 24 age group (overall 19%) though with sharp national differences.

The survey also indicated that while increasing the price of alcohol by as much as 25% would not deter the majority of drinkers, it did indicate that a price hike would encourage many younger people to drink less.

A total of 44% of the youngest respondents believed they would buy less alcohol if it became substantially more expensive, but the majority of people doubted if the increased cost would be enough to deter most young people, or heavy drinkers in general.

Last year, the European Commission adopted an EU strategy to support member states in reducing alcohol-related harm.

Its priorities include protecting young people and children, reducing injuries and deaths from alcohol-related road accidents, preventing harm among adults and reducing the negative impact on the economy.

It also emphasises the need to raise awareness of the impact on health of harmful alcohol consumption and help gather reliable statistics.

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