Alcohol consumption falls 0.5% in Ireland

Alcohol consumption falls 0.5% in IrelandAccording to the latest figures, the alcohol consumption has fallen 19 per cent in Ireland since the year 2001.

The data showed that the average per adult alcohol consumption fell 0.5 per cent to 11.681 in 2012 from 11.743 litres in 2011. According to the figures released by the Revenue Commissioners and the CSO, the Irish people now consume 2.7 litres of alcohol less than 11 years earlier in the country.

The data published by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (Digi) shows that the average Irish person consumed 14.44 litres of alcohol in 2001. The consumption level has fallen consistently over the decade and it was recorded at
11.68 litres. DCU business school lecturer Tony Foley and the author of the study said that the average per adult consumption fell 12.5 per cent between 2007 and 2012.

Digi chairman and Diageo's corporate relations director for Europe, Peter O’Brien said, “Weakness in the domestic economy and the continued pressure on discretionary income are clearly having a negative effect on the drinks sector," he said. "In addition there has been a substantial societal shift…increasingly people are dining out, choosing to enjoy alcohol as an accompaniment to food.”

The analysis was conducted using the data from the CSO Population and Migration Estimates for April 2012 and the Revenue Commissioners' 2012 alcohol clearances data.