Its great being Irish isn’t it, our reputation proceeds us. Everyone is so friendly to the Irish when we are abroad. We are known for our ‘good craic’ and drinking. You look upon this with pride but does this reputation represent an underlying issue in the country. Ireland according to a study conducted in 2019 has the 6th highest alcohol consumption globally! The Irish globally are known for over consumption of alcohol, although there are countries that consume more the nature at which Irish drink emphasises the issues that exists. Having lived in Ireland and abroad for years we have made these observations
1. Students are not the problem, students drinking consumption in generally is quite similar
2. The level of consumption varies at home, it is very high in Ireland. This is down to many factors but predominantly the relationship the Irish have with alcohol and the need for it.
3. Alcohol consumption in bars in Ireland is quite high but it’s the manner in which alcohol is drank is a major problem.
Irish students drinking habits surprisingly is quite similar to European, American and Asian habits. This in itself is an issue with binge drinking common and a focus on value for money due to students disposable income.
Consumption at home is a problem that has become common in Ireland. With factors such as the Covid 19 pandemic people’s drinking habits have forced them to consume alcohol at home as opposed to the pub. This lowers the expense of drinking resulting in more being consumed. The other factor that causes Irish to consume alcohol at home is the relationship the Irish people have with alcohol. It is their mindset that alcohol is needed to make their long day of work manageable similar to a hobby or sport.
Although alcohol consumption is quite high in Irish bars (this can be seen by the number of bars in Ireland) the manner of alcohol consumption is the most worrying. In bars around Europe the culture of tapas, nibbles and snacks is very common. The reason for this is to slow down alcohol consumption and to sober people up. In Ireland people have nothing but their pint to hold, there is no distraction there, nothing to eat. For a nation with an alcohol consumption problem embracing a European approach could slow the pace people drink in Ireland and create a more responsible alcohol consumption environment.
At River Shannon Brewery we want to embrace this European approach. We love providing food pairing options for our followers. We hope the awareness we are creating is helping people think twice about how fast they drink and how they drink. Remember craft beer promotes a healthy lifestyle with more nutrients on average and promotes the consumption of less alcohol. So, choose a healthy lifestyle, choose craft, choose River Shannon Brewery.