A prominent former Clare Publican claims a culture of tolerating drunken behaviour is contributing to alcoholism across the country.
The spotlight is once again being shone on addiction in this county as a new survey shows Ireland has the eight most prevalent binge drinking problem in the world.
Former Clare All-Ireland winning goalkeeper Noel Considine spoke on his lengthy battle with alcoholism.
The man known as ‘Mallet’ is also renowned for imparting his skillset as a coach on the next generation of elite inter-county goalkeepers, having most recently formed a part of the Wexford backroom team under Davy Fitzgerald in 2021.
However the Clarecastle native has had to overcome a silent enemy which has plagued life for over thirty years.
Noel first discovered Alcohol at age 16, by 18 he had been referred to Alcoholic’s Anonymous and by 21 he had been hospitalised nine times.
Unfortunately Noel’s story is not unique as a new study has found that Ireland ranks eight in the world in terms of people who have a problem with binge drinking.
Binge Drinking has been defined as having more than six drinks in one day and a former Ennis Publican believes a major culture change is required to stem the tide.
Darragh McAllister who ran both Lucas’s and Considine’s bars in the county town for over twenty years says proprietors would rather see people drinking less in quantity but going out more often, something he claims could also curb drunken behaviour.
Last year 137 people in Clare presented at rehabilitation centres due to alcohol addiction, an increase of 21% in just the last year.
Michael Guerin from the Cuan Mhuire Addiction Centre in Bruree says that the public acceptance of excess consumption is also to blame for sending people down the path of alcoholism.
You can listen to the full interview below.
