The Issue of Alcoholism in Ireland - Research Paper Example

? Alcoholism in Ireland Alcoholism in Ireland 743818) word count 284 Introduction This paper presents an impartial analysis of the sociological concepts prevalent in the Irish society. It discusses the existing cultural beliefs, parenting issues, educational system, family organization, marriage, political and how each of these factors have contributed to the Irish society in not being able to adopt an appropriate sociological model. It is still grappling to come to terms with the idealistic and the extreme cosmopolitan. In this process a new form of hybrid glocalization is beginning to reconstruct itself. (Fiona O’Donovan, November 2009) Ireland got its independence from the British only in 1922 and is therefore relatively a new nation. The society depended heavily on agriculture as a source of income and witnessed a touch of modernization when the British developed the agriculture and textile sectors. The economic boom of the ‘Celtic Tiger’ in the 90’s saw Ireland embracing globalization with its neo-liberal policies. (Fiona O’Donovan, November 2009) The economy opened up and Ireland witnessed increased immigration. This severe influx of multicultural cosmopolitan people caused the Irish orthodox society to restructure itself causing an identity crisis, which it is still trying to grapple with. (Val Gillies, June 2003) Sociological Concepts Economy Data reviewed from many countries in the European Union suggest that Ireland has the highest fertility rate. The incidence of child pregnancies in Ireland has also witnessed a sharp incline. While inequalities in income cannot be provided as the only reason it has been found that communities who fail to achieve a degree of economic and social success are not incentivised enough to avoid a teenage pregnancy. It is obvious that the issues that prevention programs seek to address like use of condoms, delaying the age of first intercourse, trying out word count 546 multiple partners, knowledge about safe sex and the risks associated with casual sex are not reaching out to a wider audience in Ireland. Education Education in Ireland has improved considerably post 1977 when the Public Service Management Act was put in place. The department of education and science (DES) body controls all aspects of public education right from the primary level to the secondary level. (European Commission, 2010) There are only few institutions that are autonomously run without state interference. Quality education along with research is also being promoted in universities with grants being provided extensively. However the increase in standards has also increased the pressure on the student community multifold. To reduce the stress on students completing the Leaving Certificate Examination, the Transition Year Programme and Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme are being incorporated into the curriculum. (European Commission, 2010) However there is no confirmation whether this has been able to boost student confidence and mitigate stress. Workforce However the globalization had its fair share of issues. With more woman folk continuing to enter workforce in the Irish society, joint extended families began to split and people started breaking itself from social norms of marriage and family. (Val Gillies, June 2003)This was being replaced with a form of intimacy which seeks to break down traditional norms of Irish society apart from leading to host of other social issues discussed in the next section. Marriage Studies have shown that with the traditional values of marriage breaking down, Ireland has witnessed a dramatic increase in divorces mostly in the urban areas than the rural. word count 838 Limerick city has highest percentage of divorce rates with one in every five marriage leading to a separation. (Iona Institute, 2007) Ireland-a Patriarchal society Ireland has often being characterised as a patriarchal society with its impact quite blatantly visible in the areas of employment, familial tasking and also in the states silent affirmation in several areas. In United Nations report on Gender Empowerment Measure, Ireland ranked 24. (Pat O’Connor, 2000) Marked differences in pay along with absence of a level playing field for women are some of the issues in the professional sector. Data shows that about four-fifths of Irish women are employed in services based and clerical forms of work. However the pay patterns of these women when compared to their male counterparts is questionable. A study conducted in Dublin also found out that about two thirds of mothers were in charge of washing dishes, purchasing items for the household and ironing. (Pat O’Connor, 2000) Sample study conducted on men found that roughly only one in five fathers were actively participating in helping out the child with homework and engaging with the child in other social activities. Harassment and Sexual Orientation Studies conducted in Ireland found that there was an astonishing amount of harassment that is being subjected in schools and colleges to people of a different orientation. Studies are also being carried out to find whether this is affecting the drinking pattern of the students to any extent. It was noted that close to 82% were called by abusive names while over 60% were physically bullied with around 44% subjected to homophobic bullying. Lesbian, bisexual and gay people would in all probability leave school by 16 and had no desire to return despite having good GCSE’s. (Equality Commission, 2009) Religion word count 1139 Practising Roman Catholics were of a significant proportion in Ireland till the late 20th century. This was viewed as means of establishing Irish identity. However post the economic boom, data collected from the International Social Survey Programme show that religious affiliation has declined markedly over the years. One of factors was that the growth of cultural diversity along with the assertions of religious minorities. As Catholicism declined, presence of these community leaders in schools, hospitals and other institutions also came down. Scandals of child sex abuse (CSA) in the 90’s at churches have also dented the confidence of the people in the church and for the modern generation religious beliefs do not hold the same kind of passion it once had among the orthodox agrarian community. (Maire Phadraig, 2009) Some researchers say Ireland as a country which got its independence in 1922 modernised far ahead of its time. The government has tried to stay abreast of this frenetic pace with its policy decisions and its interventions in health, educational, economic and foreign policy sectors. During the early nationalist struggle the movement was close to the transnational Catholic Church where a degree of orthodoxy was still prevalent till the Celtic boom in the 90’s when Ireland joined the European Union. Policies thus framed have tried to be relevant to the current times. However with the breakup of the traditional orthodoxy, economic growth and globalization the government is being confronted by a menace of huge proportions; that of the increasing trend of alcoholism among the Irish people. Alcoholism in Ireland Most books and other literary articles often portray the Irish as the stereotypical heavy drinking male. From the data that has been collected from different sources, this is true to an extent since research shows that alcoholism has especially increased among the younger word count 1310 generation. (Kenneth Mullen et. Al, 1996) When tabulated to the basics it has been found that one in every four Irish has high degree of alcohol consumption. In between 1986 to 2006, the percentage of people consuming alcohol rose to 48% and was located at the third position in the data released by the European Union. Of this the largest percentage of drinkers were found in the age group of 18-29 years. Most disturbing however, was the prevalence of binge drinkers who consumed alcohol excessively and could intake upto six or more standard drinks at a time. (Yichen Jiang,2009) Ireland has the highest recorded percentage of binge drinkers with studies showing that close to 17% women and 38% men indulged in binge drinking once a week. Alarming trends were even noticed in school children with 42% boys and 44% girls resorting to binge drinking every week. It was also found out that alcoholism among women in the age group 18-29 was also increasing. Source: WHO, Global status report on Alcohol, 2004 word count 1480 This was causing several hormonal changes which were even leading to complications in pregnancy and child birth. (The Women’s Health Council, 2009) Interactions with people have revealed that while there are many facets as to why Irish people consume more alcohol than the rest of the world, an interesting fact is that some percentages of these drinkers take to alcohol since they feel it is a means of projecting one’s ethnic identity. (Kenneth Mullen et al, 1996) The critical task for the government in nation building is therefore to ensure that programmes that deter the youth from consuming alcohol be conducted. Once it becomes an addiction then these programmes would not be of particular use. Studies have also shown Irish people across the spectrum do not show the same degree of drinking. This has been co-related to a certain extent to the religion one followed. Data collected indicates that the Irish Catholics were more tolerant to excessive drinking than the Irish Protestants. Source:Maire Nic Ghiolla Phadraig, 2009, Access Research Knowledge word count 1681 The practise of allowing Irish Catholics to consume liquor which in itself signified an act of rebellion and then allowing repentance through confession does not try to deter the believers from going overboard. (Maire Nic Ghiolla Phadraig, 2009) However, the percentage of people who turn alcoholic due to the leverage extended by a particular religion is small. The rate of alcohol absorption into the human body is not same for everyone. This depends on the body weight, age and also the sex of the person. As soon as alcohol is consumed this is carried via bloodstream to the brain which gives us the intoxicated feel. Source: Kenneth Mullen, 1996 The quantity of alcohol along with the speed and whether it has been consumed with solid food also act as factors in increasing or decreasing the degree of intoxication. Different countries may have a different ‘standard drink’. While in Britain 8 grams, France 12 grams; in Ireland 10 grams of pure alcohol constitutes a standard drink.( Tom Connell et al, 2010) Examples of a standard drink are 35.5 ml of pub spirits, a glass of wine which has 12.5% alcohol content, half pint of beer and alcopop which is a 275ml bottle. word count 1914 Other theories that provide reasons for excessive alcohol consumption include ready availability and the cold Irish weather which act as an incentive to take up drinking. (Roger Blaney, 1974) Presently in Ireland, drug testing in a workplace is only provided under the Railways Safety Act Section 13 of 2005 Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Act wherein norms regarding checking at the workplace may be made by the Health & Safety Authority. (Tom Connell et al, 2010) Social and Health Problems in Ireland due to Alcohol use The risks associated with alcoholism include road accidents that injure and maim people and cause loss of human lives. Mental instability along with inability to interact socially with people is another major concern. (Tom Connell et al, 2010) Consuming alcohol also causes a financial burden on the family and is also one of the prime reasons for domestic violence. Public Disorder along with issues of unsafe sex under the influence of alcohol is another major concern. Excessive consumption of alcohol also leads to life threatening diseases like cancer, stroke and liver cirrhosis. (Hope A, 2008) Data collected for road accidents indicate that alcohol was the reason for 30% road accidents with 40% culminating in death. A total of 10500 alcohol related detections were made in 2000 which had 93% over the allowable limit and had 62% of the cases had content higher than twice the limit. word count 2001 Source: WHO, Global status report on Alcohol, 2004 Over 25% of those being attended to in the emergency room were due to drunken driving.( WHO, 2004) Marriage counselling services reported that 34% cases of marriage breakdown was due to reasons of alcohol. A study conducted on 2754 students in the age group of 15-18 years in Galway City showed that one of reasons why they indulged in casual and often sex was due to the intoxication of alcohol. Source: Iona Institute, 2007, Report based on Census 2006 word count 2329 Overdependence of alcohol as stated earlier affects the mental constitution also. A study conducted in 1999 showed that 26% male and 11% of females admitted were on account of excessive alcohol consumption. The impact of alcohol on liver is also fatal and a SDR for every 100000 people of Ireland showed that while it was 4.37 in 2000, it rose sharply to 5.78 in 2001.( WHO, 2004) In 2000 a survey was done as to find out the percentage of alcohol related arrests that caused disruption and nuisance in a public place. Over 38000 charged were in some way related to alcohol consumption. The data revealed that this menace had grown by 370% between 1996 and 2000. Lastly binge drinking and consuming other drugs along with alcohol also posed grave risks. A study conducted in 1997 on 111 patients confirmed that over 51% had alcohol content along with drug overdose which is a lethal combination. Further six of these patients were also required to be ventilated since apart from alcohol, tricyclic antidepressants were also consumed. .( WHO, 2004) A study conducted for the European Comparative Alcohol Study (ECAS) showed that the Irish community spent close to 2.4 billion Euros on problems related to alcohol consumption. Of these 279 million Euros were spent on health related costs, 315 million on road accidents, 100 million Euros on crimes committed under alcohol influence. Additionally 1034 million Euros was lost due to absenteeism and under recovery of taxes cost around 234 million Euros. (WHO, 2004) Potential Solutions Using data collected and analysing it scientifically the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol (STFA) have come up with an action plan on how to reduce alcohol consumption in Ireland. (Hope A, 2008)However this can only be made effective if a broad consensus is reached by the policy makers and the SFTA action plan is implemented effectively within a specified time frame as with each set of delay there would be a new generation of drinkers word count 2622 waiting to take their place in Irish society. An effective policy therefore needs to be framed on how to go about tacking this issue. Similar to tobacco, alcohol related harm should be displayed and advertisements on TV regarding alcohol products and discounts should be prohibited. With a large domestic consumption and a steady demand, alcohol is relatively cheap in Ireland. However government needs to consider its taxation laws which could drive up prices and in turn deter people from drinking extravagantly. (Hope A, 2008) As part of an exercise in helping people addicted to alcohol, a Civil Service Alcohol and drugs misuse policy has been developed to cater to different departments. This policy includes raising awareness among employees regarding the ill effects of alcohol, help addicts undertake proper rehabilitation and address concerns regarding behavioural misconduct in a workplace. (Tom Connell et al, 2010) This policy ensures that people affected with this problem open up and are ready to get treated. It also identifies methods of carrying out tests on personnel working in high risk environments where carelessness on account of being intoxicated can cause loss of human life, property or raise security alarms. Conclusion Although the data recorded and studies conducted on different sections of Irish communities at different stages during the past decade paint a rather dark picture, all is not so grim and bleak. It is the prerogative of the government to ensure that its people and especially its younger generation are weeded away from alcohol use when they are at an impressionable age. The Irish authorities and policy makers have realised the fallacy of watching its young generation sink into intoxication and have woken up to the fact that there is nothing ‘Irish’ about wanting to drinking excessively. Reference List 1. A Hope, 2008, Alcohol related harm in Ireland, Health Service Executive-Alcohol Implementation Group, p.p 1-20 2. Blaney Roger, April 1974, Alcoholism in Ireland: Medical and Social Aspects, pp. 108-120. 3. Connell Tom, Lavelle Bernadette & Maher Eileen, 2010, Guide to alcohol and drug misuse in the workplace 2010, Irish Civil Service Alcohol and Drug Misuse Policy, p.p 20-25 4. Connor Pat, 2000, Ireland: A man’s World?, The Economic and Social Review, Vol 31, No 1 , p 81-102 5. Donovan Fiona , November 2009, Irish Identity is Far from Ideal, Socheolas Limerick Student Journal of Sociology, Volume 2, Issue 1, pp.95-107 6. Equality Commission, March 2009, Eliminating Sexual Orientation Discrimination in Northern Ireland, The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006, p.p 1-2 7. European Commission, 2010, Organisation of the education system in Ireland 2009/2010, Education, Audovisual & Culture Executive Agency, p.p 25-40. 8. Gillies Val, June 2003, Family and Intimate Relationships: A Review of the Sociological Research, Families & social Capital ESRC Research Group, p.p 1-23 9. Iona Institute, September 2007, Marriage Breakdown and family structure in Ireland, Iona Institute for Religion and Society-Census 2006, p.p 1-24 10. Jiang Yichen, November 2009, Alcoholism, Alcohol Abuse and Heavy Drinking: Irish College Males Perspectives on Alcohol-related Problems, Socheolas-Limerick Student Journal of Sociology Volume 2, Issue 1, p.p 36-39 11. Mullen Kenneth Mullen, Williams Rory & Hunt Kate, 1996, Irish descent, religion and alcohol and tobacco use, Addiction, p243-254, Retrieved on 3rd November 2012 from www3.interscience,wiley.com/journal/117967480/toc 12. Phadraig Maire Nic Ghiolla, December 2009, Religion in Ireland: No longer an exception?, Access Research Knowledge, p.p 1-4, Retrieved on 5th November 2012 from www.ark.ac.uk 13. The Women’s Health Council, 2009, Women & substance misuse in Ireland, p.9. 14. WHO, 2004, Country Profiles-Ireland, WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004, pp 1-6. Read More