Health Minister launches new Strategy to address Alcohol and Drug Misuse

Northern Ireland Health Minister Edwin Poots has outlined his commitment to addressing the issue of alcohol misuse at the first ever formal North/South Conference on alcohol misuse.
~ Thursday, 26 January 2012

The Minister launched a new five-year strategy to prevent and address the harm related to alcohol and drug misuse in Northern Ireland, the New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs.

Speaking at the conference, Mr Poots said: “There is no doubt that alcohol misuse is one of the main threats to public health in Northern Ireland. Research has shown that it costs Northern Ireland up to £900 million every year, and almost £250 million of these costs are borne by the Health and Social Care sector. If we do not take significant and robust action, the costs to Northern Ireland, and the health and social care system in particular, will continue to grow.

“Therefore, I am pleased today to launch our revised strategy to prevent and address the harms related to alcohol and drug misuse in Northern Ireland, known as the “New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs – Phase 2.”

The Minister continued: “The NSD Phase 2 sets out outcomes across five main areas: prevention and early intervention; harm reduction; treatment and support; law and criminal justice; and monitoring, evaluation and research.

“I am committed to ensuring that it is implemented as fully and effectively as possible.

“Alcohol remains our favourite drug, and we face similar problems on both sides of the border. Therefore I believe today’s conference is the perfect opportunity to launch the NSD Phase 2 and for us to collaborate most effectively to reinforce the work already underway in each jurisdiction.”

The conference brought together, for the first time, the policymakers and agencies from both jurisdictions to explore some of the common issues in relation to the alcohol culture on both parts of the island, setting the scene for a collaborative approach for tackling issues relating to alcohol misuse.

At the conference, expert contributions came from Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, who chairs the UK Alcohol Health Alliance and also the European Alcohol and Health Forum Science Group; Dr Peter Anderson, an international public health consultant and expert on alcohol policy, and Dr Fiona Measham, a renowned researcher in the fields of drug and alcohol use, gender, licensed leisure and the relationship between crime and culture. John Waters also led a session on Ireland’s Alcohol Culture.

The Minister of Health in the Republic of Ireland, Dr James Reilly, jointly opened the conference with Minister Poots, stating: "This conference has set the scene for a longer term, all-island collaborative approach for tackling issues relating to alcohol abuse. The areas we would like progress on a North South basis are measures to reduce the availability of cheap alcohol and treatment and rehabilitation of those affected by alcohol misuse. Alcohol use and misuse is an area where both jurisdictions can achieve a lot together - especially in dealing with the challenges that alcohol presents for young adults.

Alcohol is associated with many aspects of Irish social and cultural life, it is part of our custom for sociability, relaxation and enjoyment. However we must recognise that alcohol is associated with 2,000 beds being occupied every night in Irish acute hospitals and annually costs the healthcare system €1.2 billion".

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, one of the Key note speakers at the conference said: “I welcome this cross-Ireland initiative. The health harms we are seeing in both the UK and Ireland are so great that we urgently need effective coalitions between partners such as this. These allow mutual learning and the development of shared objectives. The Westminster Government will learn much from exciting initiatives around policy areas such as minimum unit price and a lower drink driving limit.”

Notes to editors:

1. The New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs Phase 2 was officially launched at the conference and is available online

2. The conference, which was held in the Armagh City Hotel, Armagh, was jointly organised by both Departments of Health, the Institute of Public Health in Ireland, the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland and Co-operation and Working Together, the cross border health partnership.

3. The conference sought:

• To broaden understanding of the impact of alcohol abuse across the Island of Ireland.
• To consider particular challenges relating to alcohol and young adults and our drinking culture.
• To consider possible broad strategic responses.
• To consider ways in which responses across the island of Ireland could be better co-ordinated.

4. Statistics:

• In 2010, 284 people died directly as a result of alcohol misuse, an increase of around 40% since 2001.
• Over 3,000 individuals were in treatment for alcohol misuse on 1 March 2010.
• In 2010/11, there were over 12,000 admissions to acute hospitals with an alcohol-related diagnosis. And there were 355 admissions to hospital for liver cirrhosis – up from 281 in 2005/06.

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