Minimum unit alcohol price will positively impact on mental health – Keating

“Alcohol is a depressant and many people who suffer from depression reach for alcohol as a solution. It’s a vicious cycle and one that minimum unit alcohol pricing will go a small way in addressing”, says Derek Keating, Fine Gael TD for Dublin Mid-West.

“The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 contains far reaching measures to tackle the widespread problem of alcohol misuse in this country.

“This will make it illegal to sell or advertise alcohol at a price below a set minimum price and these measures are aimed at those who drink in a harmful and hazardous way.

“These measures will not stop people from buying alcohol but they will act as a deterrent and will limit the amount of alcohol people can afford to buy.

“There has always been a very close link between depression and alcohol.   Many people begin drinking to excess because they’re depressed and other are depressed because they’re drinking to excess.

“The new legislation aims to change our relationship with alcohol in this country. There is no doubt that there is a cohort of people who drink too much too often and by addressing this issue we will hopefully make a dent in Ireland’s drinking culture.

“There are almost two and a half million people in Ireland who drink alcohol. Over half of these drink harmfully and excessively, that is 1.24 million people. Every night, 2,000 hospital beds are occupied for alcohol-related reasons.

“We need to tackle our problem with alcohol for the good of young people in this country and also to deal with the major issue of mental illness that many people are dealing with on a day to day basis.”