93pc of men who took own lives had alcohol in blood
NEW research has revealed that 93pc of men under 30 who took their own lives had alcohol in their system.
The shocking study of males who killed themselves in Louth, Meath, and Cavan also showed that almost a third of those who committed suicide had a history of alcohol abuse.
Abuse
Psychiatrists reported that 27pc of their patients who died by suicide had a drink problem for years, while GPs said 20pc of those they treated abused alcohol over a long period.
The statistics showed that a total of 58pc of the Midlands men had a blood alcohol greater than 160mg - twice the legal alcohol limit for driving - at the time of the death. And 25pc of them had an alcohol level greater than 240mg - or three times the limit. The findings are supported by a six-year study carried out by the County Louth coroner, published in January last year. It revealed that 48pc of the 47 people of all ages who died by suicide in the area consumed alcohol prior to ending their lives.
Fine Gael's Deputy Health spokesperson said the new figures, presented by an anti-suicide action group in Louth to a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, showed that drastic action needed to be taken. Dan Neville warned that alcohol was as lethal a drug as any other when it comes to suicide.
"While suicide is a complex issue, the role which alcohol plays is undoubted," said deputy Neville. "During the 1990s, Ireland experienced a 41pc increase in alcohol consumption and suicide rates increased by 44pc, showing an almost 100pc correlation."
"The effect of alcohol consumption on the adolescent and young adult brain causes an even greater depletion in important mood-stabilising neurotransmitters than occurs in a mature adult brain," he said.
Binge drinking has been found to bring on a depressed mood state over the subsequent eight to 12-hour period. It has also been linked to suicidal acts - and increases the risk of taking your own life tenfold for men and women.
He said the Government's failure to implement the report of the National Task Force on Alcohol had had a serious negative impact on suicide prevention.
- Anne-Marie Walsh
