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In Ireland alcohol consumption rose sharply during the years of economic growth (1995-2006) and harmful use of alcohol is a serious issue. This article examines the association between alcohol-related violence and alcohol consumption, based on the secondary analyses of two national surveys of adult and college student populations. In both the general and college populations, the factors most associated with alcohol-related violence (fights and assaults) were risky drinking (frequent), gender (male), and age (younger). While men are more commonly linked to alcohol-related violence, the risk of violence among women is emerging. In the general population younger women are more likely to be victims of violence (assaults) in comparison to their female student counterparts, while reported fights are similar . Reported fights for young men are higher in the general population in comparison to their male student counterparts while assaults are similar . This suggests that the drinking context of young adults in the general population is more diverse and supports the niche theory that greater number of outlets provide subgroups with attractive venues for problem drinking (Gruenewald, Remer , & Treno, 2009). The policy response has been limited and one-sided: prosecution of offending drinkers with no national alcohol strategy implemented in the past two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the prevention paradox, the majority of alcohol-related harms in the population occur among low-to-moderate risk drinkers, simply because they are more numerous in the population, although high-risk drinkers have a higher individual risk of experiencing alcohol-related harms. In this study we explored the prevention paradox in the Irish population by comparing alcohol-dependent drinkers (high-risk) to low-risk drinkers and non-dependent drinkers who engage in heavy episodic drinking (HED).Methods: Data were generated from the 2013 National Alcohol Diary Survey (NADS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of Irish adults aged 18-75. Data were available for 4338 drinkers. Respondents dependent on alcohol (as measured by DSM-IV criteria), respondents who engaged in monthly HED or occasional HED (1-11 times a year) and low-risk drinkers were compared for distribution of eight alcohol-related harms.Results: Respondents who were dependent on alcohol had a greater individual risk of experiencing each harm (p < .0001). The majority of the harms in the population were accounted for by drinkers who were not dependent on alcohol. Together, monthly and occasional HED drinkers accounted for 62% of all drinkers, consumed 70% of alcohol and accounted for 59% of alcohol-related harms.Conclusions: Our results indicate that the majority of alcohol consumption and related harms in the Irish population are accounted for by low- and moderate-risk drinkers, and specifically by those who engage in heavy episodic drinking. A population-based approach to reducing alcohol-related harm is most appropriate in the Irish context. Immediate implementation of the measures in the Public Health (Alcohol) Act (2018) is necessary to reduce alcohol-related harm in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]