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From the "see I told you so" department, a new study shows that the drunken micks infesting Ireland spend the most on booze than any other eurotrash "country". And not by just a few pennies, either. 
Irish splash most in the EU on booze
Irish families are spending more of their income on alcohol than any other country in the EU, according to an analysis of the household budgets of the 27 member states.
While Irish spending on housing, health and clothing is slightly below the EU average, its citizens spend three and a half times more than the average on alcohol. Drink accounts for 4.1% of household spending, compared with an EU average of 1.2%, according to the European Commission study.
Romania and Lithuania are in second and third place, with 2.3% and 2.2% of their incomes respectively spent on alcohol. The UK’s expenditure on drink is 1.4%, with Germany on 1%. Six countries — including Spain, Italy and Portugal — spend less than 1%.
Marion Rackard, director of Alcohol Action Ireland, said that other countries already perceive Ireland as the drinking nation of Europe. “Per capita, we are one of the highest consumers in Europe. For binge drinking, especially among young girls, we are the highest in Europe and our spending is the highest,” she said.
“Even though alcohol is no ordinary commodity, a proportion of drinkers consider it to be an essential in the weekly shopping basket and are prepared to spend accordingly on it.”
Irish households commit twice as much of their budgets to alcohol as they do to education, excluding income tax contributions. Drink also accounts for a bigger proportion of expenditure than health, meat, or dining out in restaurants and cafes.
The study was based on each country’s household budgets in 2005, with Ireland’s information being gathered by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The results were similar to the last EU-wide survey, which looked at the 1999 household budgets. It also ranked Ireland first for alcohol expenditure.
Three out of 10 teenagers aged 15 and 16 had been on a binge three or more times inside one month.
“The damage done is in line with spending. We were carrying on for years without knowing how we compared with Europe and now it can’t be ignored,” Rackard said.
The latest survey found that the typical Irish household spent €787.12 a week in total, with almost €35 of that going on alcohol. Households spent more money on wine than any other alcoholic beverage for drinking at home, and lager was the tipple of choice when drinking out. Urban households spent slightly more on drink than their rural counterparts, although this may be attributable to price differences.
Patrick Kelleher, the CSO statistician in charge of the household budget survey, said people often play down the amount they spend on alcohol and tobacco. “If people are drinking a lot they don’t really want to admit to it. So we weight the alcohol levels. We compare the amount people report to the amount of alcohol coming into the country,” he said.
Irish families are spending more of their income on alcohol than any other country in the EU, according to an analysis of the household budgets of the 27 member states.
While Irish spending on housing, health and clothing is slightly below the EU average, its citizens spend three and a half times more than the average on alcohol. Drink accounts for 4.1% of household spending, compared with an EU average of 1.2%, according to the European Commission study.
Romania and Lithuania are in second and third place, with 2.3% and 2.2% of their incomes respectively spent on alcohol. The UK’s expenditure on drink is 1.4%, with Germany on 1%. Six countries — including Spain, Italy and Portugal — spend less than 1%.
Marion Rackard, director of Alcohol Action Ireland, said that other countries already perceive Ireland as the drinking nation of Europe. “Per capita, we are one of the highest consumers in Europe. For binge drinking, especially among young girls, we are the highest in Europe and our spending is the highest,” she said.
“Even though alcohol is no ordinary commodity, a proportion of drinkers consider it to be an essential in the weekly shopping basket and are prepared to spend accordingly on it.”
Irish households commit twice as much of their budgets to alcohol as they do to education, excluding income tax contributions. Drink also accounts for a bigger proportion of expenditure than health, meat, or dining out in restaurants and cafes.
The study was based on each country’s household budgets in 2005, with Ireland’s information being gathered by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The results were similar to the last EU-wide survey, which looked at the 1999 household budgets. It also ranked Ireland first for alcohol expenditure.
Three out of 10 teenagers aged 15 and 16 had been on a binge three or more times inside one month.
“The damage done is in line with spending. We were carrying on for years without knowing how we compared with Europe and now it can’t be ignored,” Rackard said.
The latest survey found that the typical Irish household spent €787.12 a week in total, with almost €35 of that going on alcohol. Households spent more money on wine than any other alcoholic beverage for drinking at home, and lager was the tipple of choice when drinking out. Urban households spent slightly more on drink than their rural counterparts, although this may be attributable to price differences.
Patrick Kelleher, the CSO statistician in charge of the household budget survey, said people often play down the amount they spend on alcohol and tobacco. “If people are drinking a lot they don’t really want to admit to it. So we weight the alcohol levels. We compare the amount people report to the amount of alcohol coming into the country,” he said.
When he is looking at his cat scans he can say "oh lookie there is little Tommy Tumor".
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