A Profile of Self-Reported Alcohol-Related Violence in Ireland

Abstract

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.