Health Labelling of Alcohol Products
On Monday, 22nd May 2023, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly T.D. signed into law the world’s first comprehensive health labelling of alcohol products. To see that our small country is at the forefront on the world stage of public health with this legislative change is particularly heartwarming. I must congratulate AAI for pushing this rock up the mountain of resistance and who helped get these regulations over the line.
A watershed moment in our troubled history with alcohol harm
As a Recovery Advocate, for those in both active alcohol addiction and recovery from alcohol use disorder, it brings into sharp focus the many unintended consequences of unsafe, harmful and hazardous consumption of alcohol products. I was in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday last with my son and grandson, and to see the untethered promotion, availability and consumption of alcohol (mainly the brand of the major sponsor Heineken), was truly heartbreaking and nothing to do with sport nor who we are.
To now know that by 2026, health warnings will be a legal requirement in such settings is promising and says a lot about our growing emotional maturity as a country that wants to stop the mayhem caused by alcohol harm. Needless to say, known adversaries will not take this victory lying down, even if the people have spoken. Democracy was never one of the industry’s core values in these circumstances.
Onwards and upwards as we take on the fight to save lives and hardships – Carpe Diem.
Let’s give the consumers all the factual information about alcohol harm and let everybody make up their own mind after that.
