The Irish Independent has been critical of Minister Shortall's attempts to start a much needed debate on minimum pricing of alcohol. "Anyone expecting minimum alcohol pricing to solve the problem of alcohol abuse overnight is likely to be disappointed. Believe it or not, overall Irish levels of alcohol consumption, while still relatively high, have been falling since the turn of the century". That certainly is hard to believe, particularly when the HSE has published a report this month (based on National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) returns) which indicates the exact opposite, showing a steep rise in drinking amongst the growing number of unemployed people, and a 150% rise in the numbers of teenagers seeking help for their drinking. > > > > Read More