A Social Report for Ireland Volume II - the NESC Website

136Figure 7.39 Percentage of Smokers by Age, Gender and Social Class, 932007%60565044454345 44304039363020311724 25 2825302126100Men18-29Men30-44Men45-64Women18-29Women30-44Women45-64SC1-2 SC3-4 SC5-6Source Morgan et al., 2008: 75 (SLÁN, 2007)Alcohol ConsumptionIn relation to alcohol consumption, respondents who reported they drank alcoholwere asked how often they had 6 or more ‘standard’ 94 drinks on one or moreoccasions per week, see Figure 7.40. Overall, more than one quarter (28 per cent) ofthose asked reported drinking to this level with a greater proportion of men (38 percent) than women (17 per cent) consuming 6 or more ‘standard’ drinks per week.Younger people drink more heavily than their older counterparts, and people insemi-skilled and unskilled occupations tend to drink more than other social classgroups. It is notable, however, that among women it is young professionals whoare the heaviest drinkers, with more than a third (35 per cent) reporting that theyhad 6 or more drinks on one or more occasions in the last week. In general, theproportion of the population consuming this level of alcohol has fallen over thelast 5 years, although it should be noted that there is a tendency to under-reportthe level of alcohol consumption (Morgan et al., 2008: 81). Drinking alcohol canaffect the health and well-being of the individuals involved as well as the healthand safety of others, especially if operating machinery or driving. Heavy drinkingcan put a strain on relationships especially if it leads to financial stress or abuse.93. SC1-2 are higher (professional and managerial) social classes; SC3-4 are non-manual and skilled manual; SC5-6 are semi-skilledand unskilled.94. A ‘standard’ drink is defined as one unit of alcohol, eg. half pint or glass of beer, cider or lager; a single measure of spirits; a singleglass of wine, sherry or port; or a bottle of alcopop (long neck).