Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his new post. He is a kind, good and fair man and comes from a great part of the county, Sheep's Head, which I love dearly.

I convey my condolences to the people of Orlando and the LGBT community. I ask the House to bear with me. I am a little nervous, as this is my first time to speak in the Seanad.

I wish to highlight the issue of the misuse of alcohol in Ireland. It is an issue about which I have been concerned for many years. I have spoken openly about my recovery from alcohol misuse. Following my recovery I became an addiction therapist, and I have seen the issues that have arisen around alcohol and how we are losing our young people to this. We are losing our young people not only to drug problems and gambling but also to alcohol misuse. I wish to highlight the devastating impact of alcohol misuse, drug misuse and gambling on families. I have worked with such families for many years and have witnessed the devastation caused. Family members can have mental health issues including depression, anxiety, stress and worry. There is not a family in the country that does not have somebody in their lives who may have an alcohol misuse problem. I am not talking about the final stages of addiction but rather alcohol misuse. We have a huge binge drinking culture which is scary. It is connected to many issues, such as road deaths and suicide. Alcohol is a depressant and causes depression. After people binge drink at the weekend, the devastation and the depression they experience during the week is beyond the beyond. I would like to think the House would debate the alcohol Bill and bring it to the next Stages. I hope we can also work on the impact that alcohol misuse has on families.