In Ireland, one standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol. Common examples of one standard drink are a glass of beer (284ml), a small glass of wine (100ml) and a pub measure of spirits (35.5ml). Find out more about standard drinks.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines binge drinking as the consumption of at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol – the equivalent of six standard drinks – in one sitting, at least once a week. Find out more about the low-risk guidelines.
The law is complex. You must be at least 18 years old to buy alcohol in Ireland. If you are under 18 it is an offence to drink alcohol, unless you do so in a private residence and with the express permission of one of your parents or guardians. When you are under 18 it is also an offence to purchase alcohol or pretend you are over 18 in order to buy or drink alcohol. See garda.ie for full details.
Drinkaware strongly supports official advice from Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána that any amount of alcohol impairs a person's ability to drive. As such, we believe the the only safe advice is to NEVER EVER drink and drive. See rsa.ie for more information on drink driving in Ireland.
If you are concerned about your drinking or someone else's drinking, there are a range of support services and helplines available. Visit our Support Services Directory to find a service near you.
The Adverting Standards Authority for Ireland is responsible for regulating the advertising, promotion and packaging of alcoholic drinks. If you would like to make a related complaint, please see the ASAI website.
Yes, of course! We produce an extensive range of evidence-informed resources to support health promotion or alcohol education and any person who would like to learn about their drinking. Place an order now.
We offer two one-hour interactive workshops nationwide.
For more information or to book your place email the team or call 01 517 5900 for more details or to book either workshop.
We are always happy to hear from like-minded organisations who share our vision for an Ireland where alcohol is not misused. Please get in touch to explore how we could work together in the future.
Our logo is a registered trademark. As such, any organisation that would like to use the Drinkaware logo must obtain prior consent from us by entering into a Trademark Licence Agreement. There is a licence cost payable for use of the Drinkaware logo, which varies depending on usage.
To find out more please see here. Alternatively, email us to register for a licence.
Drinkaware is an independent, national not-for-profit organisation with a vision of an Ireland where alcohol is not misused. Drinkaware is governed by an independent board of voluntary directors, who passionately support our mission to work with others to fundamentally and permanently change attitudes and behaviours so that drinking to excess and drinking underage become unacceptable.
We do this by raising awareness, creating understanding and supporting behaviour change through evidence-led education and effective communications to support our work in three key areas: tackling underage drinking, reducing alcohol misuse and supporting alcohol education.
Read more about what we do.
Our work is made possible due to voluntary contributions from the alcohol and grocery retail industries, in addition to funding secured through our programmes. We have clear codes to ensure that our funding source does not compromise our operational independence.
Our current funders are:
Absolutely. We are working hard to expand our funders and are inviting interested organisations to get in touch to help fund our work to reduce the misuse of alcohol in Ireland. Please contact us for more details.