A new report has found that one in six children are heavily affected by their parents drinking.
The report which was filed by Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), said that many children are living with the damage of having a parent who is either a binge drinking or dependent on alcohol. It was also revealed in this report that one one in four people have grown up witnessing alcohol abuse.
The research found that over 1.5 million people across the State are or have been affected by alcohol abuse in the home, including partners of those who have been drinking to problematic levels.
There has been a call for greater recognition of this issue and more help for those affected/
Speaking to RTÉ Radio, Alcohol Action Ireland CEO, Dr Shelia Gilheany, has said that the report, titled Childhood Interrupted, gathered data from Ireland and also worldwide, which "paints a grim picture... of hidden harm from alcohol".
Dr Gilheany added that there is a "culture of silence" within families about the problem "that extends out in to wider society".
She went on to say that alcohol's widespread marketing and cultural acceptance of it creates a "vast amount of uncertainty, fear" in the homes of children across the country.
"It can range from is somebody there to get you up in the morning to get the breakfast... to get you to school in time", she said. "Is there somebody there who's turning up for the football match they said that they're going to go to but then doesn't go".
Dr Gilheany said that along with this type of neglect, the problem can also lead to abuse, especially physical abuse of children, or children witnessing domestic violence of another adult in the home.
"We always say that alcohol doesn't cause domestic violence, but it is often an accelerant of it," she said.
Dr Gilheany, stated that this is an issue which "first and foremost" needs to be "talked about".
"I think we should be putting the protection of children at the heart of alcohol policy..
"I think it is actually up to Government to look at the full facts of the situation, to look at the harm that alcohol actually costs to Ireland," which she said in monetary terms is "about €15 billion every year", she said. (All quotes according to RTÉ).
