|TOP|The Catholic Church has expressed concern as reports reveal a dramatic increase in alcohol abuse in Northern Ireland.

Produced by Dr Peter Allely and Dr Ruth Spedding of Belfast City Hospital, the report showed the number of intoxicated patients being admitted to A&E had increased by 113 per cent in five years.

There was also a huge increase of 169 per cent in the number of young people under 26 entering A&E over the drink-drive limit.

People aged in the 36-45 years bracket accounted for the highest number of drunken patients in both sets of data but there was again a sharp increase - from 169 in 1999/2000 to 341 in 2003/2004.

Dr Spedding particularly expressed concern about the level of drinking now taking place among young girls. Males accounted for higher figures in all categories with the exception of under 16s where there were more intoxicated girls in A&E than boys.

"Girls are now trying to keep up with boys but their livers just can't cope with it because of hormonal differences," Dr Spedding said.

She said representations were currently being made to the authorities as Northern Ireland’s licensing laws were currently being re-assessed.

|AD|"I hope we don't go down the route of England with 24 hour drinking," she said. "That will not help any of these people – they drink until they are unconscious."

Fr John McManus of the Diocese of Down and Connor, said the Church had been concerned about the issue of alcohol abuse for some time.

"The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association in Down and Connor has been trying various ways of promoting abstinence particularly among young people," he said.

"Young people are seeing this behaviour in older people. We are trying to identify role models who show temperance in their drinking or who abstain."

Fr McManus said it was "grossly irresponsible" for people to supply drink to under-age youngsters.

"With young people you have the future of our society. They are being misled into drinking and it’s very concerning," he added.

"I was very concerned a short while ago with the whole issue of alco-pops, where you are ‘drinking but not drinking’. It is as if young people are being weaned on to drink. Advertisers must also take responsibility. Their subliminal message is that unless you take a drink you can’t enjoy yourself."