A consultant psychiatrist is calling for the minimum age for alcohol to be raised to 21 to tackle addiction issues.
It's after new figures show the number of calls and emails to the HSE's Drug and Alcohol Helpline rose by 29% last year.
39% related to alcohol, and a large number were connected to young adults.
Patricia Casey, a consultant psychiatrist in the Mater Hospital, is calling for new legislation to tackle the problem.
"The alcohol misuse could be an age thing - if the government were of a mind they could do like the Americans do and have an age of consent for alcohol of 21.
"I think it should certainly be experimented with given the serious consequences of alcohol - suicides, depressive disorders, financial problems, crime."
