Ireland is drinking as much today as it did a decade ago, according to Alcohol Action Ireland.

The group says that back 2010, the country's drinking population was working its way through 11 litres of pure alcohol for each person.

This corresponds to 46 bottles of Gin or close on 500 pints.

Eight years later in October 2018, the Public Health Alcohol Act was enacted - the first measures of which only became law last month.

Alcohol Action Ireland says this closes what it calls a 'lost decade' - when over 10,000 lives have been unnecessarily lost to alcohol-related illness and incident.

It adds: "10 years on, we have made no progress in reducing our overall consumption, as we still make our way through 11 litres of pure alcohol per capita.

"60,000 children fell victims to the tsunami of alcohol marketing and commenced drinking this year, and all the while, over 200,000 children went to bed every night in homes were alcohol was the persistent source of trauma.

"As a new decade is now about to dawn, we can again have a fresh opportunity to renew our efforts to really tackle the appalling impact of alcohol on our society."

It says targets established in legislation to reduce our consumption by 20% "remain plausible" but are far from being obtained.

Low risk guidelines on alcohol consumption demonstrate the target should be a reduction of 40%, it says, if we are to manage the significant public health risks arising.

"Minimum unit pricing of alcohol products, which offers significant gains for public health, must be implemented; spurious economic rationale cannot be allowed to trump the health of a nation.

"Content of alcohol advertising; a broadcast watershed and the accurate labelling of all alcohol products must all be commenced with urgency," it adds.