This morning thousands of Leaving Cert students will receive their results which will surely bring some much deserved celebrations later in the evening.
However as the partying will begin and the drinks will almost certainly be poured, there has been widespread criticism amongst action groups who have slammed many publicans decision to offer cheap price drinks to honour the occasion.
With pubs and nightclubs nationwide offering drinks from as little as €2, there has been a outcry from those who actively support teenagers. A number of action groups say that a strong publicity in promoting cheap alcohol to students is highly irresponsible and dangerous.
The criticism comes as Alcohol Action Ireland believes promoting such behaviour should not be advised and is completely unacceptable.
According to Conor Cullen, head of communications and advocacy: “These cheap promotions are really just irresponsible. They’re targeting young people and promoting exactly the type of drinking that puts them in danger.”
“It’s very easy for the message ‘drink responsibly’ to be drowned out by all these promotions and adverts encouraging students to binge drink.”
Mr Cullen said students needed to be aware of the dangers of cheap drink and encouraged parents to talk to their children before they headed out to celebrate.
“Really what we’re saying is that while you can’t go out and hold their hands, there’s no harm in asking where they’ll be going and with who, or wanting to know when they’ll be home. It’s okay to set out boundaries and tell your child what you expect.”
“No one is saying that these young people don’t deserve to let off some steam after what’s been a very stressful period. But as we know with events like these – and, honestly, every weekend – a lot of young Irish people come to harm because of alcohol.
“This week is an emotional time for children, and especially if they didn’t do as well as they wanted, so throwing alcohol into the mix wouldn’t help matters.”