The sponsorship of major sporting events by drinks companies should be banned, psychiatrists have again insisted.

According to the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland (CPI), it has ‘repeatedly' called for the implementation of certain measures to reduce alcohol-related harm, including reducing availability and banning the promotion of alcohol, such as through sponsorship.

As far back as 2008, it produced a policy paper calling for a ban on all alcohol sponsorship and advertising in this country. That paper emphasised the issue of alcohol-related harm in relation to teenagers and since then, there has been ‘additional national and international research outlining the extent of alcohol advertising targeted at adolescents'.

The CPI noted that organisations such as the British Medical Association have shown the major effects alcohol marketing and advertising can have on young people in terms of when they begin drinking and how much they consume.

"Teenagers' brains are still developing so drinking alcohol at this crucial stage interferes with that development and slows it down.

"The teen years are crucial stages for developing skills and confidence in how to deal with social situations and various problems that life throws at us. If they are consuming alcohol in these years then their ability to deal with relationships, emotional situations and life's challenges in their twenties is impaired as they may only have coped in these circumstances by using alcohol to support them," explained Dr William Flannery, a consultant in addictions psychiatry.

He runs an addiction service in the midlands where most of the patients are alcoholics.

"As anyone who knows an alcoholic will know, denial is a strong feature of the illness. They are convinced they need alcohol to be normal, to be happy and to function.

"I hear the same language from those who have alcohol sponsors. Without alcohol, our sports, music or culture events will not happen. We need alcohol sponsorship to have major tournaments, to run our organisation. Alcohol is our culture and denial is very powerful," he commented.

Dr Flannery also pointed to the links between alcohol use and self-harm and suicide. Figures from the National Suicide Research Foundation show that in 2010, alcohol was involved in one in four cases of attempted suicide. Among males, this figure rose to almost one in two.

Dr Flannery made his comments at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications, which is currently discussing the implications of banning the sponsorship of major sports events by drink companies.