Alcohol consumption in Ireland has dropped by 30 percent in the past 20 years.
New figures from Drinks Ireland show the pandemic has also influenced people's drinking habits, with consumption levels decreasing by 9.6 percent between 2019 and 2021.
The production of beer was also impacted by Covid, with a 46 percent drop in beer production recorded in 2020 and '21.
Head of Communications and Advocacy at Alcohol Action Ireland Eunan McKinney says new minimum unit pricing rules have also affected sales.
McKinney says that these products are too expensive for the Irish consumer and Alcohol companies are now reducing the amount of alcohol in their products so that the price can be maintained.
The report noted that Irish Beer sales and production have fallen for the second year in a row.
The drink safety organisation pointed out that these figures are not a reflection of reality and they are just on account of pubs being closed during the pandemic.
CEO of Drinkaware, Sheena Horgan, says its not all bad news though, as the number of people wanting to drink less is increasing and the percentage of people making positive behaviour change has also gone up.
While the impact of the pandemic on the beer trade is still being felt, we may be witnessing a sea change in our relationship to alcohol.
