Why do people in Jersey drink more than nearly anywhere else on earth?

• In the latest Channelcast, Jess Dunsdon delves deeper into the issue of alcohol addiction and why it's so common in the Channel Islands

People in Jersey are the second-biggest drinkers in the world according to a global ranking of 39 countries.

Statistically, Latvia is the only country that has a bigger booze problem.

On average, people in Jersey consume 12 litres of pure alcohol a year - just over two and a half bottles of wine or eight pints of beer a week.

However, experts fear that those statistics are just the tip of the iceberg as people are often reluctant to admit the true scale of their alcohol consumption.

So why is drinking more of a problem here than elsewhere in the world?

Addiction expert Jason Wyse from the charity Silkworth Lodge and recovering alcoholic Yvonne Harrison sat down for an in-depth discussion with ITV News, hoping to shed some light on the issue.

Yvonne has been sober for five years and now runs her own business.

She says her problems with alcohol addiction have existed on and off for the last 20 years: "I kind of lost the power of a choice to stop drinking."

Yvonne says the price she paid for drinking was, "my youngest child not being in my life for those years, and that was really really difficult."

"I learned that I was a people pleaser, everything in my life was to please other people" and because of this, Yvonne felt she had "lost myself and who I was."

"I didn't know who I was outside of external validation" and she says this was her "survival kit" through life.

Yvonne says, "I had a lot of work to do on myself... I didn't know where the line was when I drank."

Jason says that "the knock-on effect is widespread" with family, friends, and other people that we care about affected.

"For every one alcoholic - three, four, or five people are affected directly by the addiction," he added.

Jason explains why he thinks drinking in Jersey is so high: "This is a small island, when you walk around the street how many bars do you see?

"We celebrate, and drinks are involved. We commiserate, and drinks are involved. If you've had a hard day, drinks are involved.

"Just want to chill out, drinks are involved. It's a part of life."

Yvonne added that she thinks "boredom" can be a massive factor.

Getting people to admit they have a problem and need help can be a struggle.

Jason says: "It's a big hurdle for many people to get into recovery because if things are going on, and they are functioning, then what's the problem?

"But the people who are watching it, and are aware of it and don't want to upset the apple cart, what good is that doing? It's putting off the problem"

He adds that many families of victims with alcohol addiction, who have gone through the services at Silkworth Lodge often say to the victim, "I will support your recovery but I won't support your addiction."

Want to find out more about the stories making the headlines? Don't miss Channelcast - the Channel Islands current affairs podcast brought to you by ITV News: