Editor’s note: This guide was first published in 2019 and has been updated to reflect current Irish insurer underwriting positions, including sobriety timeframes and postponement rules.
10-Second Summary: If you have a history of heavy drinking or alcohol dependence, life insurance may still be possible. The outcome depends mainly on how long you have been sober, how your medical records describe the issue, and which insurer is approached first. Strategy matters.
First things first
If you have been declined because of alcohol history, that does not automatically mean you are uninsurable.
It usually means the wrong insurer was approached at the wrong time.
Alcohol disclosures are assessed very carefully.
Underwriters look at patterns, medical records and time sober. They are not judging character, they are assessing risk.
The key questions are:
- How long have you been sober?
- How was the issue described in your GP or hospital notes?
- Are there liver abnormalities?
- Was it classed as binge behaviour or alcohol dependence?
Those details change everything.
How insurers assess alcohol history
All insurers in Ireland do not assess alcohol history in the same way.
Some will consider an application once someone has been sober for two years.
Others will not consider it until five years have passed.
There is also a difference between a binge pattern and diagnosed dependency. A binge pattern with no ongoing medical concern may be considered earlier. A documented dependency usually requires a longer period of stability.
If liver function tests are abnormal, that can delay or prevent cover. If liver tests are normal and sobriety is documented, the outcome improves significantly.
This is why applying blindly can cause problems.
Postponed versus declined
A postponement means the insurer is saying “not yet”.
A decline means they are saying “no” based on current information.
Both decisions must be disclosed on future applications.
If you apply to an insurer that requires five years of sobriety when you are only two years sober, you are likely to be postponed. That postponement then has to be disclosed to every other insurer.
That is where sequencing matters.
What about pricing?
Where cover is available, premiums are often higher than standard rates.
The amount depends on:
- How long you have been sober
- Whether there were hospital admissions
- Whether there were abnormal liver results
- Whether there has been relapse
The longer the documented stability, the better the outcome tends to be.
Sometimes cover is available at an increased premium. Sometimes it is available at standard rates after enough time has passed. It depends on the case and the insurer.
Can you get mortgage protection?
Mortgage protection is simply life insurance set up to clear your mortgage.
If you meet the sobriety and medical stability requirements of a particular insurer, then yes, it may be possible.
If you are within the postponement window for all insurers, then cover will not be available yet.
In that situation, a waiver from your lender may be required.
What about serious illness cover?
Serious illness cover is more difficult to secure than basic life cover.
Insurers usually want a longer period of stability before offering it.
What about income protection?
Income protection underwriting is stricter than life insurance underwriting.
A history of alcohol dependence makes income protection extremely difficult to secure. Most insurers decline where there has been documented dependency. Even where sobriety is long established, terms can be restrictive.
The mistake people make
The biggest mistake is applying directly to the fiurst insurer you think of.
If you are within two to three years of sobriety and you apply to an insurer that requires five years, you create a postponement record unnecessarily.
That postponement must then be declared everywhere else.
Alcohol history is not just about whether you qualify. It is about when and where you apply.
If you have already been declined
Do not panic.
A previous decline does not automatically mean permanent uninsurability.
What matters now is understanding:
- Was it a decline or a postponement?
- How was the alcohol history described?
- How long since sobriety began?
- What do the medical records say?
Once that is clear, the next step can be planned properly.
Before you apply anywhere else
If you are within two to five years of sobriety, do not submit another application without a plan.
Different insurers apply different waiting periods. One unnecessary postponement can complicate future applications.
Complete our alcohol questionnaire below. We will review your situation first and decide which insurer should be approached and when.
That way we avoid avoidable setbacks and give you the best chance of a clean outcome.
Thanks for reading
Nick
Written by Nick McGowan, QFA RPA APA
Nick is a qualified financial advisor and founder of Lion.ie, an Irish life insurance and income protection brokerage based in Tullamore.
He’s been helping people get fair, transparent cover for over 15 years and was named Protection Broker of the Year 2022.
If you would like straight answers without the sales pitch, learn more about Nick here.