Think the Irish drink a lot? According to a new report, the booze hounds of the Australian outback have them beat.

Residents of Australia's Northern Territory drink 15 liters (nearly four gallons) of pure alcohol each year - three times the global average. The folks who live in Alice Springs, one of the Northern Territory's largest towns, drink an astounding 20 liters of booze.

In comparison, the Irish and the Czechs come in second place at a mere 13 liters of alcohol per year, according to figure from the World Health Organization.

Recent restrictions in Alice Springs might help bring down alcohol consumption, but the initial results don't look good. The town banned the sale of 4 liter and 5 liter wine casks and limited the sale of 2 liter casks to between 6pm and 9pm. While sales of wine cases dropped dramatically, beer consumption increased. Just goes to show you can't keep a good drunk down.

photo credit: mugley