Australia: Alcohol consumption among young people on the decline

Source: The Courier-Mail

KARA VICKERY

October 6, 2016

YOUNG people are shunning alcohol, with more avoiding booze completely and declines in the numbers of those who over-indulge, new data shows.

The latest report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found that those aged 18-24 saying no to alcohol rose from 10.6 per cent to 17.2 per cent between 2004 and 2013.

At the same time, young adults downing 11 or more standard drinks in one session at least once a month dropped from 23.4 per cent in 2004 to 17.8 per cent in 2013, and those consuming more than four drinks declined from 56.5 per cent to 47 per cent.

But young people were still the most likely group to engage in risky drinking, according to the Trends in alcohol availability, use and treatment 2003-04 to 2014-15 report released today.

Former Australian Medical Association Queensland president Shaun Rudd said while it was encouraging that overall drinking rates were declining, “parents have to realise kids will tend to follow them and do what they do”.

“Once you start drinking as a young teenager or a young adult, then you’re more likely to drink excessively in an ­unsafe way as you get older, so prevention always begins earlier on,” he said.

Dr Rudd said while long-term drinking would cause damage to organs such as the brain and liver, more immediate harms, including violence and trauma, were the biggest risks for young people.

The report found, overall, more Australians were choosing to abstain, with the number of people of drinking age who had not drunk in the past year rising by more than 4 per cent.

There was also a 13 per cent decline in lifetime risky drinking – from 2080 to 1820 per 10,000 people – over the same period. Those in regional areas are more likely than city dwellers to drink at unsafe levels, in all risk measurement categories.

AIHW spokesman Tim Beard said the results suggested strategies such as restricting trading hours and higher prices were working.

“In 2013-14, consumption of alcohol was 9.7 litres per person, down from 10.8 litres in 2008-09,” he said.