Recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicates that while fewer teenagers are engaging in risky drinking, the associated costs of alcohol consumption in Australia are on the rise. The latest figures reveal a significant decline in risky drinking among individuals aged 14 to 17, with only 5.5 percent of this age group reported to engage in such behavior in the 2022-23 period, down from 9.5 percent in 2019.
The National Health and Medical Research Council defines risky drinking as consuming more than 10 standard drinks weekly or exceeding four standard drinks in a single day at least once a month over the past year. Overall, about one in three Australians aged 14 and over, or approximately 6.6 million people, are classified as risky drinkers.
Shifting Trends in Teenage Alcohol Consumption
The decline in risky drinking among teenagers is particularly noteworthy. Since 2001, the proportion of teenagers engaging in risky drinking has dropped from over 30 percent to less than six percent. Kyle Hoath, president of the Australian Medical Association of Western Australia, emphasized that this shift indicates a significant cultural change in the attitudes and behaviors of young people. The most pronounced reductions occurred between 2019 and 2022-23, with young adults aged 25 to 29 also experiencing a 3.9 percent decrease in risky drinking.
Dr. Hoath remarked, “This is incredibly important, given the vulnerability of young people to the harms of alcohol in their developmental stages, as well as the potential to reduce their alcohol use and abuse as they enter adulthood.”
Despite the positive trend among younger individuals, adults aged 30 to 39 and 60 to 69 have seen an increase in risky drinking. The latter group reported a rise from 31.3 percent to 33.2 percent over the same period, while the former rose from 30.6 percent to 32 percent.
Growing Costs and Health Implications
The social costs associated with alcohol consumption are escalating, reaching approximately $75 billion in 2022-23, compared to $72.9 billion in 2020-21. This rise has significant implications for healthcare services. Alcohol was responsible for nearly three in five drug-related hospital admissions in the 2023-24 period. Furthermore, ambulance services reported over 103,000 attendances for alcohol intoxication among individuals aged 15 and over in 2023, with men accounting for three in five of these cases.
The rate of alcohol-related ambulance attendances has also increased, rising from 529 to 575 per 100,000 people between 2022 and 2023. Alcohol consumption contributes to about 40 percent of the burden of liver cancer, more than a quarter of road traffic injuries involving cars, and over 10 percent of breast cancer cases. In 2024, there were more than 1700 alcohol-induced deaths, surpassing fatalities from any other drug.
Eleanor Costello, evidence manager at the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, expressed optimism regarding the decline in youth drinking, stating, “The longer we can delay the uptake of alcohol abuse among young people, the less likely they are to develop problematic alcohol use later in life.”
For those seeking support, the National Alcohol and Other Drugs Hotline is available at 1800 250 015.
