Alcohol Consumption
77% of Australians over 14 have consumed a standard alcoholic drink in the past 12 months[i]. When respected, consuming alcohol can help us relax, produce feelings of euphoria, and act as a social lubricant allowing us to partake in social events. It can help us to bond, share, and support each other.
Per person we ingest 9.4 litres of pure alcohol each year. Beer (39%) and wine (38%), are the beverages of choice for most Australians making up large proportions of total alcohol consumed. Interestingly, beer consumption is trending down, while wine and cider are increasing. Overall, alcohol consumption has been slowly decreasing over recent years and is now at the lowest levels since 1960/61.
To say that alcohol is part of Australian society would be underselling it. For good or bad, that is unlikely to change any time soon.
Despite the positive side to alcohol as mentioned above, let’s focus in on the dark side of alcohol for a moment.
The Burden
The burden of alcohol is one that Australia recognises instantly. Alcohol related crime in 2004-05 was estimated to cost $1.7billion, and around 10% of police time is taken up by alcohol-related incidents.[ii] One in seven ED visits are related to alcohol, increasing to 1 in 4 on weekends[iii]. Hospitals are frequently under the strain of managing inebriated people who present for various alcohol related concerns. A study in Norway noted that a 1 litre increase in pure alcohol consumption per year corresponds with a 13% increase in sickness absenteeism in men.[iv]
Alcohol abuse health effects
Short Term
- - Reduced inhibitions
- - Loss of alertness or coordination,
- - Slower reaction times
- - Impaired memory and judgement
- - Nausea, shakiness and vomiting
- - Blurred or double vision
- - Disturbed sleep patterns
- - Disturbed sexual functioning
- - Higher risk of injury/accidents
- - Higher risk of being a victim of crime
Long Term
- - Mouth, throat and breast cancers
- - Irreversible liver cirrhosis
- - Brain damage and dementia
- - Higher risk of heart disease and stroke
The Tax equation[v]
The Australian Institute of Criminology study in 2010 was designed to measure the cost of alcohol to Australian society. Alcohol taxes which include customs duty, excise tax, wine equalisation tax and GST, brought in a total of $7.075b in tax revenue which was collected by the Commonwealth in 2010.
The costs associated with the misuse of alcohol is not just substantial, it is extraordinary. The estimated total costs to society of alcohol-related problems in 2010 was $14.352b. This number is the result of measuring the cost of operating the criminal justice system, health system, reduction in labour, and traffic incidents from the abuse of Alcohol.
As you can see the cost to Australia far outweighs the tax collected.
What can we do?
Lead by example and reduce consumption by
- - Drinking only with dinner
- - Substitute low strength alcohol
- - Consume water between alcoholic drinks
- - Order a mocktail
- - Commit to alcohol free days
- - Take a break entirely.
Several of us at Employ Health are pledging to go dry for July. We would love your support. For more information head to Dry July and search for Employ Health. Or head to the link here: Employ Health.
[i] Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2018a. Apparent consumption of alcohol, Australia, 2016–17. Cat. no. 4307.0.55.001. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 5 September 2018.
[ii] Donnelly, N., et al. (2007). Estimating the short-term cost of police time spent dealing with alcohol-related crime. Monograph series no. 25. Tasmania
[iii] Egerton-Warburton I, et al. Survey of alcohol-related presentations to Australasian emergency departments. Med J Aust 2014; 201 (10): 584-587. || doi: 10.5694/mja14.00344 Published online: 17 November 2014
[iv] Norstrom T (2006). Per capita alcohol consumption and sickness absence. Addiction, 110:1421–1427.
[v] Manning M, Smith C & Mazerolle P. 2013. The societal costs of alcohol misuse in Australia. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice No. 454. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi454
