IT'S YOUR SHOUT and it's coming in 2010
Its a problem we can resolve together!
Alcohol can be a problem for some people
Considered overall, Australians drink a large volume of alcohol and drink it frequently. Binge drinking amongst young people is a cultural issue in Australia, an issue for the whole community, and it is a problem that is growing.90% Australians over 14 consume alcohol in their lifetime (an estimated 14.2 million people), 40% drink alcohol weekly, and 8% daily.
Young Australians are starting to drink at an earlier age, and most drink in a way that puts their health and the health of others at risk.
Teenagers are not the group amongst which binge drinking is highest in Australia. People in their twenties are one and a half times more likely to binge drink than teenagers, and one in seven people 20-29 years of age engaged in binge drinking at least once a week.
Almost one in ten Australians over 14 years of age in 2007 drank at levels considered risky or high risk to health (ie, 7 or more standard drinks on any one day for males and 5 or more standard drinks on any one day for females).
Harm
Alcohol is still the risk factor responsible for the greatest burden of disease and injury in Australian males under the age of 45, and is the second largest cause of drug-related deaths and hospitalizations in Australia (after tobacco).
Alcohol accounts for 13% of all deaths among people 14-17 years of age.
There is a strong association between alcohol use and crime, particularly violent crime. During the 2007-08 holiday period, more than 2.2 million Australians experienced physical and/or verbal abuse from someone under the influence of alcohol, with more than 30% of teenagers fearing for the safety of their family and friends as a consequence of excess drinking, and 45% of people 14-17 years of age claiming they knew someone who was injured or harmed as a result of drinking excessively.
Alcohol consumption also increases the risk of mental illness, such as depression, in people who are prone to these conditions. There is also a high co-morbidity between alcohol misuse and the misuse of other drugs.
Among young Australians, the most common causes of death and injury due to risky or high-risk drinking are road injury, suicide, and violent assault.
Want to make a difference this year? Please contact us at itsyourshout@taskforce.org.au
CAMPAIGNING FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION
