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Young Australians are increasingly choosing to abstain from drinking alcohol, while older Australians make up the largest proportion of those seeking treatment for alcohol-related issues, a new report has found.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) published the results of its ten-year study into the alcohol culture in Australia on Friday, and found that over the past decade, the rate of binge or excessive drinking in young Australians had dropped, simultaneously as the rate of abstinence had risen.
The study found that young Australians (aged 18 to 24) are still the most likely to drink at "risky" levels, but are doing so in lower numbers compared to a decade ago, while the rate of alcohol abstinence in Australia went from 10.9 percent in 2001 up to 17.2 percent in 2013.
Overall, 22 percent of Australians abstain from alcohol, while it is older Australians (aged 40 years and over) who are seeking treatment for alcohol dependency the most (49 percent of those seeking help).
The report said higher alcohol taxes and limited availability of alcohol had made a positive impact on younger drinkers.
"Research shows increasing the price of alcohol, restricting trading hours and reducing outlet density can have positive outcomes in reducing consumption and harms related to alcohol use, " the report said.
It said while the production of alcoholic beverages had increased in Australia over the past decade, the population growth across the nation had offset a higher per capita consumption rate.
"Nationally, the population rate of pure alcohol available for consumption has steadily declined since 200809," the report said.
The total volume of pure alcohol available for consumption in Australia has increased from around 160 million liters of pure alcohol in 200405 to over 180 million liters in 201314, but once population growth was accounted for, apparent per capita consumption decreased from 10.8 liters per person in 200809 to 9.7 liters in 201314.
Despite the positive study results, it was a worry that older Australians were the ones seeking treatment for alcohol despite younger drinkers being the ones who still drink the most, Tim Beard from the AIHW told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
"It does make you wonder whether or not those risky drinkers in their 20s in particular, should be coming into the treatment centers at a younger age," he said on Friday.
Meanwhile Professor Maree Teeson from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Center said authorities should be aiming to do more to encourage young Australians who feel they are abusing alcohol, to seek help and treatment.
"Our research has shown it takes 18 years from when a person first starts to have problems with alcohol, to actually seeking treatment," Teeson told the ABC.
"We need to reduce the stigma so that when people experience problems, people can put their hand up and say 'I need help'."
(APD)
