Alcohol statistics in Australia: Beer low wine high

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJan 19 2011

New statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistic (ABS) on alcohol and wine consumption released on Tuesday show beer consumption is now at its lowest level in 61 years. It is making up less than half of all the pure alcohol consumed in Australia.

In the 1960’s beer formed 76% of all alcohol consumed while it is 44% of all alcohol consumed now. Over the past four years apparent consumption of low strength beers has slumped 37%. An average Australian drank just under 107 litres of beer in the year to June 2009, which was the lowest reading since 1947.

CommSec Economist Savanth Sebastian said “In the space of 30 years, Australia has been transformed from a beer drinking nation to a country of wine connoisseurs.” He added that this did not mean that Australians had cut down on alcohol saying, “Rather, we have substituted for other alcoholic products such as wine, spirits and pre-mixed drinks… In fact, wine consumption is at record highs with the equivalent of 38 bottles being drunk per person in 2008/09.”

Wine consumption, rose from 28.89 litres per person to 29.36 litres in the year to June 2009 says the ABS report. It adds that Australia’s peak per capita alcohol consumption was in the mid-1970s, with an average of 13 litres of pure alcohol drunk per person per year. This included cooking and wasted alcohol. This figure dropped to under 10 litres in the mid-1990s, but has since risen slowly to nearly 10.5 litres per person, or 2.3 standard drinks per person per day.

In spite of this binge drinking is on the rise. Drug and Alcohol Office executive director Neil Guard said, “Other data suggests that while fewer young Australians are now reporting drinking monthly, weekly or daily than ten or more years ago, since 1993 the proportion reporting drinking at risky levels has increased significantly…In other words fewer young people are now reporting drinking, but when they do, they are drinking significantly more.” In addition the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that one in ten people exceeded the guidelines for minimizing long term harms and almost 40 per cent reported drinking in the past year at levels associated with risk, or high risk in the short term. In the 20-29 age group about two in three people drank at levels associated with risk. Mr. Guard said, “Irrespective of consumption patterns, we are seeing some alarming increases in the levels of alcohol related harm occurring, and this is the toll our current drinking culture is taking… These include high levels of alcohol-caused hospitalizations for both chronic and acute conditions and increasing numbers of people presenting at emergency departments with alcohol related harm and injury… Increasing numbers of younger people are also seeking treatment for alcohol issues, especially younger people aged 20-29 years old.”