Alcohol and other drug use in Australia

Information Sources

Many sources of data are available in Australia to inform the drug use behaviours of the general community and specific sub-populations. A principal source of information on drug use in the general population is the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, the last two of which have been managed by the AIHW. Other key sources include:

• National Health Survey [External link] (for tobacco and alcohol use in the adult population);
• Illicit drug reporting system [External link] (IDRS) (for up-to-date monitoring of the price, purity, availability and patterns of use of the main illicit drugs;
• Australian Secondary Schools Alcohol and Drugs Survey (for patterns of drug use among students aged 12-17 years).

For a more complete guide to sources of drug use in Australia, see the ABS reference Illicit drug use, Sources of Australian Data, 2001 [External link] (ABS Cat. No. 4808.0).

Alcohol and other drug use

Data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey indicate the national prevalence of daily smoking to be less than 20% of the population aged 14 years and over. The prevalence of daily smoking was highest in the 20-29 years age groups for both males and females.

Over 80% of the population consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months, with 11% of males and 6% of females drinking daily. In terms of risk of harm in the long term, 10% of males and 9% of females drank alcohol in a pattern that was risky or high risk. In terms of short-term risk, 24% of males and 17% of females drank at least once a month in a manner that was risky or high risk for short-term harm.

Marijuana remains the most widely used illicit drug in Australia, with 37% of males and 29% of females reporting having used it at some time. Around one in five males and one in seven females used at least one illicit drug in the 12 months before the National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Use of other illicit substances is low relative to marijuana and less than 1% of Australians injected an illicit drug in the prior 12 months.

Health outcomes

Tobacco use is the major cause of drug or alcohol-related deaths in Australia. In 1998, around 19,000 deaths were attributable to the use of tobacco, accounting for 80% of all drug- or alcohol-related deaths. The Burden of Disease and Injury in Australia study estimated that almost 10% of the total burden of disease in Australia in 1996 was attributable to tobacco smoking. The burden of disease methodology combines years of life lost due to premature death with years of living with disability.

Alcohol use is also a major cause of drug- or alcohol-related deaths in Australia. In 1998, around 2,000 deaths among persons aged 0-64 years were attributable to the use of alcohol, accounting for 28% of all drug- or alcohol-related deaths in this age group. The Australian Burden of Disease study estimated that almost 4.9% of the total burden of disease in Australia in 1996 was attributable to alcohol consumption.  However, low to moderate alcohol consumption can protect against certain diseases, resulting in approximately 2.8% of the total burden being averted. Hence the net harm associated with alcohol use is estimated at 2.2% of the total burden of disease. 

Illicit drug use is associated with around 1,000 deaths per year in Australia; however, these deaths are typically among young persons, resulting in a large number of years of life lost due to premature mortality. When combined with years lived with disability, illicit drug use is estimated to have accounted for almost 2% of the total burden of disease in Australia in 1996.