Hospitalisations
Drug-related hospitalisations are defined as hospitalisations with a principal diagnosis relating to a substance use disorder or direct harm relating to use of selected substances (AIHW 2018).
AIHW analysis of the National Hospital Morbidity Database showed that alcohol accounted for nearly 3 in 5 drug-related hospitalisations in 2020–21 (57% or 86,400 hospitalisations) (Table S1.12). This represents a rate of 336.4 alcohol-related hospitalisations per 100,000 population (Table S1.13). Alcohol has remained the most common drug recorded in drug-related hospitalisations over the 6 years to 2020–21. Around 1 in 2 alcohol-related hospitalisations involved an overnight stay (52% or 45,000 hospitalisations), while the remainder ended with a same-day discharge (Table S1.12).
In 2020–21, almost 3 in 4 alcohol-related hospitalisations occurred in Major cities (72% or 62,400 hospitalisations) (Table S1.14). When accounting for differences in population size, the rate of alcohol-related hospitalisations was highest in Remote and very remote areas (777.8 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, compared with 335.8 per 100,000 in Major cities).
In the 6 years to 2020–21:
- the number of hospitalisations for alcohol steadily increased between 2015–16 and 2018–19 (from 68,200 to 75,800 hospitalisations), then stabilised in 2019–20 (74,500). Between 2019–20 and 2020–21, alcohol-related hospitalisations increased by a further 16%
- accounting for population growth, the rate of alcohol-related hospitalisations increased between 2015–16 and 2018–19 (from 284.5 to 301.0 per 100,000 population), then decreased to 2019–20 (291.5 per 100,000). Between 2019–20 and 2020–21, the rate then increased to 336.4 per 100,000 population (Table S1.13; Figure IMPACT4). Population estimates used to calculate rates for 2020–21 may have been impacted by public health measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. See the Technical notes for more information.
Deaths
Alcohol-induced deaths are defined as those that can be directly attributable to alcohol use (that is, where an alcohol-related condition is recorded as the underlying cause of death), as determined by toxicology and pathology reports (for example, alcoholic liver cirrhosis or alcohol poisoning). Alcohol-related deaths include deaths directly attributable to alcohol use and deaths where alcohol was listed as an associated cause of death (for example a motor vehicle accident where a person recorded a high blood alcohol concentration) (ABS 2018a). See also Health impacts: Deaths due to harmful alcohol consumption.
In 2021, ABS Causes of Death reported 1,559 alcohol-induced deaths registered (1,156 males and 403 females) (ABS 2022a, Table 13.11):
- The alcohol-induced death rate for males was almost 3 times higher than females (8.3 per 100,000 population for males, compared with 2.8 deaths per 100,000 population for females) (ABS 2022a, Table 13.11).
- The highest age-specific rates were for older people – 15.5 per 100,000 population for those aged 55–64 years and the lowest rates were for those aged 15–34 (0.7 per 100,000 population) (ABS 2022a, Table 13.12).
- For both males and females, the highest age-specific death rate was in those aged 55–64 years (23.4 per 100,000 population for males and 8.0 per 100,000 for females (ABS 2022a, Table 13.12).
Around 9 in 10 (1,413 or 91%) alcohol-induced deaths were related to chronic conditions (including alcoholic liver cirrhosis). Acute alcohol-induced deaths (including alcohol poisoning) accounted for 146 deaths. Additionally:
- 74% of chronic alcohol-induced deaths were for males and 63% were in people aged 55 and over.
- 80% of acute alcohol-induced deaths were for males and 56% were in those aged between 45-64 years (ABS 2022a, Table 13.16).
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) analysis of the AIHW National Mortality Database showed that of the 1,452 alcohol-induced deaths registered in 2020:
- the highest age-specific rates were for older people––16.0 per 100,000 population for those aged 60–64 years; 13.1 for those 55–59; and 12.2 for those aged 50–54. This compares with age-specific rates of 0.3 (or less) per 100,000 population for people aged 29 and under (Table S1.5).
- the majority (73%, or 1,056 deaths) were recorded for males (Table S1.6).
The most common cause of alcohol-induced death in 2020 was liver disease, followed by mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use. Mental and behavioural conditions due to psychoactive substance use was also the most common contributor to alcohol-related deaths (Table S1.6).
See also:
Treatment
Data collected for the AODTS NMDS are released twice each year – an Early Insights report in April and a detailed report mid-year.
The Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set (AODTS NMDS) provides information on treatment provided to clients by publicly funded AOD treatment services, including government and non-government organisations. Data from the AODTS NMDS show that alcohol is the most common principal drug of concern among clients seeking treatment for their own drug use (AIHW 2022).
In 2020–21, where alcohol was the principal drug of concern:
- Around 2 in 3 (64%) of clients were male and over 1 in 6 (17%) were Indigenous Australians (AIHW 2022, tables SC.9 and SC.11; Figure ALCOHOL8).
- Around half (51%) of clients were aged 30–49 with 26% of clients aged 40–49 and 25% aged 30–39 (AIHW 2022, Table SC.10).
- The most common source of referral was health services (43% of closed treatment episodes), followed by a self/family (42%) (AIHW 2022, Table Drg.13).
- The most common main treatment type was counselling (36% of closed treatment episodes), followed by assessment only (20%) and withdrawal management (14%). These 3 main treatment types have remained the most common over the 10-year period to 2020–21 (AIHW 2022, Table Drg.18; Figure ALCOHOL8).
- The median treatment duration for alcohol was just under 4 weeks (26 days) (AIHW 2022, Table Drg.21).

Source: AIHW 2022, tables Drg.1, SC.11 and Drg.18.
Where the principal drug of concern was alcohol, the proportion of clients who travelled 1 hour or longer to treatment services in 2016–17 was higher in Regional and remote areas than in Major cities (29% compared with 7%) (AIHW 2019).
Alcohol cessation medicines
Data from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) provide information on the number of prescriptions dispensed and the number of patients dispensed a script under supply of the PBS within a given financial year. The PBS database includes information on medicines that are used to help people stop alcohol consumption or maintain abstinence from alcohol (alcohol cessation medicines). Refer to the Technical notes and Box PHARMS2 for more information.
Pharmacotherapy is recommended for all people experiencing moderate to severe alcohol use disorder in Australia and is best used in conjunction with psychosocial support (Haber & Riordan 2021). Data from the PBS indicate that approximately 101,000 scripts for alcohol cessation medicines were dispensed to 37,000 patients in 2020–21, a rate of 390 scripts dispensed and 145 patients per 100,000 population (tables PBS77–80). In 2020–21:
- Rates of alcohol cessation medicine dispensing were higher for males than females, and males aged 40–49 had the highest rates of scripts dispensed and patients of any group (around 965 scripts and 385 patients per 100,000 population) (tables PBS82 and PBS84).
- People aged 40–49 and 50–59 had the highest rates of dispensing of any age group (tables PBS82 and PBS84). See Older people: Treatment for more information.
- Rates of dispensing were highest in Inner regional areas, and dispensing varied between states and territories (tables PBS85–92). Refer to Data by region for more information.
Between 2012–13 and 2020–21, rates of dispensing rose from 245 scripts and 90 patients to 390 scripts and 145 patients per 100,000 population (tables PBS78 and PBS80).