Children and young people’s experiences of alcohol and other drugs

Introduction

In 2022, there were 6.6 million people aged 10–29 in Australia and of these 3.2 million were aged 15–24 years (ABS 2023). The use of alcohol and other drugs is a part of the lives of many young people, though is less common among young people in 2022–2023 than for their same-age peers in 2001 (AIHW 2024b, Table 5.8). The use of alcohol and other drugs among young people is particularly concerning because they are more susceptible to certain harms, including dependence.

This page focuses on alcohol and other drug use, harms and treatment among children and young people in Australia. The reporting uses data from a range of sources, mostly national administrative and survey data. 

What data sources are available?

There are a range of data sources that contain information about alcohol and other drug use harms and treatment among children and young people. These include self-report surveys, health administrative data sets (such as the National Mortality Database), and burden of disease analysis. Each data set uses a different methodology, and the language used to describe young people may also differ across sources. 

For more information about each data source, see Technical notes.

What do we know about alcohol and other drug use among children and young people in Australia?

Tobacco smoking

Data from multiple sources indicates that the prevalence of tobacco smoking among people in younger age groups is decreasing, driven by a higher proportion of young adults not taking up smoking (AIHW 2024b, Scully et al. 2023a). 

According to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), in 2022–2023:

• 98% of people aged 14–17 had never smoked, increasing from 82% in 2001
• about 4 in 5 (83%) people aged 18–24 had never smoked, up from 58% in 2001 (AIHW 2024b, Table 2.4).

Estimates from the 2022–2023 NDSHS indicate that 9.4% of people aged 18–24 currently smoke compared with *1.6% of people aged 14–17 (*estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution) (AIHW 2024b, Table 2.4). 

Additionally, the 2022–2023 Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) survey of 10,300 secondary students aged 12–17 found that:

• 13.5% of students reported smoking at least part of a tobacco cigarette in their lifetime, down from 17.5% in 2017.
• 3.4% of secondary school students aged 12–17 had smoked in the last month, a decrease from 7.5% in 2017.
• 50% of people who currently smoke stated that their most common source for cigarettes was from friends (Scully et al. 2023a).

How many young people smoke daily?

The proportion of young adults who smoke daily has been declining since 2001 (AIHW 2024b). Estimates from the NDSHS showed, in 2022–2023:

• 5.9% people aged 18–24 smoked daily, down from 24% in 2001. This was consistent for both males (from 24.5% in 2001 to 6.9% in 2022–2023) and females (23.5% to 5.0%) (AIHW 2024b, Table 2.4).
• Among people aged 14–17, daily smoking decreased from 11.2% in 2001 to around 1% in 2022–2023.

This is supported by the ASSAD survey, that found 1 in 50 (2.1%) students aged 12–17 had smoked at least once in the past 7 days, down from 4.9% in 2017 (Scully et al. 2023a).

At what age do young people start smoking?

The average age at which younger people aged 14–24 smoked their first full cigarette has steadily risen since 2001, for both males and females (AIHW 2024b, Table 2.18). According to NDSHS estimates:

• In 2022–2023, the age at which younger people tried smoking their first full cigarette (16.3 years) was 2 years older than in 2001 (14.3 years).
• However, between 2019 and 2022–2023, the average age of smoking initiation among females decreased from 16.6 to 16.1. For males, it remained stable (from 16.6 to 16.4) (Figure 1).

How many cigarettes do young people smoke?

In 2022–2023, the number of cigarettes smoked per day by those in the 18–24 age group continued to decline. In 2001, people aged 18–24 who smoked used an average of 11.1 cigarettes per day, declining to 8.1 cigarettes per day in 2016 and a further decline to 7.0 cigarettes per day in 2022–2023 (AIHW 2024b, Table 2.8). The proportion of people aged 18–24 who smoked a 20 or more cigarettes per day remained stable from 2019 (19.4%) to 2022–2023 (*17.9%; estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution) (AIHW 2024b, Table 2.7).

What types of tobacco products do young people consume?

Use of roll-your-own (RYO) cigarettes had been increasing among younger people since 2001. However, estimates from the 2022–2023 NDSHS showed decreases in use between 2019 and 2022–2023. Specifically:

• People aged 18–24 were the most likely age group to currently use RYO cigarettes.
• About 2 in 5 (43%) people aged 18–24 who smoked currently used RYO cigarettes, a decrease from 2019 (63%). This is similar to the findings for people aged 14 and over where there was a decrease from 45% in 2019 to 41% in 2022–2023 (AIHW 2024b, Table 2.23).

Additionally, the 2022–2023 ASSAD survey found that among secondary school students aged 12–17, 52% of people who smoked in the past have used RYO tobacco, down from 55% in 2017 (Scully et al. 2023a).

Vaping and e-cigarette use

The use of e-cigarettes is greater among younger people than those in older age groups. Estimates from the 2022–2023 NDSHS showed that among people aged 18–24:

• almost half (49%) had used an e-cigarette in their lifetime, the largest proportion of any age group (AIHW 2024b, Table 3.1)
• 1 in 5 (21%) reported current use (AIHW 2024b, Table 3.3)
• 87% of people who currently smoke tobacco in this age group had used an e-cigarette. This has increased significantly since 2019, when 26% of people and 64% of people aged 18–24 who currently smoke had ever used an e-cigarette (AIHW 2024b, Table 3.1)
• over half (58%) of people who had ever used an e-cigarette reported that they had never smoked tobacco the first time they tried an e-cigarette (AIHW 2024b, Table 3.28)
• over 3 in 4 (77%) people who currently used e-cigarettes reported that the last e-cigarette used contained nicotine, while 13% were unsure (AIHW 2024b, Table 3.18)
• of people in this age group who had used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days, 26% had used them daily while 18.7% used them once every couple of weeks (AIHW 2024b, Table 3.22).

The 2022–2023 NDSHS showed that among those aged 14–17: 

• 28% had used an e-cigarette in their lifetime, up from 9.6% in 2019 (AIHW 2024b, Table 3.1)
• 1 in 10 (9.7%) reported current use (AIHW 2024b, Table 3.3).

Data from the 2022–2023 ASSAD survey found that:

• Approximately 30% of secondary school students had tried e-cigarettes, 16% had vaped at least once in the past month and 4.8% on at least 20 days in the past month.
• 69% of secondary school students who had ever tried vaping reported that they had not previously smoked a cigarette before their first vape.
• Almost two-thirds (64%) of students who had vaped in the past month believed the vape they used contained nicotine.
• 80% of students who had vaped in the past month used a disposable vaping device (Scully et al. 2023a).

Alcohol use

Results from the 2022–2023 NDSHS indicate that the age at which people first tried alcohol has been rising over time. Specifically:

• The average age at which young people aged 14–24 first tried alcohol has steadily risen from 14.7 years in 2001 to 16.1 in 2022–2023.
• Among those aged 14–24, the average age of initiation for males increased from 16.1 in 2019 to 16.2 in 2022–2023, while for females it decreased from 16.3 to 16.1 (AIHW 2024b, Table 4.13).

There has also been a long-term increase in the proportion of young people who abstain from alcohol. From 2007 to 2022–2023, the proportion of people aged 14–17 who abstained increased from 39% to 70%, while for people aged 18–24 it rose from 13.1% to 23%. These proportions remained stable from 2019 to 2022–2023 (AIHW 2024b, Table 4.28). 

Similarly, findings from the 2022–2023 ASSAD survey showed that:

• Less than 1 in 2 (44%) of those aged 12–17 drank alcohol in the past year, similar to 56% in 2017.
• 22% had consumed alcohol in the past month, a decrease from 27% in 2017. 
• 47% of students who were current drinkers obtained alcohol from their parents.
• Nearly half (47%) of current drinkers most commonly drank premixed spirits (Scully et al. 2023b).

How many young people drink at risky levels?

There has been an overall reduction in the proportion of young people aged 18–24 years exceeding adult risk guidelines (from 56% in 2010 to 42% in 2022–2023) (Figure 2). Findings from the National Health Survey indicate that over 1 in 3 (36%) young adults aged 18–24 exceeded the adult alcohol guideline in 2022 (ABS 2023). However, younger people are more likely than any other age group to consume alcohol in ways that exceed the adult risk guidelines.

Estimates from the 2022–2023 NDSHS indicate that:

• Young adults aged 18–24 were the most likely of all age groups to be at risk of alcohol-related disease or injury (42%), compared with 31% of people aged 14 and over (AIHW 2024b, Table 4.27). 
• 1 in 5 (21%) young people aged 18–24 reported drinking more than 4 standard drinks in a single day, at least weekly (AIHW 2024b, Table 4.30).
• Almost 1 in 4 (28%) young people aged 18–24 reported drinking more than 10 standard drinks a week on average in the previous 12 months. This has remained stable since 2019 (25%) (AIHW 2024b, Table 4.29).
• Among females aged 18–24 there was a significant increase in those drinking more than 10 standard drinks per week on average, from 15.9% in 2019 to 25% in 2022–2023. For males of the same age, this proportion remained stable (from 33% in 2019 to 32% in 2022–2023) (AIHW 2024b, Table 4.29). 
• The proportion of young people aged 14–17 exceeding the adult risk guidelines decreased between 2019 and 2022–2023 (9.5% to 5.5%) (AIHW 2024b, Table 4.28).

Data from the ASSAD survey also showed a decrease in the proportion of risky drinkers aged 16–17 (those who drank 5 or more drinks on any day in the past week), from 10.8% in 2017 to 8.8% in 2022–2023 (Scully et al. 2023b).

In the 2022–2023 NDSHS, alcohol consumption at high levels was more common among younger people than the general population. Specifically, people aged 18–24 (14.8%) were more likely to consume 11 or more standard drinks in a single day at least monthly than people in other age groups (AIHW 2024b, Table 4.32).

Illicit drug use

Estimates from the 2022–2023 NDSHS showed that around 1 in 3 (35%) people aged 18–24 and just under 1 in 8 (13.3%) aged 14–17 had used illicit drugs in the last 12 months (AIHW 2024b, Table 5.8). People aged 18–24 were more likely to have recently used illicit drugs than people in any other age group, and this proportion has increased from 27% in 2007. Cannabis, cocaine, and ecstasy are the drugs that are most commonly used by people aged 18–24 (AIHW 2024b, Table 5.26; Figure 3).

At what age do young people start using illicit drugs?

In 2022–2023, the average age at which people first tried any illicit drug was 19.5 years. This was younger than the age of initiation in 2019 (19.9 years) but has increased overall since 2001 (18.6 years). The average age of initiation has increased since 2001 for a range of drugs including cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens and inhalants (AIHW 2024b, Table 5.17). 

The 18th HILDA Survey report includes data on people who started using illicit drugs between 2017 and 2021, including people who may have resumed using drugs after previously stopping (Wilkins et al. 2024). These data show that around 1 in 5 people (19.0%) aged 20–24 started (or resumed) illicit drug use between 2017 and 2021, higher than any other age group.

Cannabis

Estimates from the NDSHS show that people aged 18–24 continue to be the most likely age group to use cannabis. Cannabis is the most widely used drug among this age group (AIHW 2024b). In 2022–2023, one-quarter (26%) of people in this age group had used cannabis in the past 12 months, compared with 11.5% of people aged 14 and over (AIHW 2024b, Table 5.50). However, recent use of cannabis has declined among this cohort since 2001 (32%) but remained stable between 2019 (25%) and 2022–2023 (AIHW 2024b). 

In 2022–2023, 9.7% of people aged 14–17 had recently used cannabis. This represents a decrease from 21% in 2001, and a slight increase from 8.2% in 2019 (AIHW 2024b, Table 5.50). 

The ASSAD survey reported that:

• In 2022–2023, 6.6% of students aged 12–17 had used cannabis in the month before the survey and 13.4% reported using cannabis in their lifetime, making cannabis the most commonly used drug in this cohort (Scully et al. 2023b, Table 6).
• There was a decrease in the proportion of young people aged 16–17 who had used cannabis both in their lifetime (30% in 2017 compared with 24% in 2022–2023) in the past month (15.7% in 2017 compared with 11.3% in 2022–2023) (Scully et al. 2023b, Figure 14).

Stimulants

Younger people are generally less likely to have used methamphetamine or amphetamine in their lifetime than those in older age groups, but recent use is similar. Estimates from the 2022–2023 NDSHS showed that:

• 3.6% of people aged 18–24 had used methamphetamine or amphetamine in their lifetime and 1.7% had done so in the previous 12 months (AIHW 2024b, tables 5.81 and 5.83).
• 3 in 5 (68%) people aged 18–24 who had used methamphetamine or amphetamine in the last 12 months had done so only once or twice (AIHW 2024b, Table 5.87).

By comparison, 12% of people in their 30s and 15% of people in their 40s had used methamphetamine or amphetamine in their lifetime, while 1.5% and 1.7% reported use in the previous 12 months (AIHW 2024b, tables 5.81 and 5.83). Conversely, recent use was less common among people aged in their 50s and over.

Recent use of cocaine and ecstasy has changed since 2019. The 2022–2023 NDSHS estimates suggest that among people aged 18–24:

• recent use of cocaine increased from 2019 (10.8%) to 2022–2023 (11.3%), with a substantial increase among females (8.0% to 11.9%) (AIHW 2024b, Table 5.65)
• recent use of ecstasy has been fluctuating since 2001 (11.7%), but decreased from 2019 (10.8%) to 2022–2023 (6.7%) (AIHW 2024b, Table 5.73). This is likely due to disruptions in ecstasy markets between 2019 and 2022 and the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on occasions for ecstasy use (for example, fewer dance parties and raves) (AIHW 2024b).

Findings from the 2022–2023 ASSAD survey reveal similar results. Of secondary school students aged 12–17, 1.7% have tried amphetamines, 1.9% have tried cocaine and 3.2% have tried ecstasy (Scully et al. 2023b, Table 7).

Other drugs

Other drugs that are used by young people include inhalants, hallucinogens, ketamine, new and emerging psychoactive substances, and tranquilisers and other pharmaceuticals for non-medical purposes (AIHW 2024b, Scully et al. 2023b). The 2022–2023 ASSAD survey showed that, among students aged 12–17:

• around 1 in 5 (18.0%) students had ever used tranquilisers for a non-medical reason and 5.6% had used them in the past month (Scully et al. 2023, Table 5). This is higher than 2022–2023 NDSHS estimates (*2.0% for lifetime use among people aged 14–17, and less than 1% for use in the past 12 months) (AIHW 2024b)
• 20% of students had deliberately sniffed inhalants at least once in their lifetime, with 7.4% reporting doing so in the past month (Scully et al. 2023b, Table 7)
• 2% of students reported they had used synthetic cannabis in the last 12 months (Scully et al. 2023b).

* Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.

Additionally, the NDSHS has showed that use of certain drugs among younger people aged 18–24 has increased over time (AIHW 2024b). Specifically: 

• Use of ketamine rose from 1.6% in 2016 to 4.6% in 2022–2023. 
• The proportion of people who have recently used hallucinogens has fluctuated over time, with 6.4% of those aged 18–24 reporting recent use in 2022–2023 (AIHW 2024b, Table 5.97).

Does alcohol and other drug use vary by geographic area?

NDSHS data indicate that the proportion of young adults aged 18–24 who smoke tobacco daily or drink alcohol at risky levels has decreased across most states and territories since the early 2000s, but this varies by jurisdiction (AIHW 2024b). The proportion of 18–24-year-olds who reported recent illicit drug use has fluctuated over time and within jurisdictions. 

For detailed information on alcohol and other drug use by state and territory in the NDSHS, see State and Territory summaries of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarette and other drug use. 

What do we know about health and harms among children and young people who use alcohol and other drugs?

Burden of disease related to alcohol and other drugs

The Australian Burden of Disease Study found that in young people aged 15–24 in 2024:

• alcohol use and illicit drug use were the leading causes of the total burden of disease in males
• alcohol use and illicit drug use were the second and third leading causes (respectively) of disease burden in females (AIHW 2024a).

Deaths involving alcohol and other drugs

While younger people are at greater risk of experiencing harms such as physical and verbal abuse, they are less likely to die from alcohol and other drugs than older people. 

Preliminary data from Causes of Death, Australia indicate that, in 2024:

• people aged 15–34 had the lowest rate of alcohol-induced deaths (0.9 deaths per 100,000 population, or 66 deaths) (ABS 2025, Table 13.12). Among these deaths:
  • 36 deaths were due to chronic conditions such as alcoholic liver cirrhosis, and 30 were due to the acute effects of alcohol
  • males had a higher rate of death than females (1.3 and 0.5 deaths per 100,000, respectively) (ABS 2025, tables 13.12 and 13.16)
• people aged 15–24 had the lowest rate of drug-induced deaths (2.8 deaths per 100,000, or 96 deaths) (ABS 2025, Table 13.2). Among these deaths:
  • 70 deaths were considered accidental and 19 were intentional
  • males had a higher rate of death than females (3.7 and 1.8 deaths per 100,00, respectively) (ABS 2025, tables 13.2–13.4). 

AIHW analysis of the National Mortality Database showed that in 2024:

• 2.9% (145 deaths) of alcohol-related deaths were among people aged 15–24 (Table NMD1)
• around 1 in 5 (19%) drug-induced deaths among people aged 15–24 involved a personal history of self-harm, making this the most frequently occurring psychosocial risk factor among this group (Table NMD12)
• opioids (48 deaths) contributed to the most drug-induced deaths among people aged 15–24, followed by depressants (excluding alcohol) (40 deaths) (Table NMD12).

Physical and verbal abuse

Younger people are more likely to be victims of alcohol-related incidents. In 2022–2023, 1 in 3 (33%) people aged 18–24 had been the victim of any alcohol-related incident (experienced physical abuse, verbal abuse, or being put in fear) in the previous 12 months. This was higher than for any other age group (AIHW 2024b, Table 4.56). 

How many children and young people receive treatment for alcohol and other drug use?

In 2023–24, among people aged 10–19 and 20–29 who received treatment for their own alcohol or drug use:

• around 3 in 5 were male (58% of those aged 10–19 and 60% of those aged 20–29) (AIHW 2025, Table SC.4)
• for clients aged 10–19, cannabis was the most common principal drug of concern (60% of clients), followed by alcohol (15%) and amphetamines (7.8%) (AIHW 2025, Table SC.10)
• for clients aged 20–29, alcohol was the most common principal drug of concern (28% of clients followed by amphetamines (26%) and cannabis (26%) (AIHW 2025, Table SC.10).

Among participants in the 2022–23 ASSAD survey, 2% of students reported seeking help from a health professional for alcohol and/or drug related problems (Scully et al. 2023b).

Where do I go for more information?

• Australian Secondary Students Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) survey
• Young people’s use of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes and other drugs