7th February, 2008

More than 2.2 million Australians over the age of 14 experienced physical and verbal abuse during the recent Christmas holiday period from someone under the influence of alcohol, according to a study of drinking patterns over the January-December period.

The research, commissioned by the Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Foundation also found that 2.6 million Australians know someone who was injured or harmed through excess alcohol over the period with as many as 45 per cent of respondents aged between 14 to 17 years falling into this group.

More than 2.4 million Australians, meanwhile, were at concerned for their own safety or the safety of friends due to excess exposure to alcohol over the period. This included 30 per cent of 14 to 17-year-old respondents.

Daryl Smeaton, AER Foundation chief executive, called the results ‘alarming’ and said they illustrated the “widespread climate of far and abuse being created by everyday excess drinking”.

“I can’t imagine any reasonable Australian would find the scale of abuse revealed by this study acceptable...” he said. “Australians need to ask themselves - is this the environment we want our children to grow up in?”

The AER Foundation said that based on “very conservative estimates”, alcohol-related harm costs the Australian community more than $15 billion annually.

The national study drew on a survey of 1,000 people aged 14 years and older which was conducted in January.

~ www.aerf.com.au

- DAVID ADAMS