Health impact
Deaths
Alcohol-induced deaths are defined as those that can be directly attributed to alcohol use, as determined by toxicology and pathology reports (see Glossary for more information). This may be the result of a chronic condition directly related to alcohol use (for example, alcoholic liver cirrhosis) or from an acute condition directly related to harmful consumption (for example, alcohol poisoning) (ABS 2018a).
Analysis of the AIHW National Mortality Database showed that:
- there were 1,317 alcohol-induced deaths registered in 2019, a decrease of 6% since the peak recorded in 2017 (1,401 deaths)
- while the number of alcohol-induced deaths in 2019 was higher than in 1997 (1,156 deaths), taking into consideration population growth, the rate of alcohol-induced deaths in 2019 (4.7 per 100,000 population) was lower than in 1997 (6.5 per 100,000 population)
- people were 2.4 times as likely to have alcohol certified at death as an associated cause (4,504 alcohol-related deaths) than to have died from an alcohol-induced death (1,317). This has increased from 1.4 times as likely in 2010.
Burden of disease
Alcohol was the fifth-highest risk factor contributing to disease burden in Australia in 2015. Alcohol use was estimated to be responsible for 4.5% of the total burden of disease and injury, based on estimates from the Australian Burden of Disease Study 2015.
For adolescents and young adults, non-fatal burden was the main contributor to alcohol attributed burden, while for those aged 55 and over fatal burden was the main contributor.
The burden from alcohol disorders was higher in males (2.0%) than females, ranking 13th in total male burden and outside the top 20 for females. Alcohol use was the leading risk factor contributing to disease burden for males aged 15–24 (13%) and 25–44 (12%) (AIHW 2019). See Burden of disease.
Hospitalisations
The number of hospitalisations in Australia with a drug-related principal diagnosis of alcohol use increased from around 65,700 hospitalisations in 2014–15 to 75,800 in 2018–19. On its own, alcohol accounted for at least half of all drug-related hospitalisations over the same period (54% in 2018–19) (AIHW 2021b).
See Illicit drug use for information on drug-related hospitalisations where alcohol was not the drug.
Treatment
The number of closed treatment episodes provided in publicly funded alcohol and other drug treatment agencies across Australia for a person’s own drug use where alcohol was the principal drug of concern fell between 2012–13 and 2016–17 (from 63,800 to 62,400) but increased between 2017–18 and 2019–20 (from 70,900 to 75,005). As a proportion of closed treatment episodes this equates to a decline from 41% of total episodes of treatment in 2012–13 to 34% in 2019–20 (AIHW 2021a). See Alcohol and other drug treatment services.
Alcohol misuse was estimated to cost Australia around $14 billion in 2010 ($6.0 billion in lost productivity), followed by traffic accidents ($3.7 billion), the criminal justice system ($2.9 billion) and costs to the health system ($1.7 billion) (Manning et al. 2013). However, these costs do not include the negative impacts on others associated with someone else’s drinking (such as violence, poor productivity, disturbing the peace), estimated at $6.8 billion in 2008 (Laslett et al. 2010).
For more information on alcohol risk and harm, see:
Visit Alcohol for more on this topic
References
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2018. National Health Survey: First Results, 2014–15. ABS cat. no. 4364.0.55.001. Canberra: ABS.
ABS 2019a. Apparent consumption of alcohol, Australia, 2017–18. ABS cat. no. 4307.0.55.001. Canberra: ABS.
ABS 2019b. National Health Survey: First Results, 2017–18. ABS cat. no. 4364.0.55.001. Canberra: ABS.
ABS 2019c. National Health Survey, 2017–18. Customised report. Canberra: ABS.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2017. National drug strategy household survey 2016: Detailed findings. Drug statistics series no. 31. Cat. no. PHE 214. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2019. Australian Burden of Disease Study: impact and causes of illness and death in Australia 2015. Cat. no. BOD 22. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2020. National drug strategy household survey 2019. Drug statistics series no. 32. Cat. no. PHE 270. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2021a. Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia 2019–20. Web report. Cat. No. HSE 250. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 13 May 2021
AIHW 2021b. Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia. Cat. no. PHE 221. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 18 May 2021
Laslett A, Catalano P, Chikritzhs T, Dale C, Doran C, Ferris J et al. 2010. The range and magnitude of alcohol’s harm to others. Fitzroy, Victoria: AER Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, Eastern Health.
Manning M, Smith C & Mazerolle P 2013. The societal costs of alcohol misuse in Australia. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 454. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) 2009. Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. Canberra: NHMRC.
NHMRC 2020. Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol. Canberra: NHMRC.