Australians aged 18-24 years generally consume more standard drinks on a day they drink than any other age group. Those aged 70+ years are most likely to have 2 or less standard drinks per occasion.
Australian men usually drink more than women on a day they have alcohol. Women are more likely than men to drink two or less standard drinks per occasion (63% vs 43%).
The international survey found Australians drank to the point of drunkenness an average of 27 times a year, almost double the global average of 15.
Alcohol is an intrinsic part of Australian culture and it plays a central role in most people's social lives. Heavy drinking is seen as acceptable in almost all social situations, from weddings to sports matches, and even at funerals or baby showers.
Australian Capital Territory – permanent alcohol-free places (legislation) New South Wales – Sydney alcohol restrictions (for other areas, find the council it's in and go to their website) Northern Territory – where you can't drink in the NT and about dry areas.
Wine is the most popular choice of alcoholic beverage, with 43.0% of adult Australians drinking wine in an average four weeks, followed by beer at 35.2% and spirits at 30.8%. There is a distinct split between the sexes with women preferring wine, men preferring beer.
“Ballarat has a renowned history as being a pub town – in 1870 boasting over 500 pubs in the district as a result of the Gold Rush. “It is also well known for the brew “Ballarat Bertie” which unfortunately is only made now in special batches. It was last brewed by the Ballarat Brewing Company in 1989.”
Looking at the amount of alcohol consumed per person aged 15 years or older, the Seychelles is in first place with around 20.5 litres of alcohol drunk per person per year, according to Our World in Data; studies show that young male peer groups primarily drink high amounts of alcohol in the Seychelles.
They are still being killed and injured on our roads. A driver causes 30% of all road accidents resulting in a fatality over the legal limit of 0.05. 90% of these drivers were men. A large percentage of those killed while drink driving has mental health issues or have alcohol addiction problems.
Approximately 84 per cent of Australians drink alcohol at least once in a 12-month period, compared to 83.9 per cent in the UK and 68.9 per cent in the US. However, the UK leads the way with alcohol abuse problems.
Women absorb and metabolize alcohol differently than men. In general, women have less body water than men of similar body weight, so that women achieve higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood after drinking equivalent amounts of alcohol (5,6).
Adult Men Drink More than Women
Among men who binge drink, 25% do so at least five times a month, on average, and 25% consume at least nine drinks during a binge drinking occasion. In 2020, 13% of adult men had an alcohol use disorder compared with 9% of adult women.
Australians aged 18-24 years generally consume more standard drinks on a day they drink than any other age group. Those aged 70+ years are most likely to have 2 or less standard drinks per occasion.
Australia: An ABC News article published in 2018 described lemon, lime, and bitters (LLB) as "Australia's national drink".
Beer. Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage worldwide. In fact, after water and tea, beer is the most commonly-consumed drink in the world.
Australia's national alcohol guidelines use the 'standard drink' as a measure of alcohol consumed. One standard drink is defined as containing 10 grams of alcohol. The number of standard drinks in a serving of alcohol varies between type, size, brand, packaged or poured drinks. If you are unsure, read the label.
You can get: up to eight penalty units for being drunk in a public place. up to 20 penalty units or three days in jail if it is the first time you are drunk and disorderly. up to 20 penalty units or one month in jail if you have been found to be drunk and disorderly before.
Drink driving is a factor in about one in every seven crashes in NSW where someone is killed so if you are wondering about how much alcohol you can drink and still be safe to drive the simple and safe answer is, zero. Legally, NSW has three blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits: zero, under 0.02 and under 0.05.
Australian drinking culture
Drinking is arguably a big part of Australian culture. In Australia, it's strongly connected to social situations; you'll struggle to find a party or gathering that doesn't have alcohol in one form or another.
Consumption of more than 28 standard drinks per week for men or 14 standard drinks for women is considered hazardous. More than 42 standard drinks per week for men or 28 standard drinks for women is considered harmful. Problem drinking includes: alcohol consumption at levels that are harmful or potentially so.
5% of Australians drink alcohol every day; 7% drink 5-6 days per week; 11% drink 3-4 days per week; 17% drink 1-2 days per week; 13% drink 2-3 days per month; 23% drink 1 day per month or less; and 23% of Australians abstain from alcohol. Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).