Each month 20.4% of Australians consume alcohol at high risk levels. Australians living in remote areas are more likely to drink at high risk levels compared to those living in urban areas. The driving forces behind Australia's drinking culture are derived from social customs, habits, publicised images and normality.
Australians have been named the heaviest drinkers in the world in a survey after spending more time drunk in 2020 than any other nation. 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.
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.
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.
The alcohol beverages most commonly consumed by Australians are bottled wine (34%), regular strength beer (19%), and bottled spirits/liqueur (15%).
One in four people (25.8% or 5 million people) aged 18 years and over exceeded the guideline in 2020-21. This includes those who either consumed more than 10 drinks in the last week and/or consumed 5 or more drinks on any day at least monthly in the last 12 months (12 occasions per year).
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. It's common to go out for drinks to relax after work, or to celebrate over a toast with friends and family.
The figures released by the World Health Organisation show Australians drink more pure alcohol per year than Americans, Canadians and the Japanese. “Australians drink 10.6 litres of pure alcohol each year, much higher than the global average of 6.4 litres,” according to the authors of the report.
White teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 drink alcohol more often than other ethnic groups; the 2013 NSDUH reports that 12.9% drank alcohol. Almost one-quarter of the white population reports past-month binge drinking, and about 7% admit to heavy drinking in the past 30 days.
According to the World Health Organization, US has the lowest rate of alcohol dependence with only 1.93 per cent.
There is perhaps no religion that loves alcohol as much as the Japanese Shinto religion, which reveres sake as the most sacred of drinks—the “liquor of the gods.” The god of sake is also the god of rice and the harvest, so drinking sake is associated with a bountiful and blessed harvest.
Australian annual alcohol consumption was fifth highest among the selected countries at 9.5 litres capita.
Approximately 40% of the population (aged 14 years and over) drink alcohol at least once per week, including 5% of the population who drink daily. Twenty-three percent of Australians do not drink alcohol at all.
One common stereotype of Indigenous Australians is that they all drink alcohol to excess. But the reality is that a smaller percentage of Aborigines drink alcohol than do other Australians.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are less likely to drink alcohol than other Australians. But those that do drink are more likely than other Australians to: drink at dangerous levels – both over a lifetime and on a single occasion.
The World Health Organization ranks Australia 19th on the global alcohol consumption ladder, ahead of Ireland at 21, the UK at 25, New Zealand at 31, Canada at 40 and the United States at 48.
Laws that apply anywhere in Australia
Legal drinking age – you must be 18 or older to buy alcohol or to drink alcohol in a licensed venue. Selling alcohol – it's illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under 18 or to someone who is already drunk.
The majority of Australians (56.1%) drink at least one cup of coffee in an average week, just under half of us (47.6%) drink tea and only 12.5% drink hot chocolate.
While there is no state-level prohibition, over 100 places in the Northern Territory are "dry areas" with complete alcohol bans.
Courts have held that drug addiction falls within the definition of disability under anti-discrimination legislation. This can also be extended to alcoholism.
An ABC News article published in 2018 described lemon, lime, and bitters (LLB) as "Australia's national drink". Lemon, lime, and bitters is a mixed drink made with (clear) lemonade, lime cordial, and Angostura bitters. The lemonade is sometimes substituted with soda water or lemon squash.
Gnowangerup has been crowned the booziest town in Australia, with one-third of its adult residents necking two or more alcoholic drinks every day.
Breaking the Australia search volume data down further, we can see that the Sunshine Coast region tops the chart for 'coffee' search volume across Australia. With 4 of the top 5 locations being in Queensland, it's clear why the Sunshine State claimed the number 1 spot.
What is binge drinking? Binge drinking is when you drink a lot of alcohol in one session with the aim of getting drunk. To reduce the risk of harm from alcohol, adults should drink: no more than 4 standard drinks in one session. no more than 10 standard drinks per week.