CANBERRA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- One-third of Australians consume alcohol at risky levels, a government report has found.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on Thursday published the National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022-2023, which asked 21,000 people aged 14 and over about their use of, and attitude towards, alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes and illicit drugs.
It found that 31 percent of Australians aged 14 and over, or 6.6 million people, consume alcohol in ways that put their health at risk.
Under the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines, drinking at risky levels is defined as consuming more than 10 standard drinks a week or more than four standard drinks in a single day at least once a month.
Among male participants in the survey, 39 percent drank at risky levels compared to 23 percent of females.
Seventy-seven percent of respondents reported consuming alcohol in the previous 12 months, making it the most commonly used drug in Australia.
The proportion of Australians aged 14 and over who smoke daily fell to a new low of 8.3 percent in the 2022-2023 survey, down from 11 percent in 2019 and 24 percent in 1991.
"Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Australia, so it's encouraging that we continue to see a decrease in the use of tobacco by people in Australia," AIHW spokesperson Gabrielle Phillips said in a media release.
Eighteen percent of people aged 14 and over said they had used an illicit drug in the previous 12 months and 47 percent said they had done so in their lifetime. ■
