Hazardous and problem drinking
Definition
The proportion of the population aged 12 to 24 who drink large amounts(1) of alcohol at least once a week, as reported in the 2004 New Zealand Health Behaviours Survey – Alcohol Use.
Relevance
High levels of alcohol use cause a range of social and health impacts.(2,3) Drinking large quantities of alcohol in one sitting can make young people vulnerable to accidents, injury or assault. Alcohol-impaired judgement may also encourage young people to engage in behaviours that place their personal safety – or the safety of others – at risk.
Current level
In the 2004 "New Zealand Health Behaviours Survey – Alcohol Use", 6.8 percent of young people aged 12 to 17 and 29.6 percent aged 18 to 24 reported drinking at least six standard drinks (men) or four standard drinks (women) one or more times a week.
Young people aged 18 to 24 years were more than twice as likely as those in any other age group to engage in weekly heavy drinking.
Proportion of population drinking large amounts of alcohol at least once a week, by age group, 2004
Source: 2004 New Zealand Health Behaviours Survey – Alcohol Use.
Notes
1. Characterised by WHO definitions as 6 standard drinks for men and 4 for women. A standard drink is defined by the WHO and in the data above as 10g (12.67ml) of pure (absolute) alcohol.
2. For a summary of the relevant evidence, see the Cancer Research UK factsheet at http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/alcohol/howdoweknow.
3. The Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) website presents a wide range of New Zealand-relevant information and research on alcohol use and its effects: see http://alac.org.nz/YourBodyAndAlcoholOverview.aspx.
