In the year to June 2021, almost 14 million Australians or seventy per cent of the population 18 years and older consumed alcohol in an average four-week period, up from 13 million a year earlier. Driving this rise was increased consumption of wine and spirits over the past year as Australia enjoyed strong economic growth following the lockdowns of 2020.
There are 4,000 alcohol-related deaths a year in Australia, 70,000 hospital admissions, and links to more than 40 medical conditions. So alcohol consumption in Australia comes at a high cost.
The guidelines on alcohol consumption recommend that you drink no more than ten standard drinks, including no more than four standard drinks on any day. The guidelines are designed to strike a balance between the acknowledgement that people enjoy drinking alcohol and the need to reduce the harm associated with the abuse or over-consumption of alcohol.
As we emerge from another lockdown, it is an appropriate message, given that we all could do with improving our health in some way. Considering that one in four Australians drink alcohol at risky levels, it is a timely reminder that alcohol can be harmful.
If you want to minimise your risk entirely from alcohol, perhaps the best thing is to abstain from drinking it. Not only might it save your liver, but it will also save you money.
There are 4,000 alcohol-related deaths a year in Australia, 70,000 hospital admissions, and links to more than 40 medical conditions. So alcohol consumption in Australia comes at a high cost.
The guidelines on alcohol consumption recommend that you drink no more than ten standard drinks, including no more than four standard drinks on any day. The guidelines are designed to strike a balance between the acknowledgement that people enjoy drinking alcohol and the need to reduce the harm associated with the abuse or over-consumption of alcohol.
As we emerge from another lockdown, it is an appropriate message, given that we all could do with improving our health in some way. Considering that one in four Australians drink alcohol at risky levels, it is a timely reminder that alcohol can be harmful.
If you want to minimise your risk entirely from alcohol, perhaps the best thing is to abstain from drinking it. Not only might it save your liver, but it will also save you money.
