Fed: Drinkers starting to curb habit for health
By Melissa Jenkins18 Dec 2008 12:59 AM
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CANBERRA, Dec 18 AAP - Drinkers are starting to rein in their habit for the sake of their health.
Although one in five people binge drinks once a month or more, half of all recent drinkers are trying to drink less, mostly for health reasons.
And while one in six Australians still smoke every day, almost one third of them have cut their intake of cigarettes.
These are the findings of a new analysis from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released on Thursday.
A detailed report stemming from a 2007 survey of 23,000 Australians aged over 14 also shows:
* People living in remote areas were more likely to binge drink than their urban counterparts.
* For those people who had cut down on drinking, health reasons was the most common factor behind their decision, followed by reasons associated with lifestyle, society, drink-driving laws and finances.
* Of 12.2 million Australians, one sixth still smoke daily, down from one quarter in 1993.
* People living in lower socio-economic areas have higher rates of smoking, as do indigenous people.
* One in seven of those surveyed had taken at least one illegal drug in 2007.
* The rate of people taking cocaine and sleeping pills for non-medical purposes rose in 2007 compared with 2004 from one per cent to 1.6 per cent and one per cent to 1.4 per cent.
Marijuana use dropped from 11.3 per cent in 2004 to 9.1 per cent in 2007, and it was the most common illicit drug recently used.
Just 0.2 per cent of those surveyed had taken heroin in the past 12 months.
But heroin was the drug most associated with a "drug problem" in Australia.
The institute's survey was taken before federal Labor won office.
Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation chief executive Daryl Smeaton said he expected the federal government's multi-million dollar anti-binge drinking campaign would encourage people to further cut their consumption.
"I don't think there is any doubt that you do get through to some people if you're consistently promoting a healthier or safer drinking environment, and that has certainly been the case this year," he told AAP.
