Young people most affected by alcohol harm

Media release

13 October 2009

Young people most affected by alcohol harm

Young people experience higher levels of harm from their own drinking or other people’s drinking than other people, a new Ministry of Health survey shows.
The Ministry of Health Alcohol Use in New Zealand: Key results of the 2007/08 New Zealand Alcohol and Drug Use Survey report was released today, with key findings from a national survey of almost 7,000 New Zealanders aged 16–64 years. The first survey of its kind undertaken by the Ministry, it measured the frequency of drinking alcohol, harm related to the use of alcohol, help sought for alcohol use, and harm experienced due to other people’s alcohol use.

Director of Public Health, Dr Mark Jacobs, says the survey shows around eight in ten (85%) adults aged 16–64 years had drunk alcohol in the past year. While many New Zealanders enjoy alcohol in moderation, it was quite common for people to consume large amounts of alcohol on drinking occasions, and to experience harmful effects from their drinking, including on their friendships, social life, home life and financial position, as well as injuries.

In particular, people aged 18–24 years were likely to drink large amounts of alcohol (more than six standard drinks for men or more than four for women on any one occasion), with 30% of men and 16% of women in this age group drinking a large amount of alcohol at least once a week. People in this age group also experienced higher levels of harm from their drinking, and/or other people’s drinking, than people in other age groups.

Dr Jacobs also said that young people aged 16–17 years were about as likely to have consumed alcohol in the past year as other people, with 80% of people aged 16–17 years having had an alcoholic drink in the past year.

"However, young people aged 16–17 years experienced higher levels of harm as a result of their drinking. In particular, one in seven people, or fifteen percent of those aged 16–17 years had injured themselves in the past year due to their drinking," he said.

Other population groups also experiencing higher levels of harm from their own drinking or other people’s drinking include Māori men and women, Pacific men, and people living in areas of higher socioeconomic deprivation.

Dr Jacobs said the findings reinforced the need for people to enjoy alcohol responsibly. A free confidential Alcohol and Drug Helpline service is available on 0800 787 797 for people concerned about their alcohol consumption.

Results of the survey will assist the Ministry in its role of minimising alcohol-related harm, and in developing and evaluating policies. This includes the Ministry's National Drug Policy 2007–2012, which aims to reduce the effects of harmful substance use including alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs through limiting individual alcohol and drug use, reducing harm from existing alcohol and drug use, and controlling or limiting alcohol and drug availability.
The report is available on the Ministry of Health website www.moh.govt.nz

Key results of the report
In the past year -
o About 5.8% of people aged 16–64 years had consumed alcohol daily.
o One in ten (10.7%) people aged 16–64 years had consumed a large amount of alcohol at least once a week, which was defined as having consumed more than six (for men) or four (for women) standard drinks on a drinking occasion.
o One in six (16.8%) people aged 16–64 years reported having driven a motor vehicle while feeling under the influence of alcohol, while one in ten (9.5%) reported having worked while feeling under the influence of alcohol.
o About 5.6% of people aged 16–64 years had taken at least one day off work or school due to their alcohol use.
o 1.3% of adults had received help to reduce their level of alcohol use. About 1.2% of adults had wanted help to reduce their level of alcohol use but had not received it.
o The most common harmful effects experienced by adults aged 16–64 years due to their own alcohol use were:
•    harmful effects on their friendships or social life (6.9% of adults aged 16–64 years)
•    having days off work or school (5.6%)
•    harmful effects on their home life (5.4%)
•    harmful effects on their financial position (5.4%)
•    injuring themselves (4.7%).

o About one in six (16.0%) people aged 16–64 years reported harmful effects on their friendship or social life from someone else’s drinking.
o One in four women (28.7%) who had been pregnant in the past three years reported drinking alcohol while pregnant, while seven in ten (68.0%) reported having been advised by someone not to drink alcohol when pregnant.
o Some population groups experienced higher levels of harm from alcohol than the rest of the population, in particular:
•    people aged 16–24 years
•    Māori men and women
•    Pacific men
•    people living in areas of higher socioeconomic deprivation.
o Youth aged 16–17 years were about as likely to have consumed alcohol as people aged 18–64 years. Among past-year drinkers, those aged 16–17 years were as likely to have consumed a large amount of alcohol at least once a week, as those aged 18–64 years (12.6%).
o People aged 16–17 years experienced much higher levels of harmful effects as a result of their drinking, compared with other age groups. In particular, one in seven (15.0%) people aged 16–17 years had injured themselves due to their drinking.
o People aged 18–24 years had a high level of risky drinking behaviour, with 29.8% of men and 15.8% of women in this age group drinking a large amount of alcohol at least once a week. Among past-year drinkers, this represented one in three (33.8%) males and one in five (18.8%) females in this age group. People aged 18–24 years also generally experienced higher levels of harm from their drinking and/or other people’s drinking, than other people.
o Māori, particularly Māori women, were more likely than others to have experienced harmful effects in the past year from their own and other people’s drinking. Māori women were almost four times more likely than non-Māori women to have experienced physical and/or sexual assault in the past year from someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
o While Pacific peoples are less likely to have consumed alcohol than other people, Pacific men had higher rates of drinking a large amount of alcohol on at least one drinking occasion in the past year than non-Pacific men. Among past-year drinkers, Pacific men were over four times more likely than non-Pacific men to have received help to reduce their level of alcohol use, and to have wanted help but not received it.
o Compared with people living in less socioeconomically deprived areas, people living in more deprived areas were more likely to have consumed a large amount of alcohol at least once a week, more likely to have received help to reduce their level of alcohol use and/or wanted help but not received it, and more likely to have experienced harmful effects from their own alcohol use.

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