If you’re looking for drug and alcohol statistics in Australia, the DrugInfo website, provided by the Australian Drug Foundation, is a great place to look. The website offers a wealth of information about drugs and alcohol and their potential harmful affects.
Here are some interesting Australian drug and alcohol statistics, gleaned from the DrugInfo website (all stats include ages 14 and over):
- It won’t come as a surprise to most to learn that alcohol is our most widely used drug, but did you know that the age group with the greatest number of people who drink daily is 70 and over? See Workplace alcohol testing not just a younger employee issue for more insight into the drinking habits of older Australians.
- Alcohol was responsible for more deaths than motor vehicle accidents in 2005 (3494 and 1600 respectively).
- Cannabis is our most widely used illicit drug. Close to 35% of Australians have tried cannabis at least once.
- Ecstasy is also popular, with nearly 11% having tried the drug at least once and 2.5% having used in the past year.
- For cocaine, the number who have tried the drug at least once is just over 8%, while 2.1% have used it in the last 12 months.
- Methamphetamines and amphetamines, including ICE, grab a lot of attention in the media, but statistically it’s still used less than cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine. 7% of people have tried the drug and 2.1% have used in the past year. The reason why it receives the attention it does is the side effects and ongoing issues that the drug causes.
- It’s not just illicit drugs that cause issues in our communities and workplaces. Apart from alcohol, other drugs such as analgesics (eg. aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol), benzodiazepines (e.g. sleeping pills), oxycodone and codeine also cause issues when they are used at higher than recommended dosages and for non-medical purposes.
Want to know more about drugs and alcohol? Go to the DrugInfo website. It won’t be a feel-good read but it certainly pays to know the facts.
