How many Australians use illicit drugs? Which illegal drugs are most commonly used? Are we drinking more alcohol now than we were in the past? For the answers to these and many more questions, arguably the best resource is the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS). While the next survey isn’t far away and the...
Tag: alcohol
Tis the season to be jolly… drunk!
It’s that time of the year again when relatively sensible people think it’s okay to have a few drinks and take photocopies of their squashed faces and drop their trousers in public, or more correctly, in front of their work colleagues. That’s right, tis the season for office and workplace festive season parties! But behind...
More Australians drinking alcohol to get drunk
The latest survey by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) has found that the number of people who drink alcohol to get drunk has edged closer to half the drinking population, to around six million people. The alarming statistic is in contrast to overall alcohol consumption figures, which have remained steady over the...
I’ll pass on the alcohol (testing) thanks!
Whether you don’t drink alcohol because of religious reasons, because you don’t like it, because you’re pregnant or for health reasons, abstaining from alcohol isn’t arduous. For others, however, going a day without alcohol can be difficult. And many of us know the temptation when we go to a social event where there is plenty...
Wastewater drug testing helps pave way for $20 million funding
The Federal Government has committed a further $20 million in South Australia to boost drug and alcohol treatment services. In a media release to announce the funding boost, the Minister for Health The Hon Greg Hunt MP said that alcohol and drug misuse affects not just the individuals involved, but the people and communities around...
Educate your workforce on the dangers of drugs and alcohol
With drugs and alcohol costing Australian workplaces $5.2 billion a year, responsible for causing workplace injuries and deaths, and resulting in productivity losses, absenteeism and other issues, workplace managers and owners could be forgiven for being fearful of drugs and alcohol. However, it’s important to recognise that workplaces are in a very unique position of...
Road safety week highlights issues of drugs, alcohol on roads
It’s National Road Safety Week in Australia, which is a perfect time to highlight areas where we are doing well and areas where we need to improve, including combating the use of drugs and, to a lesser extent, alcohol in road users. According to the Safer Australian Roads and Highways website, in 2017 over 1200...
Alcohol testing times for health
It seems that every time there is a link between alcohol and improved health the media jump all over it, seemingly trying to convince everyone that if you drink alcohol you’re more likely to live longer than if you don’t. The latest headlines come from a University of California study of people in their 90s,...
Binge drinking a concern or an Aussie alcohol rite of passage?
Most of us Aussies love a drink of alcohol. For many, alcohol is with us when we relax after a tough day, when we enjoy the company of friends and forms a key part of our social make-up. But what happens when a drink or two becomes many? What happens when you binge drink either...