Alcohol and other drugs facts

Statistics about alcohol and other drug use

The National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2016) provides astatistical information about smoking, vaping, alcohol and other drugs use in Australia.

Tobacco smoking

• 11% of people aged 14 or over were daily smokers in 2019. The decrease in daily smoking rates can be attributed to fewer people aged 14-39 years taking up smoking between 2001 -2019.
•  There continues to be fewer teenagers aged 14-19 years who smoke daily, with this overall rate dropping by about 80% since 2001. Younger people continued to delay the take-up of smoking. The average age at which 14–24 year olds smoked their first full cigarette increased from 14.2 years in 1995 to 16.6 in 2019 (a significant increase from 15.9 years in 2013).

Alcohol use 

• The average age that 14-24 year olds had their first full serve of alcohol in 2019 was 16.2 years. This increasing trend since 2001 is not significant, but worth acknowledging as the average age in 2001 was 14.7 years.
• In 2019, a decline was noted in the adult population drinking 11 or more drinks in a single session (at least once a month) from 7.4% in 2016 to 6.7%.

Vaping or e-cigarettes

• In 2019, 4.1% of young people aged 14-24 years used a vaping device.
• Males (current smokers or non-smokers) were around 3 times as likely to vape as females (5.7% compared with 2.2%).
• A similar proportion of current smokers aged 14-17 and 18-24 years had tried vaping in their lifetime (63.6% and 63.9% respectively).
• 65% of young people aged 14-17 years had never smoked when they first tried vaping and 34% were current smokers. 
• The use of vapes among young people in Australia has increased in recent years, despite hazardous substances being found in some vaping liquids and aerosols. Some vaping liquids also contain nicotine, which due to its highly addictive effect, can lead to further use and experimentation with other substances.

(Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)

Cannabis

• 35% of Australians aged 14 years and over have used cannabis one or more times in their life. 10.4% of this cohort have used in the last 12 months. 
• Most young people do not use cannabis - 68.7% of 12-17 year old's have never tried it.
• Cannabis was the third most common drug that led to adults seeking treatment in 2020/2021, behind methamphetamines and alcohol.

Illicit use of drugs

• In 2019 the average age of people first trying illicit drugs rose from 16.7 years (2016) to 17.3 years.
• Between 2016 and 2019 recent cocaine use increased across all age groups (except 14-19 year olds) – this is the highest rate since 2001, and most notably is the (at least) monthly use figures which increased from 10.1% to 16.8% between 2016 and 2019
• Crystal/ice continued to be the main form of methamphetamines used in 2019 (50% in 2019; up from 22% in 2010 and 50% in 2013). There was a significant decline in recent meth/amphetamine users who used powder as their main form (from 29% in 2013 to 20% in 2019).

Other facts

• 8 in 10 people who had used cannabis, meth/amphetamines or cocaine used alcohol at the same time.
• In 2019, approval for the regular adult non-medical user of prescription pain killers/ pain relievers (opioid based) (12.4%) and tranquilisers/sleeping pills (9.3%) was higher than for all other illicit drugs, except cannabis (19.6%)

(Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2019.)

Myths about alcohol and other drugs use

Despite scientific research that shows dependence on alcohol and other drugs is a chronic brain disorder, individuals experiencing alcohol and other drugs dependence continue to be stigmatised. The general perception is that their use is a choice, they are to blame for their own alcohol and drug problems, and they could give up if they really wanted to.

This is one of many myths about alcohol and other drugs use that allow stereotypes, stigma and shame to continue. They can also influence your assessment of a child’s safety. Be aware of them.

Some of the most common are listed in the following table. (Read more about stigma and shame in the Working with parents section.

What happens when a person is experiencing alcohol or drug dependence?

A person experiencing alcohol or drug dependence can be in one of the following three states:

• preoccupation or anticipation: They will have constant cravings and an overwhelming urge to use. They can be preoccupied with this despite having other responsibilities in their life. Mood swings, depression, tiredness and being irritable are also part of this stage
• under the influence: They are affected by alcohol or other drug use. They are not in control of themselves or what is happening around them.
  People can develop a tolerance to the amount of alcohol or drug used if they have used over a long period of time. The results of this can be a need for increased amounts of the substance to experience the desired affects, to feel like they can function, or to manage withdrawal symptoms. People can experience physical pain recovering from episodes, and symptoms can result in them being unable to complete day-to-day tasks
• withdrawal: They experience serious pain and psychological anxiety. They may be unable to sleep or my show signs of paranoia. Possible effects can include agitation, nausea or sweats, tiredness and muscle pain. The addiction cycle continues with the user’s main priority becoming avoidance of these painful symptoms—as a result, the preoccupation stage sets in.

(Guiney, 2015)