Alcohol continues to account for nearly half of government-funded substance abuse treatment in Australia. A report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows 47% of drug treatments…
Australians are drinking and smoking less but putting on weight like never before, a national survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has found. Results from the ABS Australian Health Survey, the…
A sign outside an Aboriginal community near Darwin, noting the ban on consuming alcohol in the area.
AAP/Xavier La Canna
The newly elected conservative governments in Queensland and the Northern Territory have opened the way to relaxing laws restricting access to alcohol in Aboriginal communities. In Queensland, a number…
Parents’ drinking patterns impact on how young people think about and consume alcohol.
Kuorui
The question of whether adults should be allowed to drink alcohol at school discos, fetes and sports games was thrust into the spotlight this week after the Australian Drug Foundation urged education departments…
The aim of drink-driving reform is not to reduce drinking, but to disconnect drinking from driving.
Flickr/M a r k
Around one quarter of deaths on Australia’s roads involve drink-driving. Over a decade, this amounts to over 3,500 deaths, as well as many thousands of serious injuries. While the most common death in…
High profile campaigns that don’t reduce consumption or profits are favoured by industry.
Alexandre Chang
In a series of recent papers, our research team has documented the impact of community interventions at reducing alcohol-related harm in the Geelong region in Victoria. What we found was that despite the…
Teenagers who smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or use marijuana have a two-to-three times greater risk of abusing prescription…
The Advertising Standards Bureau has ruled that comments and photos on the Facebook pages of VB and Smirnoff have breached the industry’s code of ethics.
louisa_catlover
Recently, the advertising regulator has made what have been called “landmark decisions” relating to the use of Facebook by two prominent alcohol brands. Two weeks ago, the Advertising Standards Bureau…
The expense of defending defamation actions deters many public health researchers from speaking out.
Emilio Kuffer
Public health advocates who criticise industries for promoting harmful forms of consumption – the alcohol, food, pharmaceutical, tobacco and gambling industries – increasingly find themselves facing legal…
Friends of the teenager who has been accused of killing Thomas Kelly leave court last week.
AAP/Paul Miller
The recent unprovoked killing of a young reveller named Thomas Kelly by a male stranger in Sydney’s Kings Cross has set off extensive community and political debate about the violence that is associated…
Coke has apparently shared the Olympic ideals since 1928.
Michael Francis McCarthy
What does the Olympics stand for: is it the inspiration for a healthier, sportier community? Or is it just another way to sell junk food and booze to an ever-fatter, ever-drunker population of couch potatoes…
A small amount of alcohol is better than none for women, research suggests.
Flickr/Andrew Borodin
Women who consume three alcoholic drinks a week over a period of at least 10 years will halve their risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, a study has found, but experts warn that more heavy drinking…
Young Australians are exposed to a range of risks from alcohol, both from drinking themselves and other people’s use. According to the most recent National Drug Strategy Household Survey: A third of 14…
Professor, Director of Research and Statistical Support Service and Program Leader for Substance Use and Mental Health, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland